Baltimore can be a lot of things: quirky, historic, charming. To me, above all else, it’s home.
Baltimore is good at being ‘home.’ While one would think access to basic utilities/services or connectivity are paramount features in quality of living, the hominess of Baltimore for me is characterized by its people, communities, and ideals. The city to me stands for acceptance, creativity, and empowerment.
Like many U.S. cities, Baltimore has a history of socioeconomic inequality that I’ve examined more deeply through different avenues: my research at the 21st Century Cities Initiative, exploring books like “The Black Butterfly” by Lawrence T. Brown, and just having honest conversations with peers who often engage with local communities (especially through their volunteer work). From all this exploration, I’ve learned it’s possible to change the narrative of a city—all it takes is indulging in the positive stories that highlight our mutual trust, compassion, and warmth.
Over the last two years of living in Baltimore, I’ve felt that acceptance quite closely; I’ve felt seen in this city. There are some uniquely Baltimore experiences that have made me believe in its hominess, and they mitigate the feelings of uncertainty about starting a new life in a new city. It’s nice to know there are like-minded people in this city, even though we may not look alike, live in the same area, or even speak the same language!
I’ve bumped into lots of interesting folk enjoying the same events. For the book nerd, you can never go wrong with spending the day at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s central location downtown! With its towering main hall and voluminous stacks of fiction and non-fiction, I’ve spent hours browsing through books and exploring my interests with the ever-helpful librarians. They’ve pivoted me away from my tedious historical books and journals to lighter fiction, some of which are set in the city of Baltimore. Over the summer, to break the monotony of working from home, I’d often grab a friend and head down to the library in the bustling Mount Vernon neighborhood. Plus, Enoch Pratt has so many locations across the city (including close to Homewood campus in Waverly and Hampden) for you to visit as well! Baltimore also celebrates its reading culture with special events like the annual Baltimore Book Festival, which brings together some of the most talented writers of the city. Even more, projects like The Book Thing try to make books more accessible with monthly giveaways. These unique Baltimore institutions and events make the city stand out and is a haven for us nerds!
And really, what’s life with without some whimsy? The city serves up some of the most unbelievable events every year. The PickleParty is a two-day celebration for all brine lovers and takes over the Inner Harbor downtown. I never thought I would plan to attend one of these (given the lack of pickles in my standing sandwich order), but the sheer theatricality of a pickle festival is too hard to pass up. Similarly, this summer saw the return of the Harborplace Splash, an annual event where boaters big and small paddle five miles in the harbor to raise money for its conservation. One of the most surprising events I missed this year (but will make every effort to catch in its next edition) was the Kinetic Sculpture Race. I wish I could be as descriptive as this event needs me to be, but the most I can tell you is you’re in for human-powered works of art racing through the city, avoiding obstacles and getting stuck in mud!
And then, there’s probably my most favorite event ever. It’s hosted monthly, and it’s on my calendar for the year as early as January—the Baltimore Bike Party! On the last Friday of every month, over a thousand people in the city come together to ride an easy 10-mile route through the city sporting a common theme, vibing to the same music from large speakers, and displaying their affection for and as a city. By senior year, I want to be able to hitch a trailer to my bike carrying a tower speaker that is incredibly impractical to lug up Baltimore’s hills as a way to give back to an institution that has given me so much.
It’s also the best time for me to connect with people from Baltimore outside of Hopkins; while I may never see some of these partygoers ever again, it’s always fun to ride side-by-side, chat about something we have in common (likely our love for ABBA), and bring some warmth to every neighborhood we pass. With funny chants, timeless traditions, and an all-round accepting atmosphere, I feel most at home during Bike Party.
As I continue to understand more about the dynamics of the city, I’ve found biking (more generally) has brought me closer to so many individuals, communities, and organizations. Bike Party is often a common topic of conversation with some of my favorite employees at the bike shop at Baltimore’s suburban REI, and even bike sellers on Facebook Marketplace (where I bought my bike used). But biking has unlocked my access to some of Baltimore’s most important institutions—its community organizations! These are the lifeblood of neighborhoods, people’s interests, and in pushing for policy changes. The Velocipede Bike Project aims to provide space, classes, and tools for anyone to learn how to fix their own bikes, making them independent and more confident in using one. The community volunteers I met in their workshop perfectly characterized the relationships we have with our bikes! Baltimore Bikemore is a larger organization that advocates for complete streets, safer bike infrastructure, and has a mobile bike shop that visit overlooked neighborhoods and provides free service. What’s more, I have the chance to work with them academically using the research my lab does! These community partners also perfectly characterize the neighborhood centric mindset residents have — folks take pride in where they live and are often self-reliant when dealing with issues that affect the health and lives of their neighbors. There are countless organizations protecting the city and its people—they truly make me feel looked after.
Even if biking isn’t for you, the theme of this mini nerd-out is to show you for any interest you have, Baltimore will find ways to surprise you! You’ll be in awe of what you could find if you just walked down one of its streets—maybe it’s a wing of one of our stellar museums, the mesmerizing chants as you cross Camden Yards (home of the Orioles), or even one of the most magnificent trees in Old Goucher. You probably have interests I haven’t heard about (and thus aren’t reflected here), but I assure you, you will find your place in Baltimore. Baltimore is full of people with different dialects, histories and cultural practices. When these individuals come together, they make up a diverse Baltimore. It’s a characterful city, filled with people who care and want to be understood.
You’ll come for the parks, the water and the crabs, but you’ll stay for the community!
