When Hopkins boasts about being an urban school, nobody's talking about Charles Village. Aside from a few quick places to eat, buy groceries, or rent movies, there's not much to do, and even the most dedicated student will eventually get bored and stop going to Subway.
Unfortunately, a number of the fun neighborhoods in Baltimore aren't accessible without a car or mastery of the city's public transportation options (trivia tidbit: Baltimore has a subway system that you'll never use). Never fear, freshmen, because there's still plenty to do in the Greatest City in America.
Hampden
If you don't know who John Waters is, don't tell anyone. Waters, the poet laureate of Baltimore's blue-collar heritage, has filmed numerous movies in Hampden, the neighborhood just east of Homewood campus. Hampden couldn't be easier to get to, which makes it a great place to explore if you don't have any money. Follow East University Parkway to Keswick to West 36th Street, or just call a security van and ask them to take you. That's right, free transportation.
The main drag in Hampden is West 36th Street, dubbed "The Avenue" by pretty much everyone. On The Avenue, check out Holy Frijoles or Mamie's for shockingly cheap food, or Galvanize for good and relatively affordable vintage clothing. Atomic Books is also an amazing source for weird gifts, CDs, and all the books you can't find at Barnes & Noble. Finally, before you head home for winter break, be sure to check out Miracle on 34th St., where residents string together enough Christmas lights to block out the sun and top it off with a Christmas tree made of hubcaps. Happy holidays.
The Inner Harbor
A surprising number of people who swing through Baltimore gush enthusiastically about how great the city is after a two-hour visit. "The aquarium! And the Cheesecake Factory! And it's so clean!" If you have no idea what they're talking about, catch the Hopkins shuttle, hop off at the Peabody stop, and then walk down St. Paul to Pratt Street. The Inner Harbor has absolutely no local charm and not much in the way of interesting stuff to do, but the Baltimore Aquarium is nice, and the chain restaurants are good places to go if your parents are still convinced that Baltimore is the most dangerous place in North America
Fells Point
OK, now the real harbor. Located a bit further down from the Inner Harbor, Fells Point will set you back about $12 for cab fare, but it's worth every penny. A loose cluster of streets centered around North Broadway pack a huge number of bars, restaurants and stores into a tiny (and impossible to park in) area. For food, B.O.P. serves up the best pizza in Baltimore, and Burritos en Fuego has tasty Mexican food. If you like any type of music, you owe it to yourself to check out Soundgarden, a CD store that rivals Newbury Comics for selection and kills it for prices. The Fells bar scene includes Max's Taphouse, with the largest selection of beer in Baltimore: over 60 on tap, including Natty Light. A word of caution, since I'm assuming most freshman aren't 21: if you want to drink in Fells Point, you seriously need -- for real, no novelty ID -- to be 21. Even if you're underage, head down to Fells, grab some food and sit on the end of the pier staring into the harbor. Take that, Cheesecake Factory.
Advanced Placement: Canton, White Marsh, Lexington Market
These are all tough to get to if you don't have a car, but if your parents are visiting or a friend drives in for a visit, be sure to check them out. Canton has Sip & Bite, an awesome 24-hour dinner where everything that's not breakfast is really good.
Baltimore Raven Ray Lewis is also opening a barbecue restaurant in Canton, so if you like your ribs with double homicide, this is probably your place. White Marsh has a huge movie theater and an Ikea, so once you live off campus you can make sure that you have the same furniture as everyone else --every member of the class of 2005 was required to buy the same $20 bookcase. Lexington Market is a great place to ruin your arteries, starting with a chili dog at the questionably named Polock Johnny's and moving on to the Berger bakery for some delicious Berger cookies.
You're a long way from Charles Village: the horrible pain in your chest is the feeling of freedom.
