Post #1

 Hello everyone!!! While I assume the majority of the people taking this course are currently abroad, I'm writing to you from Baltimore. My name is Will Pikus. I am an English major and Philosophy minor here at Loyola, but I tend to dabble in writing classes as well.  My hometown is Westfield, New Jersey. 

    Though I wish I could be studying abroad in a lavish European country, like Italy or France, there's much to say about being in Maryland.  Though I spent the majority of my childhood growing up between New Jersey and Connecticut, my grandmother and step-grandfather have always lived in Columbia, Maryland. Though it isn't quite the same as Baltimore, Columbia is only about forty minutes away. It's because I visited so much that I would discover my love for Fells Point and the Inner Harbor.

   Fells Point is wonderful place. But what sets it apart from other great neighborhoods? That is a fantastic question. What really makes Fells special is the restaurants and the atmosphere. From Barcocina to Kooper's tavern, there's many places to hang out in Fells on a lazy afternoon. Kooper's is especially fun. On Sundays, they have an oyster shucker that works a food cart all day that sells dirt cheap oysters. Though the highly sought after p.e.i oyster is sold there, they also have oysters from the bay that only cost 99 cents. For some reason, the Maryland oysters are massive. I can only assume it's from all of the pollution they absorb

  Barcocina is a different story. They are a much more refined restaurant, and they tend to serve a different crowd. Though I've been there multiple times, and I love the food, it just isn't a great place to go if you're looking for a fantastic bar scene. It's a decent place in Fells with a beautiful view, but it's not a place to go if you're looking for a fun time. 

   I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite part about Baltimore. One of My favorite authors had a life for himself here. Edagar Allan Poe met his wife here, died here, and is buried. Thought Edgar Allan Poe was not born here, he is heavily associated with Baltimore. Even Baltimore's football team is inspired by one of Poe's Poems, "The Raven". Poe is known for writing other fantastic pieces, such as A Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, and The Cask of Amontillado 

   Another fantastic part of Baltimore is the art scene. During my time here, I've been to The Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters more times than I can count. Both Museums are full of culture and artwork from all around the world. Lat time I visited the Walter's, they has somehow managed to procure a copy of Alexander Degas's Little Dancer Aged Fourteen . I was lucky enough to see the real Little Dancer Aged Fourteen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City when I was only 4 years old. Though it was about 19 years ago that I saw the magnificent statue, I remember it as clear as can be. Seeing the copy of the famous State serves as a true blast from the past. 

  Though there are so many reasons to adore Baltimore, there is one reason that is impossible to skip. It's home to our favorite American College, Loyola University Maryland. Loyola was founded in the year 1852. It's a Jesuit University, which is a fact I love about the school. A fun fact about me is that I went to Saint Peter's Preparatory, which is the only Jesuit high school in all of New Jersey. It's located in Jersey City. Maybe I an find an excuse to bring up my Jesuit high school education in another post, but for now, that's all I have to tell you about my past. 

  What I really love about Maryland is it's diverse neighborhoods. If toy visited Bolton Hill and Hampden in the same day, you would feel as if you visited two different cities. If you walk in different directions right off the Loyola Campus, you get completely different experiences. if you choose to walk towards York Rd., there are great places, like Swallow at the Hallow and Zen West. If you choose to walk in the park in front of Newman Towers just off of West Cold Spring, there is a beautiful area that eventually leads to the Johns Hopkins Campus. 

  Speaking of Johns Hopkins, I once spent a summer living on the outskirts of their campus with a few friends who attended the school. I lived on N. Calvert Street just a few blocks away from a fantastic liquor store and bar. I would spend my days working at a crab shack in Towson, and my nights experiencing of the night-life that Baltimore has to offer. That's the thing about Baltimore. Wherever you are, you aren't far from a good time.