Everyone here knows the ditch. Six lanes, 1.39 miles, traffic lights at both ends, and it connects to nothing.

What I did not know until I read the records is the order things happened in. The demolition was not the last step of a decision. It was the first step, and it ran a decade before anyone finished deciding. By the time the road opened in 1979, every expressway it was supposed to connect to had already been cancelled. The houses were gone anyway.

971 homes, 62 businesses, a school. More than 2,800 people moved out of the middle of West Baltimore. Those numbers are from MDOT's own 2024 grant narrative, the one asking for money to study undoing it.

The part that stuck with me: the neighborhoods that fought later, in the southeast and in Rosemont, mostly kept their houses. The corridor that got cleared first never got that chance, and the reason is not a mystery. This city passed the first racial zoning ordinance in the United States in 1910, and forty years of covenants and redlining concentrated Black Baltimore into exactly the place the planners later called the path of least resistance.

I put it together as a documentary with the archival photographs and the planning documents: They Demolished 971 Homes for 1.4 Miles of Freeway That Connects to Nothing

The race starts at 730 am and ends at 1 pm.

Expect road closures that day, and be mindful of parking restrictions.

I found this student ID during my lunch break and turned it into the OneCard office. Not sure how they notify missing IDs but if this is your card I'd call them.

A reminder or a notice to anyone who wasn’t aware! The Patterson Park Farmers Market is happening now (and every Tuesday until October) from 3-7pm at the Pulaski Monument. Lots of good vendors plus fresh produce 😄 It’s a scorcher out there today but if you are able, come out and support

Edited to include Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ln3D1JBTz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Nice-Nice

I moved here a while back and I really like Baltimore, but I have no idea how to build a friend group here as an adult. Which surprise, surprise, has made it harder to want to stay. However, I want to give another stab at it.

Basically, most of my close friends are still back home, and I’ve realized basically every friendship I’ve ever made happened organically through school, work, or mutual friends.

I am not super athletic so I am not particularly interested in workout classes or volo. I’m looking for the kind of friends you can get dinner or ice cream with, go to a random event with.

Some things I do like: Going for walks, food, trivia, board games

I’ve tried looking at Bumble BFF, but I haven’t really found people I’ve clicked with.

Trying to find something with a bit more of a group setting, organization, and not walking into a room and feeling like everybody already knows everybody.

Any recommendations?

Saw signs for it the other day, was curious if anyone had seen anything about street closures or the length of the event? Sorry if this was brought up, previously.

I don’t care if this is a generalization or if I am downvoted.

VA tag drivers are a NUISANCE to the city. Reckless drivers who are most likely uninsured and put everyone at risk. Not to mention the attempt to circumvent the law because you’re too cheap to pay MD taxes.

FUCK YOU AND YOUR VA TAGS. GET MD PLATES OR GET ON THE BUS.

Sugar Plant Pride

Any wheelchair users in Baltimore I can connect with?

I’m an artist who just moved to Baltimore- is there an art council here? I found a mayor’s art and culture office in which seems to do a lot- but there’s also Create Baltimore, which says something about being the arts council but also doesn’t seem to do anything, or answer emails or phone calls? If neither of those are it, is there another art org that can help be get my bearings? It seems like a really creative town but it’s worrying that there is no arts council

Over the past few days, I’ve noticed an uncomfortable amount of flies in my apartment - I’d say anywhere from 20-40.

I don’t know where they are coming from, and I’m not sure how to get rid of them.

I hung up fly paper last night, which got a lot of them, but there seems to be even more this morning.

I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before, and advice is appreciated. I feel so grossed out swatting them and would prefer other methods of getting rid of them. I’d also prefer to not involve my management company.

I’ve seen other posts, but is anyone having this issue to this extreme? How do I get rid of them?

Hey everyone, I’m looking for a gym in Baltimore and could use some recommendations.

I live around Mt. Vernon and don’t have a car, so ideally it needs to be somewhere that’s easy to get to by walking or public transportation. I’m a JHU grad student and currently considering the JHU Rec Center. It has pretty much everything I need, but it gets really crowded, so I wanted to see what other options are out there before signing up.

I’m mainly interested in weightlifting and cardio. Lockers and showers are a must, and obviously good equipment and a decent atmosphere are a big plus. I’m looking for a proper commercial gym with reasonable prices and good hours—not really interested in something like Planet Fitness.

I’ve seen places like Grind, Merritt, MV Fitness, etc. mentioned, but I’d love to hear from people who actually go to these gyms.

What would you recommend around Mt. Vernon, especially somewhere easy to get to without a car? And roughly how much do you pay per month? Also interested in how crowded they get during peak hours.

A very similar looking cat was found within the last week, and someone stated that someone on reddit picked the cat up. I have no idea how to go about looking for the post. Any help?

Hi there, I just moved to Baltimore and I’m trying to street park outside of my new apartment but I don’t understand what PR means? I was able to pay for parking until 4pm, but it won’t let me pay for parking later than 4pm. I’ve uploaded a photo of the parking meter so maybe someone will be able to explain it to me. Thank you in advance!!

I'm going to CCBC in essex and was wondering if anyone wanted to make a group chat or anything just so we can get acquainted.

Bachelor party 18 guys dinner recommendations… thoughts ?

I’ve reached out to a few places only to be told they can’t accommodate or don’t want too or can’t seat us all together.

Need some help and ideas !

I see live crabs on the side of the road all the time, but the time and work of steaming them myself seems like a big hassle. Is it cheaper to get live or am I the only person who doesn't want to do the work?

I'm in Fed Hill and I'm getting ready to be gone for a few weeks. I have a parking permit. I've read that you aren't allowed to leave your car for mare than 48 hours in the same spot. Any real world feedback on leaving it in one place for a few weeks?

Hey all,

Up in NE and have had a sinkhole forming under a sidewalk for about a year. A tree contractor cracked the concrete with their truck while turning around, and they replaced the sidewalk, but the fill underneath is already eroding away again. I imagine it’s something to do with our lateral sewer line, as it’s directly in line with the sewer clean out in the front yard.

I’m worried if we have the City come replace the sidewalk (as we’ve gotten the repair notice) they wouldn’t check on what is actually causing the issue, and would just pave over the issue again. Does anyone have recommendations on a contractor(s) who could come investigate? Is this a DPW responsibility? We do have sewer line insurance through AWR.

Cheers!

Baltimore City preferable but might also consider county

*Also if anyone knows of any flexible, part time jobs hiring now, pls share those too

I've recently had luck using herbal passionflower and find it works best if I self harvest it (as I know I'm getting the optimal plant parts). I have a few locations where I get it but they're smaller patches, and it's important to me to forage sustainably so I don't want to strip the vines. Looking to harvest a bunch before the end of the year. Does anyone have a hearty patch of vines or know some patches (wild or in a public space)? Northern part of city is best but can travel.