Atrium

 

I had to move from NYC to Baltimore a few months ago to work at JHH.

I was reccommended a few places and out of those places I chose to live here because of the convenience.

All utilities included in the rent.

I feel safe living inside the building.

A free shuttle bus takes me to JHH.

My roommate parks in the private garage and feels safe because of the garage gates, the walkway that connects the parking building to the atrium and the security of police cars who also park in the same garage.

The problem we've had so far with parking is where could our friends park!' They would have to pay the general parking fee or find an available spot on the street with a parking meter.

Scoping it out

The apartment building itself looks good, the maintenance crew is always on top of issues.

I had a clogged drain, and they fixed it within the day.

Any problems are resolved within the day.

Laundry is $1.50/load, that is a lot to me, my dorm charged us 50 cents/load.

The laundry rooms look so nice.

The fitness center is small, but it has everything, mirrored walls and even cable TVs.

There is a lounge with some tables, chairs and computers.

Great for studying.

The best front desk worker in the world, Daisy, looks you in the eyes, smiles, listens, remembers you and is honest in the sweetest way.

The other workers are great too yet could learn a lot from Daisy's Jesus-like character.

The manager Rhonda is sweet and professional.

The assistant manager Von can be nice yet rude, loud and impatient if you ask her too many questions.

Environment
The environment surrounding the Atrium is sketchy.

There is much updating to be done in the hood.

First of all, the people who walk up and down the streets are ghetto.

I have never seen so many beggers not even in New York.

This is considered illegal in NYC and people do get arrested for begging/
sleeping on the sidewalk.

I would walk down the street, be greeted by people who would reach out a hand and say "Can I have some change' Excuse me miss, excuse me! Do you have a quarter'" I would look at them and say "sorry, no." And they would leave me alone.

Unfortunately most of the questions would come from middle aged African American males.

During the day the stores, bus stops, metro subway and Light Rail around The Atrium attract crowds, blocking the sidewalk.

Sometimes I would see a mixture of young dressed professionals waiting for transportation among the ghetto crowd.

So it's somewhat safe.

I have seen tourists walking by.

I haven't heard of any crimes.

There is no police presence (unlike NYC!!).

I have lived here a while and have not seen actual poice officers walking around! Where do they all go' Lexington market is also a bit of a ghetto hive.

In the future I hope the neighborhood will change over to fit more professionals and students.

Even more trees in the environment could soften the concrete look.

Okay, so there are a few hospitals in the area of Baltimore.

You would have to expect to hear an ambulance alarm going by briefly from a distance at least once a day.

All windows are facing some part of the city, expect to hear the echoes of people laughing loudly or shouting from the streets.

Light rail (An above the ground trolly/train) toots it's little horn or "dings dings dings" down the road during the day.

Cars honk, in NYC, honking is a penalty; a fine of $350 would be charged to the honker.

Maybe about 2-3 honks during day would get my attention.

That's for the day noise, otherwise, it is quiet at night.

The Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a big tourist area.

It is similar to South Street Seaport.

There are shopping centers, ships, museums and seafood restaurants.

Chipotle, Cheesecake Factory, Best Buy, Hard Rock Cafe and a Barnes and Noble occupy the area.

There is a spot for professional entertainers and magicians.

There is a huge stadium near by.

The Atrium is about a 15-20 walk away.

So I could go spend time with friends shopping and being entertained.

Whole foods is also a distance near the inner harbor.

The Atrium shuttle bus goes to whole foods on certain days.

If you need to live here, I'd reccommend it, especially for safe parking.

Other places may be nicer and bigger, but it's still Baltimore.

User Responses
From: dindygirl	Date: 10/13/2006
I really enjoyed this review and the comparisons to NYC. I wish honking was illegal here LOL.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/21/2008
Judgemental, no? Can we please have a review without the negative depictions of the city and the use of the word ghetto? Yes, Baltimore is a city with a plethora of problems but you chose to come here and maybe if you didn't look so green, sweetie, people wouldn't bother you!
From: ThatDiva22	Date: 09/27/2010
This is not NY. You don't like it take ur behind back to NY. By the way to you know what a ghetto is. It is used to describe a place not a person. The word originated in Venice to describe the areas where Jews were compelled to live. Why are the people sketchy because they are black. No police presence r u blind. There is a police station right down the street and the police are always around. Get ur mind right Child Boo

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