So That’s What Having Sports Teams Is Like

By Nick G.

Feb

12

Coming from Connecticut, we don’t have much when it comes to our own sports teams. Obviously there’s UCONN, and the Connecticut Sun, but having dominant college and WNBA teams alone isn’t exactly the way to get your state’s athletics well known (no offense to colleges or the WNBA).  We had an NHL team, but I was 6 when they ditched us. Those who hail from the Constitution State are split, caught directly in the middle of New York and Boston. Our fans are dedicated, for sure, but are often found explaining why they support one city or the other.

Now, granted, I am not a huge sports fan. If the Yankees lose, I care, but I won’t be devastated. But one of the nice things about Baltimore is that the ‘locals’ most certainly do care. They care a lot. Living in a city that really isn’t divided certainly brings a different aspect to sports. You won’t see New Haven going crazy over an NFL game (Yale vs. Harvard, maybe), but here in Baltimore you most certainly did.

After the Raven’s victory over the Patriots in the AFC Championship, the city went nuts. From the comfort of my living room, several blocks from any bars or central gathering areas, we could hear fireworks going off in the streets and shouting in celebration. That’s when we all realized…win or lose, after the Superbowl, this city was going insane.

This lady brought an old fashioned train whistle with her downtown for celebration...needless to say, meeting her was a highlight.

Obviously, this was an entirely new experience for me. Not only was I finally able to to go bars downtown (yes, I’m newly 21), but I could go to bars downtown when they would be full of excited Baltimore fans. After gathering a group of Hopkins friends and joining with another friend from Baltimore, we went to a popular spot across the street from Camden Yards. The place looked like a Ray Lewis jersey factory where a purple paint bucket exploded onto every other article of clothing.

With every play, the bar erupted in either applause and celebration or a symphony of boos. Showing my Baltimore pride, I ordered a delicious crab and old bay pretzel and some Natty Boh, to be enjoyed surrounded by the excitement of the game. There have been a few pretty nervous moments in my life, but I have to say the last few minutes--unsure if this mob around me was going to end up being a happy mob or a very upset one--was pretty nerve racking.

In the end, obviously, it ended up being a happy crowd. People flooded the streets, including a guy dancing in a full body Natty Boh guy costume, and some news crews. All around us people were playing the “fist to car horn” game, and they were winning.  Part of me wanted to see a car get flipped over, but part of me was afraid to see what would happen if cars began being flipped. In the end, we were able to make it back to my non-flipped car and back to campus safely, while joining in with some of the celebrations on the street on the way (I high fived a guy next to us at a red light by reaching out of the car window, it was pretty epic).

And there you have it: the thoughts of someone who had never been in a championship winning city being in one for the very first time, and the once in a lifetime experience that came with it.

Thanks for reading,

Nick

Current Track: The Next Episode by Dr. Dre

 

P.s. If you want a video of what parts of downtown looked like, this one does a pretty good job of it:

Skipping Class to Go Golfing

By Nick G.

Sep

28

They say that coming to college is always a huge shock to the system. The newly acquired freedoms, all this independence that you haven’t experienced before, and coming home to a roommate instead of mom and dad for the first time can often be overwhelming to some.

But what I find is more interesting than this change in freedom is the change in freedom which comes through out one’s college career. We start off thinking we can do so much, which is entirely true, because we have so many newly opened doors compared to high school. But, what many people don’t realize, is that there are many doors yet to be unlocked. As I look back to what I was doing, was capable of doing, and my overall mindset of freshman year, I see a completely different array of options than I see now.

Take, for example, one of my favorite things: food. Just two short years ago if you said to me “let’s get food”, it was pretty clear that meant “let’s go to the FFC”. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now, that same simple sentence of “let’s get food” could mean going pretty much anywhere, from Fogo de Chao (an all you can eat Brazillian steakhouse) to Miss Shirley’s for chicken and waffles to Ra for sushi. I can pretty much count the number of times I ate off campus (by off campus I don’t mean Chipotle across the street from campus, I mean off campus) on my fingers, and without using toes. Now, however, thanks partially to my car being parked a whopping 12 feet from the back door of the AEPi house and a lack of a prepaid meal plan, the city’s finest dining is at my fingertips.

If Caesar wants to golf, Caesar will golf. And I like to think of myself as the Caesar of Baltimore.

Another way in which things have changed has been the “we have an hour of free time to kill, what should we do?” solution. Sure, there is plenty to do as a freshman around Baltimore, but when you have a surprise of some free time, you become very constrained. Classically, my answer to this question was to go back to my room and play COD. However, this year, when class was unexpectedly canceled one day, going back home and playing video games was low on my list of things to do for that newly free time. Instead, I was able to find someone to go to a driving range with me and spent an hour hitting golf balls. Freshman year, if you had suggested that to me, I’d think you were totally crazy, but now it seems like such an obvious option to the free time problem. Alright, so technically the title of this post is kind of an exaggeration–class was cancelled, I didn’t exactly ‘skip’. I just wanted to be like one of the cool kids.

A final change that I would like to touch upon is life sans dorms. Coming to live in a dorm can be a shock at first, but moving back out can be just as much if not more shocking. Unlike dorm life, everything is in your hands now. No more security guard out front of the building 24/7. You have to actually remember to set the alarm and lock the door at night. No longer does electricity simply come from the wall and wireless internet magically become available by some sort of super human electricity and internet fairy. No, you actually get bills for that stuff. We might complain sometimes about how annoying it is to have to sign someone into the dorms who doesn’t live there, but it is a small price to pay for knowing that everyone in the building is authorized to be there. For sure, it takes a bit of getting used to, having to keep track of all the different elements of living on your own without ResLife there to back you up, but what you gain from it is a lot more freedom than with the dorms. You get a sense of independence, as well as some real people responsibilities.

So, as incredible as freshman and sophomore year are, there are few feelings better than being a wise old junior and being able to, well, do whatever. You know the city, you know the people, and you know the routine like the back of your hand. Baltimore is your oyster (is that how you use that phrase?).

Thanks for reading,

Nick

Current track: Don’t You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia

 

Baltimore -> Boat -> Big Apple, Part 1

By Nick G.

Jun

9

Give or take, it’s been about a month since Sophomore year officially ended for me.  Well, for classes at least, there’s that whole finals week thing but that doesn’t really count, right?

So, what has been going on since that time? My summer, thus far, has come in three main stages. First, Baltimore end of school celebrations. Second, beloved boat time. Finally, the move over to New York City for the start of my summer internship. So, here is my first part of a three part series, “Baltimore -> Boat -> Big Apple”.

Stage 1: Baltimore. Finals end on a Thursday, but graduation doesn’t happen until the following Thursday. So, what are all those seniors to do during that time? If you’re JHU_Saznin, you probably spent that week watching Green Day and Vitamin C videos on YouTube. For everyone else, the JHU student government helps to organize Senior Week, a week long celebration of being done. Unfortunately, I’ve got a few years left before I get to part take in my own senior week, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t tag along this year.

The crowd during the Wiz Khalifa concert.

The event I attended was Preakness, the annual horse race right here in Baltimore and a part of the Triple Crown. Horse race, however, only partially describes it. In addition to horses, there were performances by Wiz Khalifa and Maroon 5, beach vollyball competitions, and dozens of tents all around the infield with every type of food imaginable.  Basically, horse racing took second stage, up until the main race where I’ll Have Another ran for a very exciting win (and cost me a few dollars with it).

Other senior week events, which I did not attend, included mini golf, senior prom, and a post exams library party.  In the last few hours in Baltimore, I was able to get my room ready for next year (finally moving off campus!) and make sure I’d have furniture, finalize the rent and lease, and say some final goodbyes to friends who are graduating, studying abroad next year, and who are returning next year.

Overall, if your schedule and such allow for it, I would strongly recommend hanging out for a few days after classes; it is a great way to relieve post exam stress and to leave Hopkins in a happy mood, rather than exhausted after all the finals work.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for part 2 coming soon!

-Nick

Current Track: Some Nights (Jakob Liedholm Arena Mix)  by Fun

 

Best Of Baltimore: Barbershops

By Nick G.

Feb

28

Before

Hair is a funny thing, when you really think about it. Like what does it even do anymore? Hasn’t evolution provided us with nice warm hats? I mean, let’s be real…its not like bald people have a huge disadvantage when it comes to survival of the fittest. Also, we spend so much on hair removal that it seems an absurd evolutionary trait that we just want eliminated as easily as possible, and if not eliminated, styled up to change our natural look.

Speaking of hair removal, the birds nest of thin strands of protein atop my head recently got past the point of “need a haircut” (see photo right). How do I know when it has reached that point? When it reaches the time where I wake up and have to splash water on it to pat down the noticeable spikes, that’s when its too long. Well, there is one very unique place right here in Baltimore, just a short drive away in the Inner Harbor, where they provide a haircut experience unlike any other I’ve ever seen.

It goes by the name of  ”The Quintessential Gentleman”, or QG for short. QG offers a wide variety of services, from a traditional haircut to a massage and shoe shine. Believe me when I say that its more than a haircut…its an experience. I should be their spokesman or something.

After

Instead of a traditional waiting room, you know, with some chairs around a coffee table with stacks of old magazines on it, QG takes an upgraded approach. When you first check in for your appointment, they offer you a complementary drink (soda, beer for those over 21, water or coffee), and there is a billiards table and TV upstairs for while you wait.

Once your haircut begins, its pretty standard, except for…oh yeah, you get your own little cubicle with a personal TV. After your cut, they use a traditional straight razor for the back of your neck and sideburns, a classic touch. Finally, to top it all off, a quick rinse and shampoo. All for a pretty good price.

I know I sound like a total advertisement right now, but I just came back a few hours ago and am still impressed. And that, my friends, is why QG deserves its place in the Best of Baltimore series. Check out http://www.baltimorebarbershop.com/ for more info!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Current Track: Seven Nation Army Dubstep by UKFdubstep/The White Stripes

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