My first post on my new blog!
Since I last posted, I’ve done quite a bit (it’s been quite a while since I wrote). I’ve been back at Hopkins for just over a month now, and I’ve finally gotten into the rhythm of sophomore year. I’ve settled into my new major-Public Health-and I’m taking some great classes (more about those later). I’ve decorated my room, gotten a job, been to Washington DC and back home, had visits from my sister and parents, taken my first sophomore midterms, and trained(ish) for a half marathon. It’s been a busy month!
Stopped by DC to say hi to Obama (I wish). But I did get to see the White House!
This delicious bakery magic is in my hometown in NJ!
As exciting as this last month has been, the real reason I’m writing this blog is not to catch you all up on my life, but something quite different.
So I, for one, am a big fan of Baltimore. Maybe not so much when I first got here, but I’ve figured the city out a bit more over the past year, and now I love it. It’s definitely a quirky place, and I won’t deny there are a few grubby spots about, but it’s great nonetheless. One of the most annoying things people ask when I say I go to Hopkins is, “WOW like on the Wire?” NO! Not like on the Wire! Nothing like on The Wire. So imagine my surprise when I was home this weekend and opened the newspaper to find this…..
(It’s subtitle was “The Baltimore You Won’t See On The Wire.” Too true)
I was quite excited. Baltimore and the New York Times are two of my favorite things, so naturally seeing them come together was pretty great. But even better than that was the fact that the NYTimes decided to feature some of my favorite Baltimore places! Woodberry Kitchen, Carma’s Cafe, the BMA! So thrilling.
Oh Woodberry Kitchen. So delicious. This place is one of my favorite eating spots in Baltimore, so naturally I was pretty excited that the New York Times agreed with me. It’s even more exciting though that finally everyone else is catching on to how cool Baltimore is. Especially now that fall is just around the corner (or apparently not, it was 70 degrees today) the city looks so beautiful. As I mentioned before, I’m busy pseudo-training for the half marathon, that scarily enough is this Saturday. My runs have been taking me up into the beautiful neighborhood of Roland Park, where I’ve been doing some aspirational real estate exploration as I run–gets pretty boring otherwise.
Lovely Baltimore sights!
I think one of the reasons I like Baltimore so much is because it’s a “secret city.” Or as the Times put it, “Baltimore is sometimes the forgotten middle child among attention-getting Eastern cities like Washington and New York.” No one’s stopping you from coming here, but for some reason so many of the great things about this city aren’t well known. Saying you love Baltimore isn’t quite as obvious as saying “I love New York” (nor is it on a ubiquitous tshirt), and it almost always makes people as you “Why?” I’m a fairly chatty individual so I have no problem rattling off my favorite places to eat, favorite neighborhoods, and best Baltimore anecdotes, but it’s nice to have a condensed version of my Baltimore top 10 list in this article.
The Baltimore marathon! This weekend!
And there are, of course, a few more places I’d like to mention while I’m at it. If you ever find yourself in Baltimore on a Saturday morning, your trip would be incomplete without a stop by Miss Shirley’s for brunch. They have scarily caloric things like cheesecake stuffed French toast that really just sounds incredible. Because you’ll be right next door, you may as well stop by the Evergreen Cafe–a great place to study on a Saturday afternoon, and their wraps and salads are well worth the wait. While you’re here you can’t forget a walk down by the harbor or through Hampden, a stop in the Tulip Garden, at the aquarium, and The Ambassador. You shouldn’t miss Fell’s Point (particularly at Halloween), Mount Washington, or Federal Hill, and naturally, no trip to Baltimore is complete without a walk through the Homewood campus–especially in the snow! or in springtime…Apparently, this will be a trip that goes on forever? The best kind! I hope you enjoy Baltimore!
P.S. Other cool thing? This isn’t the first time Baltimore’s been mentioned in the travel section. 2007 saw another “36 Hours In”. Check it out! But I like 2009′s version of Baltimore better….
36 Hours in Baltimore (2007)
P.P.S. The title of this blog? From Hairspray, set in the neighborhood of Hampden, just behind the Homewood campus
