Thank you, Scott. I'm truly saddened you feel that way because I've been feeling nothing but hope while driving through the city and witnessing all the positive changes! Real things are happening here - and they're good things. I wish fewer people would trust the media hype as gospel - after all they're after the ratings - and actually come and experience Baltimore themselves. Yes, last year's riots were upsetting, but they were pretty much limited to a 4-block radius that barely touched the rest of the city! The way the news portrayed it, you'd think every block was on fire! I was here, went through the curfew and all, and saw a few windows broken outside 'riot central,' but other than that, it was the usual, charming, warm city that I've grown to love.
This is a unique city - the further from the harbor you go, the newer the architecture and it's sometimes block-to-block! Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill, all being close to the harbor, are older 'closer' neighborhoods with 10-foot wide rowhomes and narrow streets and alleys, but so much charm. Drive out a mile and you'll find the big, boasting brownstones, spires and wrought iron, gargoyles and the glorious marble and brass vestibules of Mount Vernon. From one mile to the next, the changes in the styles are dramatic and the amount of green space multiplies.
With all the new developments - Under Armour and Morgan Stanley moving their corporate headquarters here; Port Covington Revitalization project; Sparrows Point Port project; and the multitude of city park beautifications, it's easy to see a new, shiny Baltimore not far off in the future and I, for one, am happy to be here to see it.
