The Avenue, the four blocks of 36th Street east of Falls Rd., is Hampden’s “main street” where you can find lots of bars and quirky boutiques. Hampden: A working-class neighborhood that has since been colonized by hipsters without fully losing its roots. Very scenic: lots of parks, marble buildings and cobblestone streets. Mount Vernon: Both Baltimore’s main cultural district and the closest thing it has to a “gayborhood.” Also this is where my alma mater, Peabody, is so it’s the area I know the best. While you may or may not agree with the city’s motto emblazoned on its benches - “The Greatest City in America” - it’s hard to visit this place and not concur with Baltimore’s other, far more popular nickname: Charm City. Far from the violent cesspool depicted by crime dramas like The Wire, Baltimore is mostly a fun, vibrant and large city with a quirky flavor. In my sophomore year, my mom took a job teaching at a private school here and my parents followed me, though, really, they’d been looking for an excuse to move here since long before I chose a college. My stepdad grew up here, and my family took regular trips here years before I started college at the Peabody Conservatory, a Johns-Hopkins-affiliated music conservatory in the city. The 200 Best Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies Of All Timeīaltimore has always been an important city for me.LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now.