Official welcome to Baltimore

As I set out on my journey northeast to Baltimore, I had no idea how drastically different the hospitality and surroundings would be. I left Kentucky at 6:15 am in hopes to ensure a timely arrival at my new apartment in Baltimore, after loading up my car with my belongings that I kept in a storage unit in Alexandria, Va for the past month. The office at my new residence was to close at 6 pm. I arrived in Alexandria, Va around 2:30 pm and was back on the road around 3:45 headed north to Baltimore. I was stuck in typical DC traffic but thought I had plenty of time; despite the feeling I had in my stomach that I was not going to make it. It was only a 66 mile trip, but in these parts you better plan for a couple of hours. At 5:15 I was slowed by another area of congestion and for some reason; the drive through downtown was showing the quickest trip by about 20 minutes. I decided to trust it and took the plunge. I also placed a call to my apt complex to let them know I am on my way and hoping to move in tonight. My words were "I am headed your way and have been driving since 6 am and I am fighting traffic again. Is there any way someone can meet if I arrive just a few minutes after 6 pm?" Lady on the phone "yeah we don't really do that. If you aren't here by 6, we will gladly meet you tomorrow." My reply, "Wow! Way to go the extra mile with customer service! Did you hear me say I have been driving since 6 am? Can you check with your manager? I am desperate. I will pay someone at this point. I do not want to get a hotel. I am so close!" She said, " hold please, let me check with my manager..........um, yeah we can't do that." I said, " I will be there before six! Have a great 30 minutes and I will see you soon!" Hey there hospitality! I'm not in Kansas anymore, clearly.

So as I am driving my suggested quicker route through downtown there is of course a baseball game getting ready to start. Stellar timing! I am at a stoplight getting ready to make a left hand turn with three cars in front of me. I notice a homeless man weaving in and out of the two lanes of traffic shaking a cup with change in it. I am taking advantage of my time at the red light and checking my phone to see if there is a quicker way than meandering through downtown due to the game traffic. I happen to notice the gentleman cross in front of my car and come up to my window. I gave him the "sorry, I got nothing to give" wave that always works in downtown Cincinnati and I go back to looking at my phone. Only, I don't think he understood my wave. He stood there right next to my window shaking his cup stating "roll down your window!" He said it three times and then I gave him the "one minute" finger and then checked that my doors were locked. He walked back to my back door and looked in my car and was quite enamored with the fact that my car was so packed that I literally had just a place to sit down to drive. He thought he had hit the jackpot. I really didn't get nervous til I saw him reach for my back door handle. As he reached, the cop that I failed to notice behind me, honked his horn and the gentleman jumped out of the street onto the sidewalk and started counting his coins quicker than I had seen him move. Other than the obvious, that I am a freak magnet; I believe my packed car was what attracted him to me. Figures, my first drive through town, I would get accosted by a homeless person. Typical day for me! For my mother whom I know reads this, do not freak out. There are homeless people in every big city! :-)

Tomorrow I hope to post some pics of my new place. It is very nice and a good size. I think I will like it here! Have a good night. Tomorrow I will do a test drive to Hopkins to find my way for Monday morning.