The first thing you notice about Baltimore are the potholes. Of which there are many. Trapdoors on Main street, corruption the locals tell me.
Take a walk and you'll notice the buildings. Art deco masterpieces in various states of decay or preservation. Museums, national monuments and even a gothic church. Could be in Europe.
I found myself in Peter's, a hole in the wall bar popular with the lunch-time office crowd. Yellow food, pleasantries, sport talk. The local psyche is overwhelmingly mellow & straight talking.