Yep, exactly. We just drive around, walking isn’t even really necessary. The goods and bads of a neighborhood are usually readily apparent. Before we explore, we check google maps to see what goods and services would become our go-tos. Depends on what’s important to you guys but we’d love to have some local bars/restaurants and a Trader Joe’s or Sprouts nearby. Nice wine shop nearby maybe (warning! You can’t buy booze in grocery/convenience stores here). Then we just cruise around. Bestneighborhood.org has some helpful maps showing different neighborhood parameters like income, politics, age, and desirability. We’ve been at it since December and I think we’ve narrowed it down to a handful of places we’d like to be. I also work with folks who live here and they’ve been very helpful in providing supplemental info. Feel free to DM me with questions about neighborhoods you’re looking at!

We moved to Baltimore from AZ in December and got a long term Airbnb while we house hunt. I don’t love having all of our stuff in storage while we’re in limbo, but I’m so glad we waited and have had the chance to scope neighborhoods around the city and neighboring ‘burbs. You really, truly cannot understand the vibe of a neighborhood until you see it for yourself. I think that’s even truer here than out west where it’s pretty homogenous.

Oh, Locust Point.

I have looked there and have colleagues in Lauraville who love it, but I haven’t seen anything for sale that meets our square footage needs and/or isn’t some horrible gray-on-gray flip

LP? Sorry, new here from AZ. Your search parameters are pretty identical to ours! Decent sized wooded lot, built in or before the 80s when houses were still built with good materials and had custom touches. Also finding that taxes in the city are ridiculous, so looking in the west Towson area as well. Not a lot of inventory lately.

So where did you settle on? We’re currently shopping neighborhoods and are undecided on city vs county. You’re right: fewer people, less nuisance crime, but we’re renting in Canton now and appreciate the proximity to everything. I need to be downtown 3x per week, so we don’t want to go too far out. We looked in Mt Washington, Mt Vernon, Bolton Hill, and Homeland, but didn’t love the vibe just outside of those neighborhoods, and we have no idea how stable those neighborhoods will be in the next 10 years in terms of property values.

As of Friday night, Sotto Sopra was still accepting reservations

We’re new to the city too and I was hoping there’d be some actual recommendations here. I’m looking forward to getting out of the house! Sotto Sopra, La Scala, and Marta look nice. But you’ll want call to make reservations ASAP.

I’ve heard great things about them, but wonder about the 30+ minute drive. If they’re truly a stand-out excellent vet, I’m willing to try them!

Thanks! Good to know!

This sounds great!

Will do, thanks!

My husband and I are moving from AZ to a rental in Canton while we look for a house—would appreciate guidance on places to patronize, but also places like this to avoid. A big reason we’re leaving AZ is to escape Maga madness. TIA