<p>I've been told various things about Baltimore and was not sure what to believe. Is it safe? How's the vibe? Where about in Baltimore is JHU? I'm visiting this summer, so maybe those questions will be answered when I visit, but I was simply curious. I've heard in the past that Baltimore can be an incredibly awesome city with a lot to do, but it can also be very dangerous.</p>
<p>Hip, fun and trendy neighborhoods in Baltimore:</p>
<p>Charles Village (Hopkins)
Mount Vernon
Downtown
Hampden
HarborEast ($$$$)
Canton
Fells Point
Federal Hill</p>
<p>Like any city, it just depends on where you go. These areas, however, are great.</p>
<p>Hopkins is in a fairly nice strip of Baltimore- at least the very front of it. It’s right by chipotle, coldstone, shopping, bars, cafes, barnes and noble, etc. </p>
<p>Baltimore is actually a very interesting, fun city. Of course, just like any other city, make a wrong turn and you could find yourself in a very bad neighborhood. Baltimore has many fun things to do, and a lot of really nice neighborhoods (Fells Point is very pretty, as is the Harbor), and if you have a few friends with you at all times, or at least some pepper spray and a good amount of street smarts, you’ll have a blast and be fairly safe. Just like any other city, it has its problems, but out of the many cities I’ve been to and lived in, Baltimore is in my top three.</p>
<p>Frequently, when one hears the comment: “Hopkins is in a bad neighborhood,” it turns out that the speaker is refering to Johns Hopkins Hospital which is in East Baltimore and is in a sketchy (albeit improving) neighborhood. Homewood, which is where the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering are (i.e., all undergraduates except for music and nursing students) is in a much better neighborhood. Anyone who finds the area around Homewood scary hasn’t spent much time in an American city. </p>
<p>Baltimore has its share of problems and few people would compare it favorably to some of the more popular student-oriented cities such as Boston and San Francisco. But it certainly has its charms, and it is not a bad place to spend 4 years as an undergraduate. By the time they graduate, most Hopkins students find that they like Baltimore and a surprising number like it enough to stay around, at least for a while, after graduation.</p>
<p>By the way, if you are visiting, the way you come into the Homewood area can make a huge difference in your first impression. Those who come in from the north, either straight down Charles Street from the Beltway or down I-83 South to Cold Spring Lane, to Roland Ave and University Blvd–tend to have a positive impression because they pass through beautiful neighborhoods before arriving a Homewood. Conversely, those coming from the south traveling north on Charles or other parallel streets pass through more urban style neighborhoods and have a worse impression. But however you arrive, once on campus, most people quickly realize that Hopkins is a beautful oasis (some would say a bubble) that makes you forget that you are in the middle of a large city.</p>
<p>I agree with this comment. The neighborhood in which Hopkins is set is one of the nicest in Baltimore City.</p>
<p>Only if you live North and West… where the million dollar houses are.</p>
<p>If you go South and East… you can encounter bad neighborhoods really fast.</p>
<p>Although most cities have their strong points, and Baltimore is no exception, I would give location as one very significant negative about attending JH (ditto Yale/New Haven). If you want a great and relatively safe city, New York (Columbia et al) and Chicago (U Chicago et al) would be true positives; needless to say, safety is much less of an issue at certain top LACs such as Williams and Swarthmore (and Swarthmore is readily accessible to Philadelphia and NYC).</p>