Anyone moving to Baltimore?

JR said:

OK, now that the drunken haze of post-match partying is wearing off I have a serious question to ask. I am from Cali, spent most of my life here, matched into a great residency program, and now have no clue about Baltimore. Any Baltimorians out there? Any suggestions on good/acceptable areas around JH (I'd like to be able to return to Cali in one piece ) to buy a condo? Where do most residents live? What is the car situation like- do I need a bullet-proof SUV with machine guns or can I go for something sporty/semi-sporty? I heared car insurance is a killer out there, so a buddy of mine has actually kept his Cali insurance and has been driving with Cali plates for 4 years. Anybody else doing that? I would appreciate any comments.

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1) You can get by without a car if you dont mind taking the shuttle buses to the hospital. However, for residency I dont think this is workable because they only run during certain hours. For your job description I think a car is a must.

2) Dont need a bullet proof car as long as you park only in the parking garages and never park on the street. Dont drive around the surrounding neighborhoods either and you'll be fine. Stick to the main campus; they have security guards on every block. The actual campus is very safe, its the surrounding neighborhoods where the crime is.

3) You can try the Cali plates thing, some of the cops might give you a hard time about it, but as long as your car has current registration and inspection from Cali then I think its OK.

4) I dont go to school there so I dont know where most residents live. I'm guessing they live in the same neighborhoods as the med students. Go to this link (http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/neighborhoods/) and have a look at the various neighborhoods. The popular ones are Fells Point, Federal Hill, Mt Vernon, JHU undergrad campus (homewood), Bolton Hill, Charles Village, etc. Most these areas are around 10-15 minutes by car from the hospital.

And I wouldn't bring a newer car... go for something you wouldn't mind getting dings/scratches in.

My fave was when I was driving myself to one of the garages (the one for the main hospital, not the outpatient center), and made the turn one street too early. Those cobblestones made me realize that it was really a good time to replace my shocks!

What specialty did you match to if you don't mind me asking?

-Liz

Here is some info about Baltimore:

1. It is known to many as the "armpit of America"
2. It has the highest rate of heroin use in the U.S.
3. It is ranked second in the rate of homicide in the U.S.
4. ...second in the incidence of Syphilis infection
5. Two years ago, People's magazine rated the people in Baltimore as the ugliest in the country
6. No one who lives in Baltimore WANTS to be there, they just HAVE TO
7. The city?s public school system is virtually about to collapse
8. Everywhere you look in Baltimore you see evidence of extreme poverty and crime
7. Had is not been because of Hopkins and the University of Maryland, Baltimore would've been less desirable and more dangerous than Afghanistan
8. The best thing about Baltimore is that it is one hour from DC and three hours from NYC

I personally think Baltimore has a bum rap when it comes to it's reputation, especially when people who have never lived there refer to it. Granted, the far east of the city (Hopkins) and west (UMD) are in terrible areas with some extreme poverty. However, the center of the city (downtown/Inner Harbor)is truly nice. All of the neighborhoods mentioned above, especially Mt. Vernon, Fells, Canton, and Federal Hill and great places to live and hang out.

JR said:

OK, now that the drunken haze of post-match partying is wearing off I have a serious question to ask. I am from Cali, spent most of my life here, matched into a great residency program, and now have no clue about Baltimore. Any Baltimorians out there? Any suggestions on good/acceptable areas around JH (I'd like to be able to return to Cali in one piece ) to buy a condo? Where do most residents live? What is the car situation like- do I need a bullet-proof SUV with machine guns or can I go for something sporty/semi-sporty? I heared car insurance is a killer out there, so a buddy of mine has actually kept his Cali insurance and has been driving with Cali plates for 4 years. Anybody else doing that? I would appreciate any comments.

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I wouldn't live in the area near the campus, although I know of a Radiology resident who lived in the interns' residence on the medical campus throughout his residency. Federal Hill (west of the Inner Harbor) and Fell's Point/Canton (east of Inner Harbor) are nice places to live, but a bit pricey. A lot of residents choose to live in the suburbs (e.g. Columbia) and commute about 1/2 hour. I lived in Pikesville (Northwest of Baltimore City) and had a 15-20 minute commute. I was happy there, but Federal/Fell's Point/Canton are cooler places to live.

The license plate issue came up during my one year stay. I had Ontario plates on my car, and the cops occasionally placed notices on my windshield advising me that I had to register the car in Maryland, even though the car was already registered in Ontario. About 3 weeks before the end of my fellowship, I was pulled over on my way to work and given a $275 ticket for not having my car registered in Maryland.

1) You need a car.

2) If you want to live in the ghetto, then live next to the hospital.

3) Check out the areas russellb listed above.

DrKnowItAll said:

Here is some info about Baltimore:

1. It is known to many as the "armpit of America"
2. It has the highest rate of heroin use in the U.S.
3. It is ranked second in the rate of homicide in the U.S.
4. ...second in the incidence of Syphilis infection
5. Two years ago, People's magazine rated the people in Baltimore as the ugliest in the country
6. No one who lives in Baltimore WANTS to be there, they just HAVE TO
7. The city?s public school system is virtually about to collapse
8. Everywhere you look in Baltimore you see evidence of extreme poverty and crime
7. Had is not been because of Hopkins and the University of Maryland, Baltimore would've been less desirable and more dangerous than Afghanistan
8. The best thing about Baltimore is that it is one hour from DC and three hours from NYC

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dude u forgot to mention the highest HIV rate, which is comparable to some african countries! LOL


seriously tho, it's not that bad. plus he's going to learn at Wilmer - great place to train. goodluck to u!

JR--also check out www.livebaltimore.com -- they have profiles of various neighborhoods around town.

DrKnowItAll said:

Here is some info about Baltimore:

1. It is known to many as the "armpit of America"
2. It has the highest rate of heroin use in the U.S.
3. It is ranked second in the rate of homicide in the U.S.
4. ...second in the incidence of Syphilis infection
5. Two years ago, People's magazine rated the people in Baltimore as the ugliest in the country
6. No one who lives in Baltimore WANTS to be there, they just HAVE TO
7. The city?s public school system is virtually about to collapse
8. Everywhere you look in Baltimore you see evidence of extreme poverty and crime
7. Had is not been because of Hopkins and the University of Maryland, Baltimore would've been less desirable and more dangerous than Afghanistan
8. The best thing about Baltimore is that it is one hour from DC and three hours from NYC

Click to expand...

Wait a second, I thought Jersey was the armpit?