Good Evening, Baltimore

I can't recall just why, when I cogitated plans for this trip, I felt compelled to come to Baltimore. I suppose because Boston and Baltimore were the two cities in the Bos-Wash (Boston to Washington) corridor I had never visited, and because I had illusions that Baltimore's harbor would prove quaint and charming, as people always imagine harbors will. Nonetheless, the city has turned out to be remarkably dull.

Baltimore's famed inner harbor is pleasant enough, but what's around it is, essentially, another d****d mall, meant to serve businessmen attending the local convention center. I had a chance to wander through Federal Hill, a neighborhood I was told was filled with charming, 18th-century row houses. Charming enough it is, though not really worth a long visit. Mostly, it reminded me of Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill in Brooklyn--a gentrifying (perhaps gentrified) neighborhood trying too hard to imagine that it's something more interesting than what it is. On the other hand, I did manage to find a used bookstore where I was able to trade my book about the Evelyn Nesbit tragedy for a cheap copy of Anne Tyler's Accidental Tourist. Having seen the movie version of it on iTunes, I had wanted for some time to read the actual novel, and as it's set mainly in Baltimore, I figured this was as appropriate a time--and place--to begin.

For lunch my first day here, I managed to make it up to Baltimore's Lexington Market. I had expected to find something similar in conception to Quincy Market in Boston or Reading Terminal in Philadelphia--a well-executed food court made out of a historic-looking venue. What I found instead was very downmarket. At Reading Terminal, virtually all of the stalls were selling meals and food. At Lexington Market, I would guess that at least half the vendors were offering uncooked meat and other staples. Seating was inadequate. I eventually managed to buy a meatball sub and an iced tea, but was not, sadly, able to find any local specialties. Baltimore is famous for its seafood, and online guides had told me I had to experience a coddie (a kind of cod-and-potato cake) and something called pit beef while I was here. Neither was I able to find at Lexington Market.

Yesterday, I went to the local library to make my onward travel plans. My plan had been to take Amtrak down to Savannah, but I found out quickly that the hostel I had intended to stay in down there was closed for repairs, and today I finally made other travel plans. I will instead be going to Washington for three days--but not tomorrow, as I had hoped, but on Tuesday--there being no hostel vacancies in Washington for Monday night. So I will have another full day in Baltimore, with nothing in particular to fill it.

Don't get me wrong. Baltimore is pleasant enough, and I could imagine living and working here if the opportunity arose; it's just very light on real attractions. Nonetheless, I look forward to Tuesday, when I can finally say, "Good Evening, Baltimore."