Baltimore
The real America. A place of growing optimism amid unprecedented opportunity. A cultural scene that rivals New York's - from live bands to high art. A sports scene that's the envy of the North-East. Best hospitals in the world. Educational facilities that European cities try to imitate. Steeped in history. Gentle climate, with neither the harsh New York winter nor the stifling DC summer. And, of course, there are the CRABS!!!!! CRAB CAKES!!! CRAB DIP!!! You have not had crab until you've had Baltimore crab. But here's the real secret of Baltimore: you can live here for cheap - and I mean CHEAP. Public transport is excellent and inexpensive. Rents are tiny, considering the rates in DC, or even Laurel. If ever you tire of crab, dine at Gertrude's Restaurant and enjoy WORLD-CLASS cuisine for prices you would expect to pay at a diner anywhere else. And you can BUY BEAUTIFUL HOMES for a fraction of the price you would pay for a modest condo in D.C. or N.Y. I moved to Baltimore from Brooklyn, New York. For the price of an apartment there (a full hour's commute to my job in Manhattan) I could have purchased a mansion in Baltimore. My commute to DC is already easy; the planned improvements to the MARC (commuter) rail service will make it even more convenient. For these reasons this city is beginning to sky-rocket, even at a time when the national economy is tanking. Once the MARC upgrade is complete, and the country's economy has recovered, Baltimore willl be boomtown, USA. Even now, Baltimore rocks!
What recession? Life is better in Baltimore.