Baltimore--Part I

During recent months I've been reading up on Baltimore to prepare for moving there, such as Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City, The Hero's Fight: African Americans in West Baltimore and the Shadow of the State, and Coming of Age in the Other America. For too long I've neglected the city in favor of DC, but the teaching opportunities seem to fit me better in Baltimore, and, although the cost of living isn't cheap there, at least it's not as expensive as DC. For instance, a large studio apartment that I rented in 1996 near the Rosslyn Metro station in Arlington, VA, for under $450/month now costs over $1,300/month.

My parents met in DC when my mom was in nursing school and my father at a trade school. Even though my mom's side of my family in the Salisbury area has tended to focus on Baltimore--the male sailors seemed to have often laid over from the 1800s through the mid-1900s--until recently I'd spent little time there, mainly stopping over before my mom's cousin or brother drove us to the Eastern Shore. At least I did have the chance to eat at Haussner's Restaurant, famous for the art that covered its walls. Because of the tourist spots, federal government, National Mall, Metro, etc., DC seemed much more attractive to me.

Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens in Druid Hill Park, opened in 1888. The architectural style of this time period, such as the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building (opened in 1881), is among my favorites.

In some ways Baltimore reminds me of some Chinese cities of the 1990s--lots of problems, though not necessarily the same, but many nice people.

George Peabody Library, part of the Johns Hopkins University

Too common sight in West Baltimore (See "A Tale of Two Cities" Baltimore Magazine, April 2016) In the future I should post a photo that portrays a more positive side.