I grew up in a small beach town in South Carolina so I've never really been in a city. I went to college in a "city" in SC but let's be real... cities in South Carolina are nowhere near the hustle and bustle as they are up north.
Tangent: While I am aware that Maryland is below the Mason-Dixon line and parts of it are steeped in southern heritage, throughout my entire blog, I will maintain that Baltimore is very much a "northern" city.
I have two rules about what makes an area "southern:"
1. You can go into a local restaurant and order sweet tea without getting funny looks.
2. People are generally kind and hospitable.
Baltimore does not adhere to either of those rules so in my book it's not the south.
OKokok, enough of my ramblings on sweet tea and the south. The point is I am VERY excited and a little nervous about living in a "big" city! Not to mention, when most people think of Baltimore, they automatically picture scenes from The Wire and assume I'm going to be dead by the end of the year. Albeit, parts of Charm City are far less than charming, the heart of Baltimore is absolutely incredible! I mean have you ever been to the Inner Harbor or out in Fed Hill on a Saturday night? There is just so much to take in and so much to be a part of. My fiance works at a start up smack dab in the center of Fed Hill and he gets free valet parking so we don't encounter a lot of the parking woes that we hear about, which I'm guessing makes the city that much better for us. I have only been here for a couple of weeks but here's a few places I am already obsessed with:
1. Wegman's!
It is the local grocery store where we live and I absolutely LOVE it. They are HUGE and they have just about anything you can think of. They have Seafood stations (pictured), butcher stations, Indian/Asian/Mediterranean/American/Mexican buffet bars if you're on the go and need a lunch fix. I mean, they are just amazing. My fiance is particularly ooo-ing and ahh-ing over their "Create your own Trail Mix" bar and while I am in love with the candy aisle, my butt isn't. Anyway... if you have never been to a Wegman's, you don't know what you're missing!
This is a local brand of beer that is ACTUALLY brewed in Baltimore unlike Natty Bo which claims to be. I recently went on the brew tour and it was just fascinating. We have done a bout of home brewing before so I have only known the process on such a small scale. First of all, the staff at this place was phenomenal and the beer was even better. I couldn't have asked for a better experience for $5. That's right! The tour was free but you could pay $5 bucks and try the beers while you toured! It is one of the funnest things I've done in Baltimore so far. Not to mention they are opening a new lounge on site so you can just go have a beer after work if you want. If you are ever in this area, DO IT!
Such a fun pub and GREAT prices. Forever, all people told me about was how pricey everything was in the city, especially eating out and having drinks. If you know me, you know I am a social butterfly but I was skeptical about going out here because I didn't want Good Time Charlie to get a hold of my wallet. I am lucky that one of my best friends has lived here for a while and she invited us out one evening to this little place! It was SO much fun. They have the best happy hour prices around and it doesn't just apply to drinks! You can get $5 pizzas, 50% off salads (that are only $9) and they also have an Orange Crush liquor drink that is to die for. I stuck to beer but CJ was helping herself to those crushes. ;) Needless to say, if you're in the city and you want a fun atmosphere with cheap dinner/drinks... this is the place to be!
Baltimore is certainly a big place and I have tons more to explore but those are just a few little gems I have found so far. My fiance is going on a "Crabcake Tour" to discover which restaurant has Baltimore's BEST EVER crabcake. I'm sure he'll be sick of crab soon enough, but I'll keep you updated on the process once he gets started. Hope you enjoyed the read!
Love it : )
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