Charm City

I spent this past weekend in Baltimore, which is a city I have never visited, although one of my closest friends lives there. I always wanted to roadtrip it down thataway, but this time my cash flow necessitated a trip on the Chinatown bus.

So be it.

Nonetheless, Baltimore claims, among it’s many nicknames, the darling moniker “Charm City,” (the less flattering nicknames “Mob Town” and “Crabtown” don’t convey the same sense of whimsy). I set out on a mission to find out exactly why Baltimore, out of all the cities in the country, had been dubbed “Charm City.”

Alas, after asking around, no one could produce a satisfactory answer. So I turned to the endless bounty that is the internet, and here’s what I find:

“Located on the East Coast of the United States, between New York City and Washington, D.C., Baltimore has been nicknamed "Charm City" for its many attractions and friendly residents. One of America's oldest cities, Baltimore is known for its rich ethnic and maritime heritage, sense of history and fine food.”

*yawn*

“During the 1970’s, in an effort to promote Baltimore, the city developed an advertising campaign called "CHARM CITY". Visitors to Baltimore were given a charm bracelet and encouraged to purchase charms at the many Baltimore area attractions. As a result, Baltimore became known as the "Charm City", a nickname still used to this day.”

Now, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! I wish they still did that. I would have bought a charm of a Glock to remind me of the party we went to in scary West Baltimore (where, incidentally, The Wire is filmed), a crab charm to pay homage to the little guy I ripped apart with my bare hands (quaintly known as “crab picking”), and a pink flamingo in honor of John Waters and the obsession Baltimoreans seem to have with his creations.

Now that would have been one hell of a charm bracelet.