I accept that can be the case when they are moving slowly and during the day. When it is at night and they take only a couple minutes to do a round trip, No they cannot see anything on the ground.

I also add that nearly every week day (4:30-5pm) I sit in my tiny back yard, and at least one, generally more copters fly east to west or west to east. Taking about 20 seconds each time. From what I can see from the ground, they are not News Helicopters.

I don't accept that choppers flying fast from down town to Charles Village at night (back & forth), CAN be productive. Its just like the guys on motorcycles making noise and getting attention.

Maryland was a plantation state, and with that came all the aspects of an agrarian way of life including weak/few cities and towns. Baltimore's rise as an industrial city countered that mostly in the 19th century, but all the area around the city was sparsely populated or developed until post WWII. As with many Eastern cities Baltimore's infrastructure was usurped for use in building the suburban sprawl around it. Add to this until the 1950s Baltimore was the older wiser sister to Washington DC, sharing many things, but after the 2nd war Baltimore became the old maid while DC the jet set younger sibling. Most people in the DC area have never been to Baltimore. Baltimore has many firsts, in the country, and also is known for its quirkyness. Possibly due to its earlier industrial days and the mix of immigrants with Appalachian folks.

I lived in Philly for a short while and had to venture into NJ for work. I think you as a native of NJ, will find Baltimore very comfortable.

For all of you who get your pay check in the city and take it to the burbs, This is part of the Faustian bargain you made.

Be brave and deal with it.

So many other places which would fit the needs of the Wine Source, but this one is the one they are betting the farm on. Since this is Baltimore the demolition will take place.

Stupid civic leaders only concerned with their own political careers. They are ignorant of the history of the city and let outsiders take it from us.

On a lighter note- There is a fruiting pear tree on the triangle of land, at the intersection of MLK Blvd & Howard St. If you are in the lane which is turning right onto Howard, (in front of the hospital, the small tree is on the left. Sometimes panhandlers stand on that spot. It stands about 7 ft high. It may be a remnant of the Bolton Estate, which sat very near that location, and which the Armory now occupies a portion of the estate property.

I have been, several times, to G&M recently and have never been disappointed. Always good service, when I have been, and not noisy.

I forgot to add. In the mid 80s , when I bought my first city home. I went through a non-profit (Neighborhood Housing). They as with several housing non profits, were trying to stabilize neighborhoods and entice people wanting a fixer-upper for a low price to move in. I secured a nice duplex on a dead end street. I could have gone through Neighbood for a loan and they would help organize a 2nd mortgage with a lending institution. But the state had a program (CDA?) where I was able to secure a mortgage as a first time home buyer and one for a city house, at a reasonable rate.

It was a great house in a very mixed neighborhood. But as the city started to demolish the high rise projects, the neighborhood was flooded with many poor people in a fragile neighborhood, who needed many social support services, but got thrown to the slumlords who were gobbling up the fixer upper houses.

I know two people who rehabbed a $1 house ,each, in DC in the 1970s.

They said the project was only possible as the banks were provided guarantees (by the Fed Gov) to make first and 2nd mortgages, without the fear of loosing money if the homeowner defaulted. Also the houses were first for owner occupied, then they opened it to some small time developers. Restrictions were applied to prevent flippers from giving the places a coat of paint, and reselling in a coupe weeks.

My understanding of the Baltimore project, is that it was similar to the DC plan. Lending institutions do not want to loan large sums of money for a shack. But with FED & State backing they did make loans.

Both people in DC, I knew, felt that the program was a success until they had settled into their newly rehabbed houses. It was then that the city zapped them with high property tax. Not so bad for the person who did a row house in a strip of houses which were in different conditions, but the guy who renovated a single family home on 16th street NW, not too many block from the Maryland line. The new tax on that house made it too expensive to live in, for the owner and he had to sell. Not at a loss, but not at a fat profit either.

Visit Tocherman's, on Eastern Ave. for advise and fishing gear

Thanks

Thanks I will investigate

Great, the friend is a couple blocks from the Waxter center.

Thanks I will check into it

When I was a teacher, all the teachers in my subject area visited the main plant in E. Balt County (mid 80s) it was neat as a pin. The grand Italian style buildings, with green tile roofs and manicured lawns made it feel like a private country club, though the smell gave away that it was not.

This is another example that the "free market" is not the best option for all situations.

The state of MD, with all its $$ needs to be funding public genertated electricity. Some will say that government cannot encroach on the private market place. But here there is no ability for a fully free market answer. Even when smaller renewable energy supply start to take a larger portion of the industry, there will be a regional grid and public lands which take the electricity to the consumer. Add to this the current thought that private vehicles will be shift from fossil fuel to electric. That adds a lot to be at the whim of the profiteers.

In the 1930s the federal government pumped huge sums of money in providing electric lines to the rural areas of the country, though many of those areas are now suburban sprawl. So its not like the state or federal government have not been involved and stepping in to fill the void that the private sector does not want to fill.

Yes, I agree. But so too are the rednecks in the county who are constantly angry have more guns than god and are constantly in turmoil with family and neighbors. They are not noticed as they are more spread out. But 10 of them work where I do In Middle River, and its complaining day in day out, and picking on anyone who they think they can bully.

Like the companies which manage 401K accounts or insurance claims, every day they get to hold on and invest that money is more profit for them.

Seems the city needs to pay a company to pay their bills on time. Where have we heard this before?

Lets be real. Our elected leaders do not face this type of problem, in their personal lives. Hence they are not really interested. Since they are usually well off, and have political connections, if they did have a need to get a foreign relative in the country, they could quietly do so.

The real question is are you interested in an interesting living experience or what is comfortable? The suburbs offer the predictability of a chain restaurant. Many middle class Americans come from this environment, and only seek it out when moving to a new town. Baltimore city has many very different neighborhoods. Some are very city-like, and some are more pre wwII suburban, and a few places are 1970s suburbs which sit uncomfortably in the city. We have mill-town neighborhoods (Hampden/Woodberry & Dickeyville (which is like an English village), we have up-scale upper middle class town houses (Bolton Hill, Mt Vernon). We have downtown apartment living. Then there are the neighborhoods which are a mix grill of gentrified middle class rubbing elbows with working class (Charles Village, South Baltimore) Then there are our gold coasts. Roland Park, Homeland, & Guilford.

Please do not buy until you have visited and been given a tour of the neighborhoods. It is best to rent, with most of your items in storage, so you can roam around and see the neighborhoods.

Keep in mind Uni of MD is in the city. It and Hopkins Medical are huge entities which press hard on their neighborhoods and are controversial in what they give back to the city. By living in the city, you will be supporting a great historic city of the country. If you are in the burbs, all your earnings will go to support the county and will be a drain on the city.

Sadly its the Medical center, itself, which creates the dead zone at its boarders. No investor wants to put up money there just to have it taken over when the hospital center wants to expand. Additionally the hospital is an encampment. It has all the things in its boundary, except housing, so no investor is going to build restaurants, shops etc to create activity our side the castle walls.

They did not build that shining citadel on the hill by being generous with the pay or bennies

If you like the arts (not pop culture arts) Boston should be your choice. If you like grit & quirky, Baltimore is the place.