When I was a boy we lived in a shoe box in the middle of the road.....
sorry I just had to..... my town is worse than yours.... na na na na na naaaa
according to this article, Reading, PA is the poorest city in the nation with an average per capita income of $14K. I teach in the suburb just north of Reading, where next to Reading is the cheapest real estate in the county and over 40% of our kids in the elementary receive free or reduced lunch. I think the Reading school district it is almost 100%.
bort wrote:Make sure you go to Lexington Market often for lunch. Just don't get shot, haha (no, seriously, the person who owns the Utz Potato Chip stand there recently got busted for also selling guns there).
...
I don't envy your commute though. I will also warn you, once baseball season starts up, especially when the Yankees or Red Sox are in town, traffic will be butt *** terrible on Friday afternoon/evening. Hope those are at-home days for you!
Yes, Tuesdays and Fridays are my telework days.
And I'll be traveling so much on my commute days that I doubt I'll be spending that much time in the office in any case. (Rick to Future Co-Worker: "I'm a little afraid of that monster commute." Response: "Don't worry about that; you'll be traveling so much it won't matter." Great.)
My boss came up from Atlanta and one day we wandered over to Lexington Market. Um, we stood out. But those were among the best crab cakes I've ever had.
Yes, you will stick out. But mind your own and you'll be fine. Go at lunchtime, and there will be other stick-out people too. Worth sticking out to get a Faidley's crab cake for lunch.
When summer rolls around, be sure to stop off at one of the stands and get a large half and half (lemonade/iced tea -- doesn't make sense, but it seems extra good there). The fresh UTZ chips are great, and pick up some Berger's cookies. The harbor is nice to go walk around at too, if you have time at lunch. But not really a great place to eat unless you like chain restaurants. People love that cheesecake factory!
Yes, I've heard that too. My only point was that if you walked into Lexington Market and asked for an Arnold Palmer, I doubt they'd know what you were talking about!
(Reminds me of being at an Irish bar a while ago -- "I'll have a Smithwicks [I pronounced it as I'd heard them say it many times before, almost like "Smiddix"] Bartender says "sorry, we don't have Beck's." So then I said, "ok, can I have a Smith-wick's," got my beer and was on my way.)
In Minneapolis, it's not the crime, it's the climate. And the repressed emotions and passive-aggressive temperament of many of the people. That should get me in trouble, but those whom I have offended will think it not nice to say so, heh.
After a few winters you will realize the folks in the Twin Cities know how to deal with snow. You will find out that even the thought of getting snow, the people in Baltimore freak out. This winter they received snow measured in feet. I believe they are still in shock and still trying to suffer through this abundance of snow. But having spent my formative years in Minnesota (it was in Plainview, Minnesota where I learned how to play tuba), I do agree with what you said about the temperament of the people. Sometimes when you swim in the sea, someone needs to point out to you that you are a fish.
Beginning again to be a tuba player.
1291 King Double B flat with detachable bell.
"The hills are alive, with the sound of (tuba) music."
Rev Rob wrote:After a few winters you will realize the folks in the Twin Cities know how to deal with snow.
Necessity begats expertise, or at least experience. Take those passive-aggressive Minnesotans and let them spend a summer in, say, San Antonio, and you find them coming out of their shell a bit. Granted, you may have to perform a Norgectomy. A little real sunshine can help. Maybe it's a Vitamin D deficiency.
Baltimorons don't know how to deal with snow because they rarely see it in such quantities. But I'll bet they have skills Minnesotans don't have related to the trials and tribulations of living in Baltimore.
Rick "who just bought a tractor with a front-end loader" Denney
I LOVE a good Arnold Palmer in the summer, since I always make my own tea and lemonade and can sweeten to taste.
That Arizona stuff is a travesty. It's a "LITE" drink containing all artificial sweeteners and is quite awful, IMO. I'm just doing a public service sine I missed the "LITE" on the can the first time I tried it and got a nasty surprise. I wouldn't want others to share my fate, heh, heh.
bloke wrote:I just can't see "high art" or in western civilization-based cities lasting much longer (museums, art galleries, ballet, symphony orchestras, theater, etc.)
I thought I was from a bad area of North Little Rock (i.e. gangs renting out the apartments across from us, drive by shootings, high-speed chases and the hilarious ghetto single-mom chasing her cheating boyfriend down the street with a butcher knife) but the few times I've been to Memphis I felt unsafe and it takes a lot to do that. I despise going there by myself now.
Oh and I'm surprised Pine Bluff isn't on there either (even with the "low" population). Pine Bluff is not a pleasant city to visit. It's a lot like Memphis, only about 1/10 the size. There are some good parts and I've played some GREAT gigs down there but they were for wealthy people and on the nice side of the tracks. It wasn't too long ago that Pine Bluff actually held the title as Murder Capital of America...it's a tough town.
I will soon be traveling back to Baltimore. I hope to visit the Baltimore Brass Co. music store. I just hope I haven't lost my mean street awareness. What scares me the most is trying to drive in downtown Baltimore traffic with a Silverado 2500 diesel pickup, with a manual transmission. I am used to wide open spaces and no traffic.
Beginning again to be a tuba player.
1291 King Double B flat with detachable bell.
"The hills are alive, with the sound of (tuba) music."
Rev Rob wrote:I will soon be traveling back to Baltimore. I hope to visit the Baltimore Brass Co. music store. I just hope I haven't lost my mean street awareness. What scares me the most is trying to drive in downtown Baltimore traffic with a Silverado 2500 diesel pickup, with a manual transmission. I am used to wide open spaces and no traffic.
Well, the good news here is that BB is not downtown, but actually on the edge of town, almost a suburb. Kind of out of the way, but safe.
BB is in a warehouse strip of sorts. Very safe. Off of Catonsville's main drag Frederick Road. Neat little town unto its own, Catonsville. There's a Bill's Music and Appalachian Bluegrass shop right around the corner.
Before I moved to Absarokee, I lived in Arbutus. I hope the area has not changed too much in the three years I have been away. Catonsville is nice, but my green monster needs room. I am thankful that I can parallel park the Silverado.
Beginning again to be a tuba player.
1291 King Double B flat with detachable bell.
"The hills are alive, with the sound of (tuba) music."
