Spring Break
Baltimore's famous red-light district excels in the forbidden despite decline
Blue Balls
Issue date: 11/1/07
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If you read this paper enough you'll notice that all the writers love to open their articles by denouncing the student body in some small way.
No rebel am I; in accordance with longstanding News-Letter tradition, I will present to you one further small reason why we all continue to suck.
When people talk about exploring the forbidden underground on this campus, they are usually speaking, according to our trademark, collegiate-solipsistic frame of reference, of ducking into a steam tunnel, i.e., under Homewood.
But if you take a look outside our soap-bubble campus, dear reader, you will soon see that there is a charmingly dirty underground world out there, cavernous and waiting to be discovered.
Baltimore is thick with scrumptious sin. And in this "city of neighborhoods," there is no neighborhood that speaks best to this aspect of Baltimore than its famous red-light district. The locals call it, simply enough, The Block.
The Block is a stretch of East Baltimore Street, near the waterfront, about halfway between Hopkins Med and the Bayview Center.
Dead by day, at night the area springs to life, casting a tantalizing beacon of neon. Some 11 million patrons a year swing by for a drink, a peep show or maybe something more.
While most visitors are tourists, The Block caters also caters to football fans streaming weekly out of M&T Bank Stadium and probably to a few people just across the street at City Hall.
Unlike many red-light districts, The Block is not separated from the heart of the city by railroad tracks, nor is it part of a larger shady side of town.
Although the Block is certainly shady itself - about 1,000 erotic dancers work there nightly at several strip joints - this den of iniquity is nestled among high-rise apartments, and the surrounding area is pretty gentrified. I mean, look no further for proof than the local Barnes & Noble.
The Block started taking shape about 80 years ago. It made its name in the '50s, when it earned its reputation as the go-to place for the needs of upstanding gentlemen: tits, ass and backroom blowjobs. The Block has never flagged in its task to uphold this tradition.
No rebel am I; in accordance with longstanding News-Letter tradition, I will present to you one further small reason why we all continue to suck.
When people talk about exploring the forbidden underground on this campus, they are usually speaking, according to our trademark, collegiate-solipsistic frame of reference, of ducking into a steam tunnel, i.e., under Homewood.
But if you take a look outside our soap-bubble campus, dear reader, you will soon see that there is a charmingly dirty underground world out there, cavernous and waiting to be discovered.
Baltimore is thick with scrumptious sin. And in this "city of neighborhoods," there is no neighborhood that speaks best to this aspect of Baltimore than its famous red-light district. The locals call it, simply enough, The Block.
The Block is a stretch of East Baltimore Street, near the waterfront, about halfway between Hopkins Med and the Bayview Center.
Dead by day, at night the area springs to life, casting a tantalizing beacon of neon. Some 11 million patrons a year swing by for a drink, a peep show or maybe something more.
While most visitors are tourists, The Block caters also caters to football fans streaming weekly out of M&T Bank Stadium and probably to a few people just across the street at City Hall.
Unlike many red-light districts, The Block is not separated from the heart of the city by railroad tracks, nor is it part of a larger shady side of town.
Although the Block is certainly shady itself - about 1,000 erotic dancers work there nightly at several strip joints - this den of iniquity is nestled among high-rise apartments, and the surrounding area is pretty gentrified. I mean, look no further for proof than the local Barnes & Noble.
The Block started taking shape about 80 years ago. It made its name in the '50s, when it earned its reputation as the go-to place for the needs of upstanding gentlemen: tits, ass and backroom blowjobs. The Block has never flagged in its task to uphold this tradition.
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