Baltimore is a spirited city -- a unique blend of historic charm, ethnic heritage and urban vitality. In the midst of a sweeping renaissance that has brought a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere, Baltimore has retained the distinctive flavor of its past as a port city on the Chesapeake Bay.

The nationally acclaimed Inner Harbor (shown above) is the centerpiece of the City's renaissance. Surrounded by such landmarks as the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, the U.S.F. Constellation and the Baltimore Maritime Museum, the Inner Harbor is a waterfront showcase featuring shops, restaurants, harbor cruises and a variety of activities year-round.

Summer brings a splash of colorful festivals celebrating Baltimore's cultural and ethnic heritage. Fort McHenry, birthplace of "The Star Spangled Banner", offers a glimpse of Baltimore's past, as do the B&O Museum which celebrates the inception of the railroad, the Maryland Historical Society, Peale Museum, and Carroll Mansion. Visits to the homes of Edgar Allan Poe, Babe Ruth and H.L. Mencken provide a look into the lives of some of Baltimore's most famous citizens.

Baltimore's Cultural scene is as diverse and lively as the city itself. The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall is home of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The elegant Lyric Opera House, the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the outdoor stages of Merriweather Post Pavilion, Pier 6 and Oregon Ridge play host to every musical taste from classical and jazz to country music and rock. Theater-goers will find the bright lights of Broadway at the Morris Mechanic Theater. Center Stage, the city's outstanding repertory company, as well as Theatre Project, Arena Players and numerous dinner theaters offer a wide variety of entertaining productions from classic and contemporary to modern dance and experimental performance works.

For lovers of the visual arts, the renowned Cone Collection of the early 20th-century works by Matisse and Picasso is housed at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The Walters Art Gallery holds a magnificent collection of Oriental, Egyptian and European art and artifacts. Exhibitions at the Maryland Institute College of Art and numerous private galleries around town make for a lively contemporary art scene.

Sports fans can enjoy Orioles baseball at the newly built Camden Yards baseball park. The Baltimore Ravens, our very own NFL football team plays in their newly constructed football stadium, also located at Camden Yards. The Governor's Cup yacht race is held annually on the Chesapeake Bay. The Preakness, second jewel in the Triple Crown of horse-racing, is run each year at Pimlico Race Course.

The newly constructed Metro line runs from Owings Mills, northwest of Baltimore, to its final downtown destination at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Plans are underway to expand this service to other areas of Baltimore. AMTRAK services Baltimore at the newly renovated Penn Station, five minutes from the Hospital. There is frequent service to Washington, D.C. (30-minute trip), Philadelphia, (1 1/2hour trip), and New York (2 ½ hours). The Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI) is 15 minutes from the city and offers a full range of national and international flights daily.

While the Hospital does not provide on-campus housing for house staff, there are numerous attractive and affordable places to live within easy commuting distance. Throughout the city, many older neighborhoods, some dating back to 1799, have been carefully restored and now offer a diverse mix of housing types to rent or buy. For those who prefer a more suburban environment, there are many residential communities within 20 minutes of the Hospital.

Fells Point, just south of the Hospital, is one of the few remaining urban waterfront residential communities on the East Coast. The row-houses and apartments of neighborhoods such as Butcher's Hill and Canton provide exceptional views of the harbor and city skyline.

South and west of the city, the historic neighborhoods of Federal Hill, Otterbein and Ridgeley's Delight have undergone extensive renewal in recent years and now offer a charming mix of rowhomes and apartments, both old and new.

Mount Vernon, an elegant community of streets lined with restaurants, shops and galleries, is the culturally historic seat of Baltimore City. Once the home of such notable figures as Emily Post and George Peabody, Mount Vernon today offers a variety of historic townhomes, modern high-rises, condominiums and apartments. Bolton Hill, to the northwest, recalls Baltimore's Victorian era with stately 19th-century brownstones and tree-lined streets.

The neighborhoods surrounding The Johns Hopkins University present an eclectic mix of students, professionals and families. Housing ranges from the brownstones, rowhomes and high-rises of Charles Village to the garden communities of Roland Park and Homeland. A shuttle service runs daily from the University to the medical campus.

Farther north and west of the City, but still within easy commuting distance of the Hospital, the suburban communities of Towson, Mount Washington and Pikesville offer a wide variety of housing, including high-rise and garden apartments, town house complexes and single-family homes.

Wherever you chose to live, a touch of open space is never far away. More than 30 parks are scattered about the City from the rolling landscapes of Druid Hill Park, Patterson Park and Lake Roland to numerous community commons and squares with fountains and statuary.

Recreational Activities
Living in Baltimore is ideal for taking advantage of the many activities available in Maryland. In fact, there is hardly a pastime--boating, fishing, skiing, hiking--that can't be found within an hour or two of the City.

The Chesapeake Bay, bountiful with seafood including Baltimore's favorite oysters and blue crabs, offers swimming, sailing, motorboating and fishing. Along the Eastern Shore, flat terrain dotted with country towns and fishing villages makes for delightful bicycling and sightseeing. The beaches of Ocean City, Maryland; Rehoboth, Delaware, and Cape May, New Jersey, are easy day trips from Baltimore, as is Assateague Island, Virginia, a seashore wildlife preserve where campers can view pelicans, herons and wild ponies roaming free.

Historic Annapolis, the state capital and home of the Unites States Navel Academy, is a town for architecture buffs, boaters and seafood lovers. Only 45 minutes from Baltimore, it offers beautifully preserved 18th-century mansions and historic landmarks along with harbor cruises, sailing schools, antique shops and restaurants.

Washington D.C., with its myriad of historical and cultural attractions, is about an hour's drive from Baltimore. In addition to the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American History, the National Gallery and the Hirschorn and Phillips collections, Washington and its Georgetown offer a wide variety of restaurants, specialty shops and bookstores.

The state parks of Western Maryland, between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, are the spot for hikers and campers. Deep Creek Lake, a year-round resort, offers a variety of water sports in the summer and skiing, both downhill and cross-country, in the winter at nearby Wisp. The C&O Canal, which extends from Cumberland in Western Maryland to Georgetown in Washington, D.C., offers picnicking, fishing and horseback-riding. Canoeing and rafting are especially popular along the C&O Canal and on the white water of the Potomac and Youghiogheny rivers.

A little closer to home, the rolling countryside just outside of Baltimore offers a variety of opportunities for relaxation, including horseback-riding, paths for bicycling, jogging and hiking, and numerous parks and reservoirs for a quiet afternoon in the fresh air and sunshine.

In addition, the Denton A. Cooley Recreation Center, located on the Hospital campus, offers complete recreational facilities, including tennis courts and an olympic-size outdoor swimming pool as well as handball, racquetball, squash and basketball courts, an elevated running track, exercise machines, whirlpool and saunas.