I moved to Baltimore six years and some change ago, and I have to say, it has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Aside from the fact that I moved here to be with a woman, one who I am still with, Baltimore has turned from a city that I thought little about, to a city I love, and get offended when people speak so poorly of this city.

Baltimore is a working class city, with working class people; that is not to say that there are no wealthy, educated people here, nor is it to imply that our only jobs are industrial, but the type of people who populate this city are part of its charm.

I am a fairly friendly person, regardless of where I am, or the situation I am in, and rarely do I run across someone, even in the most run down of neighborhoods who will not reply to a "hello, how are you", something that makes me feel home.

Baltimore is made up of over 200 individual neighborhoods, each with their own unique character, and their own unique characters. I live in Pigtown, which is directly next to the first mile of railroad in the country. There is the B&O Museum, which is one of the best railroad museums in the country. It is called Pigtown because pigs were unloaded from the trains at the B&0 and run them through town to the slaughter houses. It is one of the most racially integrated neighborhoods in the city, as it was one of two that opposed blockbusting when developers came through.

Baltimore is made up of mostly rowhomes, attached homes built by the city block. It is not unique to Baltimore, but it is part of what makes Baltimore unique. It never really occurred to me, but each set of rowhomes is built by an architect who designed them. There are so many different types of homes, but they are so similar in that they are all built in rows. I love how limited an architect could be, but how individual a set of homes could be. 

The city is photogenic, and shooting here is great. This city seems to do a great job of embracing history, and not destroying entire swaths of older buildings, instead, incorporating a newer structure into an older one. The city is littered with hand painted signs, historical buildings, cobblestone streets, and much more, just waiting to be discovered. 

We also have the Inner Harbor, a fairly modern area that used to just be industrial harbor. It is a great tourist attraction, but they also do cool things there. Sailabration, for example is a yearly gathering a sailing ships from around the world. 

I love Baltimore because I can do mostly what I want to do, whether it is walk down the street at any hour of the day or night, explore abandoned buildings, or photograph areas I should not be in, people usually do not bother me. Or, I could ride a dirtbike around town if I feel like it. 

Or my four-wheeler

Or my horse

Or play my trumpet

If I want to watch old fashioned steam trains, I can

or take the train to DC or New York, I can do that, too!

Or I could go to one of the many farmer's markets or local markets in the city

Or, I could go out shooting at night, which I love to do.