Honestly, the public doesn't care about these communities because it's where the "criminals" mostly live. Also, since the area is notorious for unemployment and poverty (things I speak volumes on because it's all manufactured poverty to a once thriving neighborhood) the powers that be don't have a huge incentive to listen to or care about the neighborhood. They don't provide a large tax base, so they are unfortunately ignored in favor of more prominent communities. This is wrong on so many levels, but it's the unfortunate reality of West Baltimore.

I'm sure if places like Resovoir Hill weren't undergoing gentrification, we probably wouldn't even hear about these protests for too long.

Level Up Games is also in Glen Burnie. Right next to the high school and down the street from Games & Stuff. There's a great Mexican restaurant next to it too

Also, Games and Stuff is right across the street from the Cromwell Light Rail station, so public transit is definitely accessible, Idk the schedule though

I love this account!

It could be that they're proud to show off the work they do. Road work and DOT can be a very thankless job. So it's nice to get recognized by the public and the bosses

If you wanna shoot me a message, there are TONS of places to play based on where you are. My friend and I sometimes meet at Towson dinner to get food and beat each other up lol

I definitely miss road work. The smell of asphalt is my favorite thing 😋 😍. I wish I could do it part time or something

I think it's a good idea. I remember watching someone squeeze through this alley when my girlfriend was giving me an unofficial tour of the city, and I swear some people must not mind scratching up their vehicles on someone else's property. Honestly there are tons of alleys that look this sketchy downtown, but some you can barely get through lol

I think that's her, she's really nice

I got Dr. Lowitt too, except I was dealt with by the Russian woman (I forget her name, unfortunately). They quickly diagnosed my eczema and gave me a good steroid cream to help repair my hands. Now, if only I remembered to use it (I work a blue-collar job so lotion is kinda outside of my comfort level lol).

(Some of these are in or near "sketchy" areas, but you'll be fine if you keep to your ps and Qs and mind your own.)

Depending on what part of the city you want to go to, there can be a lot to do and see. Out west, you have the Billie Holiday statue on Pennsylvania Ave. (go during the day, Penn is always wild), the Edgar Allen Poe House, Cylburn Arboretum by Pimlico Racetrack is nice; and some odds and ends historic sites. If you are a veteran or enjoy history, or would like to pay your respects to our veterans; I work at the Baltimore National Cemetery right on the line to Irvington and Catonsville (West Side) and it's a very nice place to see Civil War Era headstones and have a quiet place to reflect. In the city, we also maintain Civil War and Spanish American War sites at Loudon Park National Cemetery about 10 minutes away. There's also the B&O Railroad Museum, which is great if you enjoy transportation history.

Downtown has too much stuff to mention reliably, lol, but definitely do the aquarium and the Washington Monument (which was the original before the one in DC was made).

Around South Baltimore, you have many bars and trendy restaurants, and also Fort McHenry, where the National Anthem was written during the War or 1812.

Idk a lot about the East Side, but in Northeast Baltimore, Lake Montebello is a really nice place for a walk, and Big Bad Wolf on Harford Road has really good BBQ

There's so much to do in the city, much more than what I put on here, but if there's anything specific you're interested in, let me know, and I'll try to help.

Not 100%, but they definitely didn't help marginalized groups. Poverty is a monster that devours and destroys whatever it touches and it can be caused by poor personal decisions. However, the moves from the post WWII housing lenders and government of the time manufactured much of the poverty that affects the cities in America. Baltimore just looks harder hit because of the city's racial makeup. The practices I mentioned (redlining, blockbusting, etc) were designed to primarily target blacks. In a majority black city, the effect is seen in greater detail and in a wider span.

Or the D.C. area. I grew up in Pasadena, though, and this kind of thinking is prevalent. But Montgomery County loves tearing Baltimore down

>But first, you have to be honest with yourself. And, you have to have the money to have a high enough budget in the first place

That's the key right there, being honest about what you want and if you can afford it. It is also a case of necessity. Even though people might not WANT to live in Sandtown or Penn-North, the cycle of generational poverty can force people to need to live in those areas because its all they can afford.

I, like many other people, grew up insulated from the world's problems and simply chose to ignore the root causes. This is a weird case for me since I'm mixed and my parents come from generations of rural poverty in the Midwest. But poverty is a different beast entirely, I could make a whole post about it and still never scratch the surface

Not just poor blacks, the effects of discriminatory practices affected poor whites (just look at Curtis Bay, Brooklyn and pre-gentrified Locust Point and Fed Hill) and any non-white group. Redlining, Blockbusting, Steering destroyed the American dream for so many families.

Idk what you wrote, but the city really has a bad reputation so it's understandable if it wasn't that kind. Like I said, I grew up in the Dirty Dena and basically AACo looks at the city like Fallujah, or the Wild West. So that kind of thinking isn't unheard of

I grew up in Pasadena and used to think that the whole city is just a crime-ridden mess. Yet, after I left and now work in West Baltimore; a lot of the serious crimes (murders and assaults) happen to people who are actively engaged in crime. Other than that, crime in the city is crime of opportunity, just like some areas of Annapolis (Tyler Heights, Georgetown, Bywater Estates). I wouldn't be too worried based on where you live, unless it's near the more infamously redlined neighborhoods (Sandtown, Penn-North, Upton, Middle-East, etc.) Basically, if you're able to afford to not live in a neighborhood that's been left to rot by city and federal leaders (you can see them clearly) then the city has a lot to offer. Even in the less desirable areas, people are just trying to get by and survive.

Basically, don't play in the dirt, and you won't get dirty