Baltimore on the bay.

Old building in Baltimore

Good morning, Baltimore!

Baltimore on Glass

Man, I really hate to bust this out on y’all. And I know it is going to generate a whole bunch of hate. But when you’re wrong,you’re wrong. And, in this case, you are definitely wrong. Why? Because I say so. And history. History says so, so you can just shut up.

Here is how it starts – Southern Living is having an online poll called “Vote for South’s Tastiest Town‘ and on the list they include such Southern towns as New Orleans, Raleigh and Charleston. All sorts of no-brainer in terms of Southern towns. Here is where it gets good- they included Baltimore.

Well, just back it up there a gosh-darn minute. Baltimore? Yep. Baltimore. Whether you like or not, Maryland is a southern state. And, OF COURSE, people do not like it.

Here are some of the comments;

How is Baltimore a SOUTHERN town?

it’s not da south, it shouldn’t be on the list… period.

It’s the Mid-Atlantic, but since people seem to want either North or South, it’s the South – South of the Mason-Dixon line which is the line separating North-South.

They’re still stuck on the Mason-Dixon Line.

Maryland is a border state, not a Southern state.

Baltimore? Can we stick to Cities that are in the Real Southern part of the states and not southern North America. That line was drawn when colonial america thought anything below South Carolina was an undeveloped foreign country. Lets be real. Baltimore is as northern as NYC and Wash. D.C….

There are several good points here. Baltimore is more culturally Mid-Atlantic than southern as evidenced by our significant lack of trailer parks. HOWEVER, history is on Maryland’s side here. Here is my disclaimer: I don’t give a rat’s ass whether Maryland is Northern or Southern, and no one asked me. But if your whole argument is “It isn’t Southern because it’s not Southern enough for me.” Well, then, allow me to set you straight.

Maryland is below the Mason-Dixon line. This makes it a Southern state. End of argument. No one cares if culturally it is like DC or NY, historically and geographically, Maryland is part of the South. Don’t like it? Don’t care. Think we aren’t Southern enough? I am totally OK with this. You keep all of your ‘Southern’ traits the hell away from me. Remember, I am from Kentucky, I have had enough ‘South’ to last me a lifetime, thank you very much.

Now it is time for your boring history lesson, you can leave now if you don’t want to whole “Why the Captial is in DC.” lecture.

The basic reason our nation’s capital ended up where it is was that key Southern leaders WANTED it that way.The story is often told of how the change took place, supposedly as a result of a compromise made at a dinner party involving Madison (proponent of the Southern view and an important leader of the Jeffersonians [later the 'Republican Party'] in the House) and Alexander Hamilton, a Northerner (of New York), Federalist and Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury. Supposedly, Hamilton offered Northern support for the Potomac capital in exchange for help (or at least not blocking) his financing plans in Congress (esp. the federal assumption of the war debts of all the states, along with the First National Bank).

In fact, it is not certain the decision took place quite that way..though it makes a nice story!

A key factor that should not be overlooked was George Washington’s own preferences. His personal popularity in both sections added great weight to his desire that the capital be located on the Potomac, near his home at Mount Vernon. In fact, the Residence Act left it to the President to chose the specific location.

Note also that the Residence Act provided for Philadelphia as the temporary capital for 10 years, while arrangements were made for building the District of Columbia (named “Washington” in 1791, though its namesake avoided using that name). It is claimed that this piece helped secure passage, in part because some Northerners (esp. from Pennsylvania) believed the Potomac plan would ultimately fail and Pennsylvania would end up hosting the capital permanently.

[source] (Yes, this source is from Yahoo answers, but the person who provided the answer also provides reference material for checking facts in other places

Close up of the organ at Westminster Hall in Baltimore, MD.

Organ Pipes at Westminster Hall

Stained glass detail in downtown Baltimore.

Stained glass detail

I love this picture, it is a good representation of how much nature respects our burial traditions. Which is not at all.

Here’s the thing. I think graves and our system of burying people is an INCREDIBLE waste. Basically, we take someone whose soul is gone, pump them full of toxic chemicals, dress them up, and then stare at them for a few hours. Then we put them in the ground atop a few feet of concrete in a box that will be there FOREVER, and then cover them with dirt. And in 50 years no one will even care who is in that box. There is just no need for it. Because in a hundred years your tombstone will be covered in dirt and no one is going to care what your casket looked like or what dress you were buried in or what you looked like at the funeral. When I die, take everything medicine can use, burn my body and scatter my ashes somewhere. I’ll be dead. I WON’T CARE.

Yes, yes I am full of sunshine today, sue me.

Century Old Grave in Westminster

Random stuff on Poe’s grave, because nothing says devoted fan like…uh….a bottle cap?

Poe's Grave - detail