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> It’s an odd place. That's exactly how I felt living in Baltimore. Now that I live in New York, everyone and everything seems so normal, but in a dull kind of

by ch4s3 9y ago

> It’s an odd place. That's exactly how I felt living in Baltimore. Now that I live in New York, everyone and everything seems so normal, but in a dull kind of way. America's downtrodden and resurgent smaller cities have a lot going for them in terms of culture, character, the resiliency of their people. I really hope they can find some measure of economic success.

hackeraccount 9y ago
I live in Baltimore - I've always thought Detroit was our sister city. Both totally F'd. I still like B'More though. Dunno why.
- dionidium 9y ago
  St. Louisan here. Arguments for why we're actually your sister city: 1) Both independent cities. There are only a few in the entire country. St. Louis and Baltimore are the two largest. This dynamic plays out in very similar ways in both cities. I hang out on r/baltimore a bit. The people there use the terms "City" and "County" almost exactly as we do. 2) Similar demographics, crime rates, and issues. Detroit is down to about 10% white. The splits in Baltimore and St. Louis are more even, which informs quite a bit of the racial politics in each city. (I can't imagine there's much of a white voting bloc left in Detroit, but it still makes a big difference in St. Louis and Baltimore.) 3) Very similar population peaks. St. Louis peaked at ~850k. Baltimore once had about 950k. Detroit was much, much larger at its peak. 4) The Baltimore Orioles used to be the St. Louis Browns. 5) Similar architectural patterns. Where Baltimore has row houses: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/55/7e/11/557e11d75dd3b45ed3efaca2b2269aa6.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/55/7e/11/557e11d75dd3b45ed3ef... St. Louis has red brick: https://misfitstream.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/25.jpg https://misfitstream.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/25.jpg The prevalence of each form creates very similar vibes in each city. Detroit doesn't seem to have any such dominant form. 6) Detroit's boom (driven by the automobile) came later than either Baltimore's or St. Louis's. Baltimore and St. Louis are much more from the same, earlier era and that definitely comes through when walking around in their older neighborhoods.
busterarm 9y ago
I feel that way about Baltimore too, although I've only visited a bunch. I think there's a really fine line though between a city like Baltimore and one like Buffalo, where I did live for a few years and revisited after a decade absent. Buffalo seems to try to redevelop a neighborhood, but after not finding the success they hoped for will abandon that neighborhood and move on to try another. When I was first in Buffalo in the early 2000s it was downtrodden but had promise, but my visit there last summer was incredibly depressing.

by ch4s3 9y ago

hackeraccount 9y ago

I live in Baltimore - I've always thought Detroit was our sister city. Both totally F'd. I still like B'More though. Dunno why.

dionidium 9y ago
St. Louisan here. Arguments for why we're actually your sister city: 1) Both independent cities. There are only a few in the entire country. St. Louis and Baltimore are the two largest. This dynamic plays out in very similar ways in both cities. I hang out on r/baltimore a bit. The people there use the terms "City" and "County" almost exactly as we do. 2) Similar demographics, crime rates, and issues. Detroit is down to about 10% white. The splits in Baltimore and St. Louis are more even, which informs quite a bit of the racial politics in each city. (I can't imagine there's much of a white voting bloc left in Detroit, but it still makes a big difference in St. Louis and Baltimore.) 3) Very similar population peaks. St. Louis peaked at ~850k. Baltimore once had about 950k. Detroit was much, much larger at its peak. 4) The Baltimore Orioles used to be the St. Louis Browns. 5) Similar architectural patterns. Where Baltimore has row houses: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/55/7e/11/557e11d75dd3b45ed3efaca2b2269aa6.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/55/7e/11/557e11d75dd3b45ed3ef... St. Louis has red brick: https://misfitstream.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/25.jpg https://misfitstream.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/25.jpg The prevalence of each form creates very similar vibes in each city. Detroit doesn't seem to have any such dominant form. 6) Detroit's boom (driven by the automobile) came later than either Baltimore's or St. Louis's. Baltimore and St. Louis are much more from the same, earlier era and that definitely comes through when walking around in their older neighborhoods.

busterarm 9y ago

I feel that way about Baltimore too, although I've only visited a bunch. I think there's a really fine line though between a city like Baltimore and one like Buffalo, where I did live for a few years and revisited after a decade absent. Buffalo seems to try to redevelop a neighborhood, but after not finding the success they hoped for will abandon that neighborhood and move on to try another. When I was first in Buffalo in the early 2000s it was downtrodden but had promise, but my visit there last summer was incredibly depressing.