Baltimore: What’s Real and What’s Not

Growing up in Baltimore City, I don’t see what others see about the city I live in, but going out traveling the world people ask where I'm from and when I tell them the look in their face is in such amazement because of what they think and see. The first question I get asked is "Is The Wire real?" All I can do is laugh, but going back and actually watching "The Wire" it does give us a little bit of a reputation for having major killings, crooked cops, and drugs. What a lot of people don't understand is that yes it's real but they are court cases that are magnified and exaggerated. For the past few days I watched seasons three, four and five and all it shows to me is life taking its course how things change but the game stays the same. Every season shows a new prime suspect, different objectives, and who’s coming up next to become the next big dealer in our city. People may think this is out of the norm, but I bet if HBO made a TV series for any city it would be exactly the same 

Davon

A School Year in Baltimore

My outsider view on Baltimore is very positive. Many people see Baltimore as a drug selling environment and a place where people are always killing each other. I mean part of what I am saying is true, but that is far from what Baltimore really is. Baltimore has a lot of history behind it and it is very famous for its aquarium. Not only is downtown very beautiful, it also has a lot of scenes and many attractions. I live in Baltimore County so I don’t really see it as a bad place to live. There are a lot of similarities to York, Pennsylvania because it is quiet and you need your vehicle to go everywhere. The good part about Baltimore is that they have a bus that helps a lot of people so many ways. I really enjoy living here so far and I manage to stay out of trouble so that helps. From my perspective I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about Baltimore County.

(anonymous)

What About Baltimore?

My relationship to Baltimore has always been uncomfortable. Almost everybody knows each other. Some people believe the more people you know the less you’ll have to fear for yourself and family. This idea influenced people to join certain gangs and even took it as far as religion. Sad to say, this isn’t always the case. Just because you know certain people doesn’t mean you are safe. This is a “dog eat dog world”, a phrase I learned from Baltimore.  Along with learning from the streets my personality started to blend in with what I was taught at home. This created major problems and confusion.  In school I learned about the economy and so forth. I was taught why people were stressing about jobs, bills, and education. It was and still is a problem for today’s society. How can I qualify for a better job without my education, then how can I receive my education without a good paying job to help pay for it and make sure I’m stable enough to take care of myself and family? It’s arduous. Living in Baltimore is a daily struggle. You hear about all the ugly more than you hear about the positive. When I go to different states older people ask me about our Harbor Place and Johns Hopkins area. They’re always so amazed about how beautiful it is but how scared they are to come just because of something they heard about. I tell them watch our news station online or visit before judging, knowing that the majority of the time it’s not going to make a difference. They’re still going to feel the same way. Other than that life is great in Baltimore for me because it’s somewhere I grew up. I’m familiar with it, and I know how to stay away from trouble.

Nakita

The Real Baltimore

My relationship to Baltimore is simple. I don’t do too much of nothing beside go to school and work. I would consider Baltimore like my best friend. Everything I have done in my life wouldn’t have happened if it was not for Baltimore. For example: my first day of schools, my first date, first boyfriend, and first time going to the clubs. Growing up in Baltimore was very exciting for me. I could be able to meet new people every day, go into other parts of Baltimore without trouble coming my way, and just be able to live life peacefully. Even though Baltimore has its ups and downs, it’s actually a good city. Some people think that Baltimore is trashy, the people are disrespectful, and we just kill people for the fun of it. Then they don’t know the Real Baltimore. The Real Baltimore helps others when they are down (the majority do). I’m not saying that Baltimore doesn’t have trashy neighborhoods or disrespectful people, but it’s more to Baltimore than just that. Baltimore can open up a lot of doors for people like it did for me; you just have to be patient and really apply yourself. Like they say, “good things come to those who wait”.

Taja

Baltimore Lifestyle

My relationship to Baltimore is complicated because I have lived here all my life. I do love my city but as I got older all I wanted to do was leave because of all the crime and I didn’t want to start going down the wrong road. But sometimes I really do enjoy Baltimore because it’s a lot to do and it’s never a boring moment. Then because I’m from Baltimore the Ravens are my favorite team and we won the Super Bowl so that was one moment where I really was proud to say I was from Baltimore. But Baltimore has really showed me how to grow and become a man. Also it showed me not to take any crap from no one.

Sean

The Outsider View of Baltimore

I live in Baltimore County. I have been living here about ten months. For the most part I love it here. It’s quiet and everyone I have met so far has been chill. Sometimes I feel like I am living in the country because in Timonium a lot of the houses are spread far apart. There are a lot of mountains and hills. I came from New Jersey 15 minutes from Atlantic City near the beach side. It’s really different compared to Baltimore. South Jersey is more a flat land. In Baltimore you have to drive to Ocean City, Maryland to find water. I have been living in New Jersey my entire life and moving to Baltimore is a big change. Baltimore in general does not have much nightlife and entertainment, which I am not interested in. What interests me living in Baltimore is all the shopping sprees and malls. Within five minutes I can find any type of stores I want so that’s a plus. Also there is a big difference living in Baltimore County and City. One day I had dropped my friend off home and had passed by the city where homes were blocked off, with all the druggies on the street asking for money. I had stopped at a red light and a man came walking to my door, knocked on my window and asked for a ride. That was creepy and a big difference living in Baltimore county than the city.

Jayda

Over East

I moved to Baltimore when I was 3 years old. So far it been ok. I learned a lot of things living here. Personally I don’t think Baltimore is a bad place. It just has bad people that influence other people to make it bad. I stated out at Montebello Elementary School. I started there in Pre-K and didn’t leave until 6th grade. Over those couple of years, I learned that Baltimore isn’t so bad once you don’t associate yourself with the wrong people. I have always lived over east, on Loch Raven, because my mother liked the neighborhood. I guess that’s why I haven’t really seen any violence except for on the news. It’s pretty quiet and the neighbors are very nice. They don’t speak to people, but I guess it’s a Baltimore thing. Over the years Baltimore became boring to me, I guess because I lived here for most of my life. But overall Baltimore has had its ups and downs, but it’s a wonderful city to live in.

(anonymous)