Balto manners and hot riding.

Some people say that Baltimoreans have no manners. However, I have lived in two places where people have considerably worse manners. And, I don’t want to start a fight, but go somewhere like White Marsh or Carrol County, and then see how you like the manners of city residents. I don’t necessarily mean people in the city but people from the city. I feel much more consideration from Baltimore city folk. My fellows. That’s all I’ll say about that.

One thing about Baltimore manners is that we all forgot the whole “don’t talk to strangers” thing. Whether you’re sitting on the light rail reading a GRE book and the man next to you wants you to give him a math quiz (true story) or whether you’re at a red light on your bike, and the man next to you on the sidewalk starts talking to you about cycling and the heat — people in Baltimore love to talk to people they meet. And that’s one of my favorite things about this place.

As in the latter case, I was on my way to meet a former professor for lunch in Charles Village Thursday, and I stopped at a red light near my apartment in Roland Park. A guy who was just there (no bus stop or anything) said, “It’s too for me to ride a bike today.”

“Really? I get hotter walking,” I tell him. “Even with the helmet.” I mention the pleasure of a little wind running through your helmet vents and the general breeze of biking.

And we talk about places to cycle around Baltimore and taking one’s bike on the light rail. Some trail near BWI. I pass up on one green light to chat for a bit. Then I’m yelling, “Thanks, man! Take it easy!” as I speed off down University Parkway.

I love this city.