Baltimorethan you expect. From top left: f Baltimore’s many nicknames, Johns Hopkins University; “Charm City” says it best. 18th-century map of America’s East Coast; Whatever anyone tells you the George Peabody Library of The Johns about Baltimore, they all agree: Hopkins University; it’s different. One hour north of Billie Holiday; Baltimore oriole by Washington, D.C., and three hours south of New John James Audubon; O Frederick Douglass; York, Baltimore is either the most northerly south- Johns Hopkins lab student; Cal Ripkin ern American city or the other way around. In the bobblehead; Maryland mix is the heart of the charm. horse country; Chesapeake Bay; state flower, the black-eyed susan; Lexington We collected comments from some of our most Market; graduate celebrated residents, past and present. Then we student Xiaojia Zeng performing at JHU’s surveyed hundreds of Johns Hopkins University Chinese New Year celebration; Honfest; graduate students and interviewed dozens more to painted window screen of Patterson get their impressions of the city where they live. Park by Baltimore artist Ted Richardson; Edgar Allan Poe; Discover the Baltimore they call home. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. What is Baltimore? “A city of tattoos” is how one Johns Hopkins graduate student Baltimore’s Quirky Charm describes it. “Duckpin bowling was invented here,” notes another. Most important, though, “people who live here, work here. There is a lot of local pride.” “When friends ask me to describe Baltimore, I say it’s quirky. There’s a sense of small community created by all of the hole-in-the-wall unique The biggest city in the Baltimore- “We’ve managed to embrace the things places. The local art scene, which Washington Metroplex and home that many cities try to hide, and we’ve includes visual art, experimental music, and movies, is to some 8,500 Johns Hopkins quite strong. I take advantage of Baltimore’s ‘indie’ graduate students, Baltimore offers embraced them with humor. I think spirit…and where else can you get really good crab something for everyone. that’s why Baltimore is such a good place pizza?” — Zachary Herchen, Duxbury, MA, Master’s Program A few of our favorite things: in Saxophone Performance and Recording Arts Engineering, • “I love crab cakes in Baltimore!” to live.” — John Waters, Baltimore film director Peabody Conservatory • “Hahn A. Reum Asian Grocery, Punjab Deli, and Halal Meats: cheap spices and rare ingre- “Baltimore has a lot more character dients for cooking at home.” than I originally thought it would. • “Spring: it brings the most I was expecting a very industrial beautiful tulips.” town. The feeling of Baltimore is • “Faidley’s at Lexington Market, one of Baltimore’s hidden gems.” very laid-back, especially compared to Washington, • “Hidden parks in Canton, on D.C., and all the cute neighborhoods give it a lot of Baltimore Street and Ann Street. ” personality, like Overlea, where I live. My house feels • “The Inner Harbor—charming like an old country home, but it’s still in the city.” and beautiful.” — Julie Schafer McGurk, Flemington, NJ, Doctoral Program • “Tons of great restaurants in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and parks.” • “The Sunday farmers market downtown.” John Waters in • “Lighting the Washington front of a poster Monument at Christmas.” for his movie • “The American Visionary Art Hairspray. 78% of surveyed graduate students Museum’s kinetic sculpture agreed that “quirky charm” is a good way race is awesome.” to describe Baltimore. baLTIMOre’S GOT A resTAUranT FOR EVerY TasTE, LIKE cafe HON, LOcaTed IN Hampden—MINUTes frOM The JOhns HOPKIns UNIVersITY HOmewOOD campUS. JOhn WATers descrIbed FOrmsTOne, A PLasTer IMITATION OF STOne ThaT COVers brICK ROW HOmes ThrOUghOUT BALTIMOre, as “The POLYesTer OF brICK.” Welcome home, hon. Lively, convenient neighborhoods near City of Neighborhoods JHU’s Baltimore campuses include: Near Homewood campus: • Charles Village: home to Homewood; bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants • Waverly: farmers market, bookstores, “I live right across from the Home- thrift shops wood campus on North Charles “I plan on changing the world, maybe • Hampden: cheap eats, antiques, Street in what is called Charles clothing stores, bars and clubs even the minds of men, by making music Village or ‘The Chillage.’ There’s a • Remington: row homes, that’s very, very poignant, long lasting, nice coffee house nearby called quiet streets, all-night eats XandO’s. It’s next to a good record, CD, and DVD • Roland Park: tree-lined streets, and sincere.” — Dontae Winslow, composer, musician, shop, a Kinko’s, and restaurants. I like most to walk upscale markets, cafes and haute cuisine producer, rapper, Peabody Conservatory alumnus around the neighborhoods that surround campus. • Guilford: stately homes and swank There are lots of hidden parks to hang out and do apartments homework in.” — Frank Gallimore, Eugene, OR, Master of Fine Arts Program Near Peabody and Downtown campuses: in Poetry, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences • Mount Vernon: history, museums, night life, farmers market “Baltimore is not Washington, D.C.’s • Federal Hill: historic fun, marinas, museums, city lights less exciting neighbor to the north. It’s home to major sports teams, Near East Baltimore campus: top companies, museums, and • Fells Point: waterfront charm, live top-ranking academic institutions. music and dancing Baltimore has more to offer than the Inner Harbor! • Butchers Hill: north of Fells Point, This is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own iconic corner bars attractions and attitude. To find the city’s hidden • Patterson Park: Baltimore’s “pagoda,” treasures, travel off the beaten path.” bucolic heart of East Baltimore Trumpeter Dontae Winslow grew up in — Erica Reaves, Columbus, OH, Doctoral Program in • Canton: hip eateries, art galleries, the West North Avenue neighborhood of Neuroscience, School of Medicine water views Coppin Heights. After graduating from the Top-Rated Neighborhoods* Baltimore School for the Arts, he earned Survey notes: “I enjoy being able to walk or BA and MA degrees from the Peabody bike to work if I want to and being able to 1. Charles Village Conservatory. The Baltimore resident 2. Mount Vernon walk or bike when I go out at night.” was named a semi-finalist in the Interna- 3. Hampden tional Trumpet Competition held by the A note on security: Watching The Wire on HBO could lead you to believe 4. Roland Park prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute that Baltimore is a dangerous place. The truth is, living in any city calls for a 5. Fells Point of Jazz, which he also attended. certain amount of caution. Campus Safety and Security at Johns Hopkins offers *Graduate student survey a wealth of tips for staying safe and detailed statistics on crime activity near JHU campuses. Get the facts at www.jhu.edu/~security. FILM NIghT IN LITTLE ITALY: CINEMA PARADISO, baLTIMOre-STYLE. MarY PICKersgILL, whO LIVed MOST OF her LIfe IN BALTIMOre, desIgned The FLag ThaT FLew OVer FORT MCHenrY DURIng The War OF 1812. Well connected Baltimore: a short train ride to In the Heart of the Action the trading floors and publishing houses in New York, the halls of power in Washington, D.C., and the high-tech labs and offices of businesses headquartered throughout the mid-Atlantic. “I moved here from New York City Get out of town through one of and lots of people tried to tell me several nearby international “There’s an amazing amount of intellectual airports, via interstate highways, that living in Baltimore was not or public transportation, which energy between Washington, D.C., and going to be easy. But I took an connect all the major cities of the New York. From Baltimore, my students instant liking to this place with its East Coast. warm and affectionate people. In many ways, Balti- have easy access to all the region’s more reminds me of home. Whatever the season, resources.” — Alice McDermott, Johns Hopkins University I always relate Baltimore to monsoons in India— writer-in-residence, Writing Seminars, Krieger School of Arts and refreshing!” — Pritika Chatterjee, New Delhi, India, Doctoral Sciences; 1998 National Book Award winner for Charming Billy Program in Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health Survey notes: “The Environmental Health Sciences • “Baltimore has a lot of character Department here has high-quality, compared to other East Coast established research under way in my cities.” areas of interest, carcinogenesis and • “The benefit of Baltimore is that it’s close to D.C., Philadelphia, food toxicology, with collaborators as NYC. And it’s only a few hours’ near as Washington, D.C., and Boston. Cancer research drive to the Appalachian and risk assessment—areas I plan to pursue profes- Mountains.” sionally—thrive here with the proximity of the • “There are plenty of natural National Cancer Institute and the Environmental parks surrounding the city for great hiking and outdoor activities.” Protection Agency.” — Shoba S. Iyer, Long Beach, CA, • “We’re close to the ocean. Doctoral Program in Environmental Health, Bloomberg School Ocean City, Dewey Beach, and of Public Health Rehoboth Beach are so much fun!” • “My favorite quirky things about Baltimore? Crab. The way people hail a cab (not quite the same as in NY or D.C.) The phrase, ‘Bawl’more hon.’” 87% of surveyed graduate students • “The Peabody Conservatory Alice McDermott said proximity to New York and Washington, always has concerts to go see D.C., is a Baltimore asset. —usually for free!” A shORT drIVE frOM anY JHU BALTIMOre campUS, Penn STATION IS A majOR HUB, WITH AMTraK, COmmUTer TraIN, and LIghT raIL serVIce. Edgar ALLan POE DIed IN BALTIMOre IN 1849 and IS BURIed ON The grOUnds OF WesTMInsTer HALL and BURYIng GROUnd IN DOwnTOwn BALTIMOre. charLes VILLage PATTERSON PARK BUTCHERS HILL MOUNT VERNON ROLand parK WAVERLY Farmers marKET feLLS POINT (MIddLE) charLes VILLage HOmewOOD / UnIVersITY parKwaY (Balti)More to do Center Stage and the Everyman The Scene are shaking up the theater scene.