I was down in Baltimore about six years ago at a convention, and around 5PM, I thought I would walk on the Skywalk back to my hotel.
As I walked through the areas with stores to get to the Skywalk, I noticed several things. First, what had been bustling during the day with scads of people was now nearly deserted with only a few people scurrying quickly. Secondly, all the busy and prosperous looking shops during the day were closed, and there were bars down.
This was 5PM. I thought the place would be bustling.
I also noticed everyone was walking on the street below. As I opened the door to the Skywalk that went over one of the main streets in Baltimore, there were five young black guys standing in the middle of the Skywalk about halfway across. They were all wearing the cloths over the head with the large, flat brimmed baseball caps (with the brims pressed completely flat) baggy pants, the whole nine yards.
I got it then. Nobody with any knowledge of this area was up here, and you didn’t have to be a genius to figure out why.
I hightailed it out of there.
Good move on your part. Your lucky to have gotten away. When I used to go downtown, I would always leave by 4pm before the sun went down.