Someone actually scheduled (and paid for!) a vacation in Balmer? Seriously? OMG!!! When I absolutely HAVE to go there, it’s in and out ASAP. As your friend noted, the Inner Harbor and Aquarium, best tourist spots in town, are filthy trash.
Balmer is THE panhandler capital of the USA. I was once on an elevator at Hopkins, going from the children’s ward (7th floor IIRC) to the ground level cafeteria and was panhandled right there on the elevator by another patient’s parent. And forget about the streets, downtown shops/restaurants, Inner Harbor. The Brits should come back and rid us of that wretched place.
Panhandled in JH...that is a new one. I've been panhandled inside the Science Center, the Hyatt Regency, the Omni, City Hall (yes, THE City Hall, where there was also human excrement on the floor) and of course Harbor Place. But never JH or the Aquarium. Balmer is so much fun. I had my license plates stolen by a gang of thugs right in front of me in a supposedly secure garage. (They actually caught the thugs, I wanted to press charges but the Balmer DAs office basically told me to eff off). I currently live uncomfortably close to the s**thole.