When I tell people that I’m from Baltimore, I usually get a “Wow, there’s a lot of crime there,” “Why don’t you talk weird, then,” or an “And you still live there?”  Although I don’t sport the typical Baltimore accent, people are sometimes shocked not only to find that I’m from there, but that I’ve also said “BAL-TI-MORE.”  My southern cousins were teasing me thinking that I was just speaking “proper” for them.  Boy, were they surprised to find that I can switch it on and off like a light switch whenever I wanted to because I don’t normally have it.

                So I began to ponder on my bus ride home, why do people only remember the bad?  The crime, drugs, STDs, teen pregnancy, and I guess to some, our accent.  Surely there must be some good.  I understand there are bad parts.  Heck, which city doesn’t have its bad parts?  Even the suburbs are riddled with crime, too, nowadays.

                This is when I began to dwell on my family and friends.  I’ve been in contact with them through Facebook and Myspace.  I’ve seen all of their pictures and read all about their adventures.  That’s when I thought I’d write down my thoughts on what Baltimore really is.

                Baltimore has its own little cliques as does every city, but ours are unique to our eccentricity.  Most artists that come to Baltimore visit the Baltimore Metropolitan Art Museum or the BMA as us locals call it.  The other destination is the fabulous Walter’s Art Gallery.  My artistic friends, though quick to take in a Monet exhibit down at the BMA, know that all the local artists hang out and shop in Hampden.  It is, after all, the only place where artists have set up shops to sell their hand painted crab shells, unique jewelry, or any of their other wonderful designs.  The majority of us head there twice a year, which really is a shame because of all the wonderful and unique things.  The first is in the summer for Honfest, where a local eatery called Café Hon inspired all of us to unleash our inner “Baltimore Hon.” The other time is Christmas time where we have our own “Miracle on 34th Street.”  People come to see the light displays and festive, yet unique decorations.  If you’ve never seen a hubcap Christmas tree, you don’t know what you’re missing.