Baltimoreans, tell about your town! (Amother preferred)

amother

Sun, Jun 12 2011, 8:14 am

Many Baltimoreans love to post how great their town is--affordable, big community, lots of variety, etc!

I'd love to hear more and specifics!

Where do you live (fallstaff, cross country, greenspring? inside chai boundaries or not? what is the flavor of your neighborhood, and what types of shul are around your street--straight Orthodox, MO, lubavitcher, chassidic? Are you on a "young" block, "aging" block, professional? learners?)

Tell me about the schools (I know BY is only one for girls, what are choices for boys) and what are the area mikvaot like?

We are seriously contemplating a change and want to make an informed choice--other option would be to move into a rental for a few months until we get the feel ourselves.

These are really specific questions so I encourage posters to reply as amother. TIA!

obagys

Sun, Jun 12 2011, 8:31 am

I'll try to answer all your questions!

I live in the Seven Mile Lane area, but on Smith Avenue, which is a main road. There are countless shuls within walking distance ranging from MO to pretty Yeshivish. The shul my family davens at has a wide range, with some modern to some very Yeshivish people, and all feel accepted and welcome, which is why I love going to my shul.
In my area, there are many, many frum families ranging from younger couples to grandparents. This includes kollel families and workers. My particular block is super long with frum families and non-Jewish families along the way.
My kids go to BY and TA (Talmudical Academy). The other main girl's school is Bnos Yisroel and the other main boy's school is TI (Torah Institute). There is also a new school opening called Ohr Chadash to "replace" Rambam which is closing at the end of this school year, but I don't know much about it.
The main mikva here is pretty centrally located in the community and is beautiful. It's $12 a visit, run by very nice woman, and is clean and comfortable.
There are several restaurants, both milchig and fleishig, and lots of kosher business (clothing, butcher shops, etc). We also have Seven Mile Market, the largest all-kosher grocery in the US.
Like you mentioned, Baltimore is a huge mix of Jews ranging from those totally not religious to ultra-orthadox. What is so nice about the community is that it really doesn't matter what your level is, you can be friends and get along with everyone. I think most people feel that way.
If you do decide to come visit, I'd love to host your family for a Shabbos and would be happy to introduce you to people in the area and give you a mini tour of the shuls and different neighborhoods Smile

Also, please feel free to PM me if you want to ask really specific questions that you may not want to discuss openly on the forums.
Good luck!

amother wrote:

Hashem_Yaazor

Sun, Jun 12 2011, 8:55 pm

amother wrote:

For another month and a half or so, I live in the second main apartment complex I'd say...
Maybe half in yeshiva, the other half (of frum ppl) are not -- very low key, not high maintenance at all. Not so many chassidim, but a couple sprinkled in. A few MO. Mostly "plain frum" or kollel people. Since these are apartments, mostly young crowd.

My boys are going to TI. We are very happy there. My husband went to TA. He came out great too. Really wonderful boy schools Smile

Girls -- didn't do the research to know where we'll send yet, but Bais Yaakov and Bnos both are very good schools with different focuses...

Mikvah was answered already....

I'd go for the rental; see where you find yourself feeling comfortable and then looking to buy. There are so many shuls to pick from all over, and likely you'll find a niche...

amother

Sun, Jun 12 2011, 10:24 pm

I live in the Greenspring area. Most of of the people in our area are late 30's- mid 40's. Mostly professionals although there is one kollel family on the block. We have everything from yeshivish to more modern in the area. Lots of shuls ranging from more MO to an Agudah, all very close by.

I would definitely suggest renting here first. There are different areas in Baltimore and although you can walk from one area to another, it can be a long walk. It's better to wait til you are here - you can take your time and figure out in which area you would be most comfortable.

Rubber Ducky

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 10:49 am

Quote:

Where do you live (fallstaff, cross country, greenspring? inside chai boundaries or not? what is the flavor of your neighborhood, and what types of shul are around your street--straight Orthodox, MO, lubavitcher, chassidic? Are you on a "young" block, "aging" block, professional? learners?)

I live in Cheswolde -- this is one of the Greenspring neighborhoods, and is entirely within the City of Baltimore (not county). It is not inside the Chai boundaries. Beautiful neighborhood, heavily wooded with lots of mature trees and the look of old-fashioned suburbia. Mixed housing of all sizes and types: single family homes from cottage to mansion, townhomes, apartments. All types of frum (all ages too) and the neighborhood also attracts non-Jewish yuppies of many colors. I don't think there is a predominant age here. My Jewish neighbors have many different backgrounds: FFB, BT, geirim; outlooks from Modern Lite to Modern Machmir to Carlebachian to Chabad to Agudah; and parnassahs: CPAs, caterers, teachers, lawyers, contractors, plumbers... there are also a few kollel families with the wife as the main breadwinner in my immediate neighborhood. The huge Pickwick apartment complex, which is technically mostly in Cheswolde, is full of kollel families.

Quote:

Tell me about the schools (I know BY is only one for girls, what are choices for boys)

There are 2 girls' schools: Bais Yaakov and Bnos.They both go from preschool through high school. For boys the big established schools are TA and TI. Our personal experience is only with TA -- we have been delighted with their warmth and their ability to deal with special needs (both remedial and advanced.)

There is also the much newer Ohr Yaakov Yeshiva -- I think from 3rd to 8th grade. The co-ed MO school Rambam went under and is being reinvented as Ohr Chadash with much of same faculty and student body. And there's Beth Tefiloh, which has some shomer Shabbos students (preschool - 12 I think). Chabad has started a school; preschool - 2nd grade?

I may have missed one or two -- new schools keep appearing! There is also a significant home-school population. And there are kids who commute to Silver Spring who don't quite fit any of local schools. One group is currently under-served: I am not aware of any local day school that deals with seriously mentally handicapped children such as Down's, or autistic to the point of not being able to function in a regular classroom setting.

For boys' high schools there are TA, Ner Israel's high school division, and Rabbi Shlanger's.

Quote:

and what are the area mikvaot like?

The main mikvah is attractive, large, not glamorous, centrally located, about $12.

Consider renting until you decide where you'd like to live and daven. If your shul is a mile from your home, you'll find it to be a very long walk when it's 90 degrees and humid.

abby1776

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 12:16 pm

We moved from Monsey to Baltimore a year ago because I got a job in DC. We are renting inthe cheswolde area of greenspring.

We send our son to TA and our daughter will be going to BY next year. All of our neighbors have been so warm and welcoming. I dont know how I would have gotten through this year (new house, new job, new baby, far from family) without them.

The schools all seem good, there is pleanty of Kosher shopping and services, and lots of different types of people (completely agree with poster above about the variety in Cheswolde area from Kollel to Gerim, to young and old) who all seem to get along rather well, which I can tell you does not always happen in Monsey.

I would second the suggestion to rent first before buying to get a feel for the different areas. There are lots of rentals, houses and apartments.

I only went to the Mikvah once, because I had a baby - but it was very nice. Maybe not as fancy as the one in Monsey but very nice.

underthestars

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 1:40 pm

Wow- it's so beautiful to read about our wonderful community. I have experience with both TI, Bnos Yisroel, Rav Slangers, and TA, and I can say they are all superb in their own way. Depending on the child, we have had different schools, because each one filled a need for a different personality. Both Mrs. Itzkowitz and Rabbi Eisgrau (bnos & TI) are fantastic, and they really care about each individual child. (But for that matter, so do all the schools!). The one thing you have to realize when coming to Baltimore though, is that you will need to plan your work schedule around your carpool schedule. Depending on the ages of your child(ren), this is an important issue here. I didn't take a job in DC becuase I needed to be closer for carpool issues. You can find people to pay to drive your kids back and forth to school, but be aware of this. As for where you want to live, everyone is correct in renting before you buy. The "upper park heights" may be considered more of a yeshivish area, where the Greenspring/Ranchleigh area may be more MO or a little less yeshivish...BUT... you will find everything everywhere. B"H, everyone gets along here and it is a wonderful mix.

Feel free to PM with anything more specific, and we also would love to extend an invitation for a shabbos if you want. Although, we are trying to sell our house and move to Eretz Yisroel, we will probably be here for a bit should you decide to take us up on our offer:)

amother

Mon, Jun 13 2011, 1:48 pm

OP I grew up in Baltimore and its true that everyone gets along there, from the most black hat yeshivish to modern to not religious. Everyone is super friendly and its a very non judgemental community where people see you for you, not for the religious clothing you wear. And I know you got this advice before, but if you move there, (or anywhere for that matter) don't buy without renting there for a while first to really get a feel for which part of town you will fit into and be happy there. You will make a much more informed decision that way. Good luck in Baltimore (if you move there) its one of the nicest communities!

energy11

Tue, Jun 21 2011, 7:19 am

I love Baltimore!

On top of what everyone said, I just want to add that the library is fantastic and the JCC is great!
JCC membership gives you the possibility to participate in Park heights JCC as well as Owings Mills JCC (a short 15 minutes riide).
All classes are included in your membership, and pool hours are good. Separate pool hours are offered in Park Heights, while Owings Mills has an outdoor pool with new waterfalls and kiddy pool, unfortunately all COED. But you will see many frum ladies including myself taking their younger ones. The pool is surrounded by a large park with wood attractions, delighting the children for another hour - easily.

Shiurim are available for women in daytime with WIT: Women Institute of Torah.
And of course at night time, in various shuls at various hours.
Evening for ladies are ofetn organized in the form of Shiurim with refreshments, chinese auction, etc..

Last but not least, two local restaurants offer "All you can eat" for one price. the Royal restaurant (not sure what day) and Caramel (milchig) has "All you can eat sushi" every Tuesday (real amazing!!).

I live in Seven Mile area in a mixed block, but mostly African American. Tonight I am surprising my ([gentile]) neighboor by making her cheese Borekas....
Better than that??