Just stopping in to mention that I see a lot of mobility scooter traffic in the bike lanes on Maryland Ave, since i they might not jump out as an accessibility resource

Having done the Columbia commute for a couple years until COVID, sticking to Federal Hill and Locust Point will save you like 8 minutes in the morning and 12-15 in the evening. There are also a bunch of bars and gyms there so those neighborhoods are probably where you should be looking.

That said I did this commute living in Mt Vernon and it was fine for the most part. It was kind of too much when I had a baby but before that it was aight. That neighborhood has a big gym (Merritt downtown) as well a couple small ones - City Fit, MV Fitness, Charm City Crossfit, Lightnig Quick Fit (boxing), and a bunch of bars / restaurants / music venues. Crowd skews older there than in Federal Hill though.

Would also just tell you to rent a rowhome with a roof deck, that's where the value for your housing dollar is at lol

My parents live in 1101 St Paul and I really like their view. Would pony up for the garage parking just to save time looking for parking in the evening, getting home from Columbia at 6-ish means you're fighting with the symphony / restaurant / theater crowds

It's annoying too because I can't figure out how to access that god damn pedestrian bridge across Pratt from the parking garage below it. I just want to take visiting family to the harbor without them having to cross an eight-lane road

If you're a runner or cyclist, head north from campus on Maryland Ave, hang a left down the hill on the other side of the bridge, and pick up the Jones Falls Trail. Lots to explore in Druid Hill Park (which it runs through) and the trail is a nice ride north of there too

Well you gotta budget rent for the 6 months to a year or more the work is happening

But I assume the biggest issue is that banks don’t see it your way and you can’t get the same loan for a rehab you can for a move-in ready property. Which makes it a nonstarter for most homebuyers in this area

The mountains are visible from Denver, which is a big qualitative difference.

But yes, practically if you are about that life you would live on the western side of the Metro area (Boulder / Broomfield / Westminster / Longmont / Arvada). In those areas you really are right there - the plains run right up to the Front Range so you can build right up to the mountains in a way that isn't quite possible here in the east.

There’s a free bus (Charm City Circulator) and multiple very cheap ones (BaltimoreLink buses) going north-south on Charles and St. Paul that will get you to the Inner Harbor area

The immediate area of Mt Vernon is very pedestrian friendly and you _can _ walk to the Inner Harbor, but is you don’t feel like covering that distance the buses are very convenient

> video games

Getting into tabletop could be an option, there's a cool tabletop gaming bar called No Land Beyond. I haven't done it in Baltimore (not really room for it now that I have a kid) but when I got into competitive card-gaming in the Denver area a pretty tight crew formed over the years.

If the BMore people are like the the Denver people this won't get you a crew that will want to all go out in Federal Hill and try and pick up women if that is your goal. And just generally it is a bad idea to treat a gaming group as a dating pool, it never goes well. But tabletop games will have tournaments and stuff on weekends and you'll probably meet some people down to go to music shows or do outdoorsy stuff, if your goal is to make friends for its own sake rather than as a kind of prereq for getting your dating life going.

Different job but just wanna say I noticed the cleanup running from Maryland to 29th on Falls Rd

On Dolphin?

Or just blank concrete like bridge pillars

Yesh Hummus and Grill also a bangin Pikesville spot

Parking is definitely a painful part of a wine source trip

> From what I’ve read it looks like the area can be a target for armed robberies and attacks.

No more so (probably less so) than Hampden, FWIW.

We live on the last block of a cross street before the western border. It's a little grungier over here, but not in a way that's ever felt dangerous to me. I run by myself in the early morning all the time, used to walk by myself to the hardware store when we had one. However, I'm a father of a 3-year-old so I'm never out past 9PM, and can't really speak much to what it's like at night or for a woman.

I'll say the bike commute to Hampden is dead simple, especially if you want to invest in an e-bike to give you a little boost up hills.

The one thing I would ask is will you know people in the city? If you're up by the NW corner of Bolton Hill you are far from the going-out spots in Mt Vernon / Midtown / Station North. Hampden is far enough away that you will have to uber home if you are drinking.

If you're living by yourself, Bolton Hill, especially up towards the NW, might not be the best neighborhood for your first year in the city. It's mostly MICA students (who keep to themselves for the most part), families, and retirees - not the best environment for building up a friend group.

This is the best option in terms of quality of cocktails, but it is about a half-mile schlep up Cathedral, sections of which are kind of a blah walk (that whole MLK / Park / Biddle mess around the symphony)

They do cocktails at Noona's, just a little ways down Mt Royal.

CookHouse in Bolton Hill is about a half-mile from the Lyric, and a little $wankier than Noona's, if you want to uber there for cocktails and then walk to the show.

> I don't know why boggle doesn't have any kind of tournament scene nationally and doesn't get any respect compared to scrabble.

I mean, as someone who loves Boggle, there isn't really any Game Theory to it. It's closer to track and field than it is to chess.

If the Red Line is built in such a way that I have to see daylight between Mondawmin and Canton Crossing, somebody done fucked up

Honestly, as someone who crosses the light rail tracks on foot daily...

Miss me with these mud puddles

I’ll see if I can swing it - those are hectic hours for the parents of a three year old

Oh, awesome! This intersection is an annoying and unnecessary barrier to accessing Remington from Druid Hill Park and the Jones Falls Trail.

It's right in between the Druid Hill pool and R. House, but the sidewalk on Wyman Park Drive fucking disappears! A bike lane painted on the road doesn't work for strollers, or really even for a bike pulling a kid in a trailer.

Well in the age of Amazon if you miss one you’re fucked

So yes it goes out every week out of paranoia. But it’s in a lid can so I don’t think it’s blowing away

It's about a mile - you could walk it but in 40 degree weather you probably don't want to

Also Harbor East (area between Aquarium and Fells) has huge buildings and wide streets so it's not my favorite to walk through. IMO it's more pleasant to rent an electric scooter with your phone (they're everywhere), feel the wind in your hair, and speed through Harbor East in 7 minutes or so. Saves the hassle of moving a car and lets you enjoy the waterfront without being on your feet in sea breeze for an hour.

How else you think they're getting from the Aquarium to Fells?

The aquarium is a little isolated from date-type spots. Fells for example is like a mile away.

Something like the Walters Art Gallery has a bunch of vibe-y spots a short walk away. Ceremony or Dooby's for coffee. Sugarvale or Topside for drinks. Allora or Dooby's for lunch. Helmand or Brewer's Art for dinner. And you could peek your head into the Peabody Library or climb up the monument while you're there.