6 Things I Learned a Day in the Hood

I feel like I’m a whole new person now after spending an afternoon in the “hood.”  When I mean the hood, this was one of the worst areas in Baltimore.  How did this clean cut, suburb loving girl end up in the hood?

It all started with a birthday invite from a Momo (She would like to be anonymous).  She said, yes, we will go somewhere in the inner harbor and maybe the casino after. As I am getting ready, I get a message asking if I wanted to ride with her because the lunch spot is a “little hood.”

Oh no, the moment I made a left turn after I passed the inner harbor, my first reaction was to lock the doors. Then as the GPS kept telling me to go further, I saw graffiti, boarded up windows, and I kept thinking where did I just go?

Once I got to the place, Momo was like if I told you exactly where we were going, I knew you would not come!

Here is what I learned from my few hours in the “hood”…

1. All the windows are boarded up and building doors tend to be optional.
2. There is a liquor store, some type of fast food and a payday store in a corner.  In this case, it was a Chinese restaurant.
3. Your car is not safe, anywhere.  Momo helped me find a parking spot just a block down from the restaurant, I asked if my car is safe.  She said, no, nowhere is safe, but you are parked across from a church, it’s a little safer. Momo uses a club to lock her steering wheel.
4. There is a bouncer at a brunch spot.  And they search you before you come in at times and when I tried to ask the bouncer to keep an eye on my car…he did not look happy.
5. People really do wear sunglasses inside and it’s essential to put them on when you are ready to “bounce.”  I tried to put my sunnies on as I walked out, but it was so dark, I couldn’t see the stairs.  Obviously, the choice was easy…Try to be cool and trip down the stairs or be just walk normally.  I choose to walk normally.
6. It’s a day party.  I have never been to a place where the women dressed like they were reading for the club in the middle of the day.  Every man seemed to have some type of sunglasses on and a backwards cap.