Yeah, there seems to be a weird attitude that government oppression can only exist at the federal, and maybe Democrat-run state level. Somehow local government, especially police, are incapable of abusing citizens and any attempt by the federal government to curb such abuses constitutes an overreach.

Wyman Park gets an A+ for nightlife but a C- for public schools despite being served predominantly by some of the best in the city? lol wut?

Far be it from me to defend Baltimore drivers, but IME, when all the lights are out, it’s easy to not realize they’re there in the first place.

The article gives enough details about the properties (neighborhood, adjacent street, sell prices and sell dates of it and neighboring properties) that I was able to find them on zillow and redfin in about a minute. I'm not going to give the addresses, but what I could find are:

Subject property: 4 bed, 3.5 bath, 2600 sq ft, 0.26 acre

Neighbor property (that sold for $465k): 3 bed, 3 bath, 2068 sq ft, 0.29 acres

If the Subject Houses were worth the same $/sq ft ($225/sq ft) as the Neighbor, then the Subject House would be worth $585k. While it's a little tough to tell because the pics for the Subject Property aren't very good, the interior finishes and condition appear to be comparable between the two houses, except for the kitchen, which is much nicer in the Neighbor Property. There are no pics of the Subject House's finished basement, but the one in the Neighbor Property looks better than most, so I suspect it has an edge there. The Neighbor House is more attractive from the outside while the landscapings are comparable. It would make sense to me that the Subject House would be appraised at a lower price per sq ft than the Neighbors. How much lower? I'm not sure, but I'd expect no less than $200/sq ft or $520k. IMO, the notion that $550k ($212/sq ft) was "conservative" was wrong - that sounds about right to me. Additionally, the penalty for being directly on Northern Parkway appears to be at least 20%.

$472k puts the subject house at $181/sq ft, which is pretty low, but it's closer than $288/sq ft that the second appraiser put it at, which is nuts. The handful of houses that sell that high are nicer in virtually every way.

I understood the article to say that he's claiming defamation due to statements they made in the press.

idk, I've had the local Len the Plumber out a few times. I haven't been blown away by their work - some guys were good, some less so - but none of them were terrible, unlike some owner-operators I've tried. I'd rate them as perfectly average. I like Saffer a lot better, but they can get booked out a ways.

You don’t have to be in there a long time for things to get pretty jammed up. The lot in front of their door has maybe 5 spots and is routinely full. The leased spaces are often near capacity at busy times.

and has speed bumps

Where? Maybe I just haven’t paid attention, but I only remember a little alcove by the door.

At which location? Fells? There’s nowhere you even could sit Hampden.

Yeah, the last couple years they’ve kind of gone out of their way to push novelty and diversity. I’m glad they’re casting their gaze wider but I think they’ve overshot in many cases which dilutes the meaning of the award.

I feel the same way about Ekiben. It’s good for what it is, but… eh? Also, their takeout-only model lets their food steam in the boxes more than it ought.

I know a couple people who have spaces in Mill Centre. Maybe give them another shot now that the holiday is over?

The recs for libraries and Mr Cork are spot on, but also you can just go to any random playground mid-morning or mid-afternoon (i.e. not nap or meal times) and there will likely be at least a couple sets of parents and/or nannies there.

…also too strong of a word for birds

Too bad Meadow Mills isn’t open anymore. In one year there, I saw more naked old men in the locker rooms than I’ll probably ever see in a lifetime of looking in the mirror.

Much of the American jewelry and fashion industry are already headquartered in NYC. If they’re looking to hire in-office talent, it makes sense to locate where they already are. Baltimore was kind of an odd choice for them in the first place.

Kill neighborhoods? lol wut? It’s on a busy, confusing intersection in a commercial district surrounded by strip malls and office buildings. It’s not a “neighborhood” and hasn’t been for a long time.

As for green space, walk 1000’ west on Padonia, under the overpass, and you’re in the woods.

I like the charmery, but their shakes are really expensive.

Patisserie Poupon

If you're in Hampden on a weekend, Maillard Patisserie.

If you're on jury duty, Patisserie Poupon.

I have the opposite experience with Wegmans - I find most of their prices -especially on meat- to be pretty reasonable, but their store brand stuff to be mediocre at best. I can still get chicken for < $2.50/lb. Pork might be $2.50-3/lb. Beef is higher, but I can still get some cuts for < $7/lb. Seafood is expensive, but that's true everywhere.

The store brand cereal and hummus are fine (and store brand is nearly all they have for hummus), but the store brand condiments are all worthless. Store brand bread and rolls are cheap but lousy. The bakery section sucks. Their frozen seafood has been kind of gross lately. The whole cheese section looks impressive, but I've tried several of their expensive store brand cheese and they've all been bland. If I'm going to drop $25/lb on cheese, I'll just go to The Wine Source.

They were included. They're just so expensive you probably didn't scroll far enough to see them.

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/s

There are pockets of similarities. Hampden has a similar vibe to Somerville or Medford. Fells feels like some parts of downtown. Baltimore is cheaper and more approachable, obviously.

There's a rundown-looking blue one that drives around Hampden at late hours. At least once every month or two, somebody starts a thread like this asking if it's legit or just a poorly-disguised front for drug sales, and everybody who's been here a while vouches for it.