Reintroducing Myself to Baltimore, MD

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "Baltimore"? Crime. Violence. Poverty. Ghetto. A person who never visited Baltimore would believe in the negative rumors without putting in the effort to see if they're true. Admittingly, I was one of those people. But after much thought, every major city suffers from crime, violence, poverty, etc. Baltimore shouldn't have those terms trademarked in its name and represent the culture growing in the city. So, I gave myself the assignment to tour Baltimore's inner harbor and create my definition of the city.

Driving through the city is like driving through New York, nothing but stop-and-go traffic and crazy drivers. But, to be fair, they're not as bad as drivers that would give me road rage. I'd say I could have been the reason why there were crazy drivers because I was distracted by the city's beauty. There were multiple artworks of black heroes on buildings, bright Christmas lights on every tree, eye-catching boutique stores, restaurants, and malls. Immediately, Baltimore's creativity and artistic expression hooked me into its grasp.

As a woman, walking alone in a major city is not recommended. There's always a fear of being robbed, assaulted, kidnapped, etc. Thankfully, the longer I walked through the city, the more I noticed how distracted people were in their own worlds, listening to music, talking to their groups, laughing, eating, and enjoying their own company. The built up tension and anxiety peeled away..

The Inner Harbor is full of attractions including, souvenir shops, crab shack restaurants, warships from the civil war era, a submarine, the National Aquarium, the 9/11 Memorial Site, etc. It's heart-warming to see Baltimore honor the victims and rescuers of the 9/11 attack. As well as give their condolences to the victims' families. Other than the 9/11 Memorial Site, the USCGC Taney warship docks in the harbor. The USCGC Taney is known to be the last warship that survived during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship serves as a remembrance of the lives lost during the battle. Another trait I could sense in Baltimore was its love for history and heroism.

The National Aquarium was the final stops for the day. But before touring the attraction, I took a foodie hit stop to a delicious ramen shop called, Ramen Utsuke. Check out my review of my first time trying ramen! (Other than it being from a cup)

Walking through the National Aquarium was nostalgic. Remembering all of the field trips and special memories made with childhood friends and family members brought a bittersweet feeling. Warm to think of the smiling faces and energetic mood to move and see one animal after another, but bitter for it to be a memory we can't go back to. Walking through the shark exhibit, I could hear the excited screams and "Oh" and "Ah" we made as kids, when we saw our first shark, echo down the stairwell.

Now, were the negative rumors shown to be true? Some of it. Depending on what area you're in, there are suspicious people here and there, but what city doesn't have that? Every city I've visited has that, every town has that. But walking through Baltimore shows the authorities have been keeping it contained and monitored.

After exploring Baltimore for a day, new terms became associated to the misunderstood city. Creative. Historical. Appreciative. Artistic. The artwork displayed throughout the city's walls and the sculptures you pass on the streets are beautiful. Baltimore showing their appreciativeness of historical figures and world-changing events through their art, sculptures, and huge attractions were heart-warming to see as a tourist.

In conclusion, the negative connotations against Baltimore deflect the beautiful culture it upholds. The city deserves a second chance to reintroduce itself and show how lively it is.