Sudden change of plans
June 21, 2007 9:32 AM   Subscribe

baltimorefilter: i was planning to move to Charles Village, but due to a weird situation with my apartment, am now moving to Canton instead....

I have spent time in Charles Village, and got to know it pretty well. I've never been to Canton, and am moving there next week. Can anyone tell me what's there? Grocery stores? Vegetarian restaurants? Corner pubs (quiet, good for a chat)?

Also, is there public transportation? I won't have a car the first couple of weeks....

Thanks a million!
posted by LizardOfDoom to Human Relations (15 answers total)
 
Canton isn't bad, mostly yuppies and blue-collars. There is a large Safeway there, and while I can't think of any vegetarian restaurants offhand, there are plenty in the city. Lotsa of pubs of all types. The only public transportation is the one (or two or three?) bus lines that run thru the area; you'll be able to get to wherever you need to. It's nice, but beware that the houses average about 12 feet wide and really vary in condition.
posted by Heatwole at 9:56 AM on June 21, 2007


There are plenty of amenities in Canton, including a large Safeway, a bunch of restaurants (that at least serve veggie food), and some decent corner bars (although the tension between "yuppie Canton" and traditional Bawlmer places might make finding a place you like an ongoing adventure).

Canton is, generally, a pretty "hip" part of Baltimore right now. It's one of the water front neighborhoods that has been redeveloped over the past decade, and the housing is fairly expensive and the people who have moved in are frequently upwardly mobile young professionals. That isn't all bad.

It's within easy walking distance of several other good neighborhoods, Highlandtown and Fell's Point/Butcher's Hill, that are fun to explore. Fell's Point, in particular, has a plethora of bars and places to eat, and those off the main roads are frequently charming and compelling.

I'm not sure what the public transportation is like in Canton, although I don't doubt that there are bus routes that go through there. The bus is the main public transportation in Baltimore, so check the MTA website.

Here's the Canton page at LiveBaltimore. The site is pretty corporate, but might point you in some good directions.

Feel free to email me at the address in my profile if you'd like a tour around Baltimore, or just someone to get a beer with. I live in Charles Village.
posted by OmieWise at 10:02 AM on June 21, 2007


A little background: I lived in Canton for six years, up until 2003, when skyrocketing taxes, a general annoyance with the changing vibe of the place, and my impending marriage forced a move to larger housing.

Do you like walking seventeen blocks to your house after parking your car? If so, then Canton is the place for you (unless you find a rental with a parking spot included.)

I never had to deal with public transport there so I can't comment on it, but anecdotal evidence suggests Baltimore public transport in general is lackluster. (Anyone else?)

There are amenities all over the place-jeez, there's an Outback there now, multiple coffeshops, the aforementioned Safeway, several gyms, and more bars than you will be able to visit in a long weekend, ranging from crowded Irish-themed pub to quiet, blue-collar local bars (my favorites.) There are many independent restaurants worth checking out-Helen's Garden, Birches, and Nacho Mama's are (were) all good, in my memory. Plus, Fell's Point is a short walk, and it features even more restaurants and bars to choose from.

One good thing is that the rental market there is probably pretty competetive-many of the speculators who bought and rehabbed with the intent of flipping can't move their houses, so there's more rental property on the market than there used to be. The prices may be high, but if you look eastward towards Highlandtown (cheekily called "East Canton" or "Canton Highlands" by the real-estate folks) you may find cheaper rents, though the houses may not be as swank as the ones towards the true center of the neighborhood.

Also: 12" wide is not as bad as it sounds; if the apartment has been rehabbed well, often there's a skylight over the stairwell, which brightens the center of the structure. (My place was 12" x 45" with a 40" backyard, and it was plenty big for one person, cozy for two and small for four or more.)
posted by idiotking at 10:54 AM on June 21, 2007


I live there. Well, on Fleet Street, but that's Canton in the late-90s redefined-by-the-real-estate-agents definition of Canton. And if there's any doubt, my property taxes definitely confirm I live in Canton. "Hate" is a strong word, but I'm not a big fan. My real estate agent steered me to it out of (a) personal bias, because he used to live there, and (b) his feeling that I'd "fit in" better there. In retrospect, I find that mildly insulting . . . though I'm sure he probably meant it is a compliment of sorts.

Of course, not being white, black, or Latino, it's always a challenge feeling like I "fit in" pretty much ANYWHERE in Baltimore. My work takes me back to my former homes of NJ/NY for three days every week anyway, which gives me some sense of urban-ness, and periodically hanging out in DC (another former home -- well, the MD side of it, anyway) helps, too.

Uhh, I'm really not answering your question . . .

The answers so far are pretty spot-on. In addition to the Safeway, there's a place called Markets at Highlandtown that's on Eastern and . . . Conkling, I think? It's a block or two from the new library on Eastern. That's a very no-frills (but cheap) place, though you get the occasional surprise, like organic milk and a not-half-bad international food selection.

Bar-wise, if I DO go out in Baltimore, I tend to go to Mt. Vernon, which is some sort of close approximation of what I like. That being said, if you just want a drink or two and have someone you're going with, and aren't really looking to meet anyone new (in which case clientele doesn't much matter), the local places will do in a pinch. There ARE bars all over the goddamn place, not just in the Canton Square area, and they vary from yuppie (places like Bar Harbor on Fleet and Clinton) to old-school blue-collar (like PJ's, one block over, on Fleet and Bouldin -- gee, gettng a senes of where I live by now?). I think there's a little more of the latter.

Not to derail, but is there such a thing in Baltimore as a bar/lounge where black AND white drink together and they play 70s, rare-groove, early-90s hip hop (i.e., before it went to hell) stuff, and the clientele tends to be late 20s through 30s, left-leaning, educated, mainly single types?

Eh, never mind . . . I read that question back to myself and laugh the caustic, sarcastic laughter of the damned . . .

Hope this helps! ;-)
posted by CommonSense at 11:02 AM on June 21, 2007


I don't have a car, and I live in Mount Vernon, and Canton is the hardest place for me to get to in the city. But you should have everything you need within walking distance if you live there. The Safeway is a pretty sexy grocery store. Mount Vernon is a pretty central location for bus lines, and I have to walk about a mile to get to a busline that goes through Canton or Patterson Park. If you want to get downtown, for much of the year, you can take a Harbor taxi. Some people use them for commuting.(It costs $8 for a day pass, as opposed to $3.50 for the MTA day passes.) Canton wouldn't be my first choice, but that's a matter of style. I know it doesn't help you right now, but as a lot of construction goes up on the east side of the harbor the transit should get better out that way.

CommonSense: I recommended this when you asked this before: Eden Lounge. Is the music not right? (I've only been there on a Tuesday night.)
posted by Airhen at 11:24 AM on June 21, 2007


Oh, and Canton has the only leash-free dog park in the city.
posted by Airhen at 11:25 AM on June 21, 2007


Airhen: OK, I confess I didn't try it (yet). (sheepish look)
posted by CommonSense at 11:30 AM on June 21, 2007


Response by poster: CommonSense: I'm married, so we won't be looking to "meet people" other than in a "hey, you seem cool, let's meet up again for another drink sometime" kind of way. I, too, would be interested in a venue playing old school hip-hop, though we're generally more into punk or old blues.

Airhen: sweet about the dog park! we're from chicago, and just took it for granted that there'd be some around...

everyone: thanx for the info, please feel free to add more. for those who haven't read my previous posts, we're early 30's lesbians (who don't necessarily need a "gay scene"), she's a teacher, i'm a librarian. we're not particularly well off (certainly not yuppies, though not really blue collar either-- more liberal bohemian types). it seems building of the apartment we rented in Charles Village was sold, so the realty company has agreed to let us rent a snazzy yuppy condo in Canton for the same price. We'll take it since the neighborhood is safe and we can keep our dog, and my new job starts soon.
posted by LizardOfDoom at 12:46 PM on June 21, 2007


Response by poster: Wow, sorry about the typos & grammar errors above! It's been a stressful day...
posted by LizardOfDoom at 12:53 PM on June 21, 2007


Canton is definitely more yuppy than bohemian (Charles Village, Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon might be more your style in that regard), but the fact that you have a dog would have made me recommend it. I think you can take your dog into Kiss Cafe , which is vegetarian friendly. As far as I know, there is one vegetarian restaurant in the city, the vegan Yabba Pot (That address is wrong. They are on St. Paul St. at 25th in Charles Village) and a stand at Lexington Market, called Tree of Life, which I don't recommend.

Feel free to e-mail me with other questions. Maybe we can have a Baltimore meetup someday. (Aren't they always in D.C.?)
posted by Airhen at 2:21 PM on June 21, 2007


To be clear: I DO recommend Yabba Pot, just not the other one.
posted by Airhen at 2:22 PM on June 21, 2007


Both Kiss Cafe and Austin Grill (yes, I know it's a chain) at the Can Company are vegetarian friendly AND let you eat with your dog at the outdoor tables. Most other places in the area have vegetarian options. Liquid Earth in Fell's Point is vegetarian and is supposed to have good sandwiches, but I've never eaten there myself.

The Safeway is okay. Once you have your car, there's a Whole Foods in the new Inner Harbor East development, the Waverly Farmer's Market on Saturdays, and the farmer's market under the JFX on Sundays.

The dog park is small, but it's all we've got in the city that's legally off-leash right now. Open dawn to dusk, 7 days a week, on Toone between Clinton and East. Not that you asked, but I highly recommend Eastern Animal Hospital for vet care.

I'm happy to help if you have any other questions, just drop an email.
posted by weebil at 4:54 PM on June 21, 2007


Response by poster: Airhen: Yeah, we went to the Yabba Pot twice while we were apartment hunting. We were excited to be living so close... I'm sure we'll find a new hangout though (reading about Kiss Cafe now). To be clear, we do eat seafood just not meat, poultry, or much cow dairy.
posted by LizardOfDoom at 7:05 PM on June 21, 2007


Seafood broadens the horizons considerably. I've had good fish at Helen's Garden and RedFish. Jack's Bistro and Birches usually have a seafood or fish special. Jack's is the smallest of the places and the chef, Ted, is very friendly and accommodating.
posted by weebil at 7:57 PM on June 21, 2007


In regards to your dog, if you take him/her to Patterson Park, do not be tempted to go off-leash. The Baltocops have been setting up sting operations there against nefarious dog owners.
posted by Heatwole at 7:19 AM on June 22, 2007


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