The great Baltimore bon vivant, George Figgs, once observed that "Baltimore is a cornucopia of weirdness." George was so right. Why? Because Baltimore avoids categorization. With only deepest affection for his hometown, George articulated B'more's bizarre kinda charm: all the Big City amenities laced with small town quirks. "Smalltimore" never takes itself too seriously. If you want glamor head three hours north on I-95 to NYC.  If you want collective icons of American history, jump a MARC train South to the Capital City. If you want something in between - a thriving network of neighborhoods where people have lived and worked for generations, where a neighbor quite possibly owns a small funky business frequented by folks from around the world - come to Baltimore. Hon.

If you're not from around here, you may be duped by the oft depicted Baltimore of TV lore: dangerous, drug infested murder central; a modern Wild West done-up urban style, crawling with nasty gangstas and tripped out junkies. Yeah, Baltimore has rough spots like any other city. But, we who call Baltimore home know the truth. We know the good stuff: where to go for that amazing burger you can't get anywhere else in the world, that sumptuous garden the Italian family has kept since great granddad first disembarked in SoBo, and the best time of year to get steamed crabs direct from the Chesapeake Bay.

And, so, we decided to share this insider knowledge with you, the first-time visitor, anxious transplant, or lifelong resident. We felt it was the right thing to do, especially since the upcoming 200th anniversary of Baltimore's critical role in the War of 1812 and American history looms on the temporal horizon.  We thought, why not celebrate everything great about Baltmore? So we created what we hope will become the "go-to space" for highlighting and sharing the interesting stuff in Baltimore: people, places, things, and ideas. There's a lot to explore. We're glad you're along for the trip.