Yeah, I figured as much. I figured the Big Scary City of Baltimore was over-hyped. I was in Baltimore last year and found it to be a charming, community-minded place with extraordinarily nice people. (A museum volunteer drove jalabert and me around, trying to find our car when the museum shuttle operator decided to quit early. She didn't know the city any better than we did but she was extremely gracious in offering her help.)

I never felt in danger in the city but when I'm traveling on my own I tend to be a little more paranoid.