I was in Baltimore a few years back for a conference in the tourist district area. I had to walk several blocks to the venue from my hotel, and found that there was a elevated walkway that you could take that took you over the busy city streets.
It was very nice. I got up a little before the conference started, and took the elevated walkway around 0900. It took me over roads, through some little malls, etc.
Bustling with people and felt very safe.
When I went back to the hotel around 1800, I took the walkways again. But it was very different. Not only was nobody taking the walkways, but the little malls were deserted and the cages were down over the storefronts. The sidewalk was bustling with people dodging the traffic.
I was pondering this ominous situation, when I walked onto a walkway, and there were three teen “youths” blocking the elevated sidewalk about halfway across. Then I understood and realized what a fool I had been. I backed out, closed the door, and backtracked through the deserted mall which seemed downright menacing now, and got down on the street with everyone else.
This was probably 10-12 years ago. I can only imagine what it is like now.
Same situation with me. My wife and kid and I were walking across a big plaza area in Inner Harbor after a wedding in the city. I saw out of corner of my eye three “youths” running at an intersecting angle about 100 yards away. We were more than 100 yards from any other persons.
I braced the wife and said to stop and see if they changed their run. They did and angled toward us. About 30 feet from us, I squared to them and very obviously put my hand in my jacket. I wasn’t carrying but I thought if I looked bold and obvious about it, I could bluff them.
It worked. They looked like someone pulled back on the reins as they stopped short and started stuttering about bus fare. I stood perfectly still while I told them no.
They slunk off and I kept my hand in my jacket until we made it to a “safer” area.
I know we would have been robbed had I not bluffed them. Closest I’ve ever been to being robbed. I will never go to Baltimore again.