Exploring the special neighborhoods this city has to offer

One of my schools requirements is to take language classes while attending. I have been taking Italian classes for the past couple of years after I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. One of the requirements on these classes is to participate in three cultural events to have a better understanding of what we are learning. A couple of my friends who are taking the class with me decided that we should visit “Little Italy” to have a fun outing in our city while completing an assignment.

Little Italy is an adorable neighborhood in Baltimore, it is in the heart of the city and about a 20 minute walk from Fells Point. The streets are lined with restaurants, houses, and covered with lights. The streets are a nice quiet escape from the rest of the busy city, you feel a warm, comfortable feeling while you’re walking around. We heard about Chipparelli’s through a family friend and decided to grab dinner there. I would describe the atmosphere of the restaurant as classy and cozy. We sat there for a while just chatting having a good time together, but felt no rush at all. In addition to the perfect atmosphere, the food was immaculate. We got bread to start which was delicious as always, but my entree was even better. I ordered a pasta dish that came with shrimp, mushrooms, broccoli, and a creamy tomato sauce. It was genuinely amazing (not an exaggeration). The fettuccini pasta was just like I remember when I was in Italy. The other girls meals were also great, you cannot make a wrong decision when you order here.

Unfortunately, we did not save room for dessert, so after chatting for a while we left the restaurant and started walking around the streets. Obviously, we eventually had room for a sweet treat and walked right past Vaccaros Italian Pasty Shop. They had all of the Italian cookies that you could want, and they had delicious gelato. It was the perfect way to end the night.

Baltimore has so many neighborhoods that are all unique. It was so fun to visit Little Italy and see one of the many cultures celebrated in our city. This girls night out was so much and I am so glad I got to explore more of Baltimore.

If we want to enjoy our community, it is vital to take care of the community.

I have the privilege of being on the Loyola Women’s Rowing team. We row on the Patapsco River in Baltimore, right around the corner from Ft. McHenry and the Inner Harbor. The water is where we spend hours perfecting our strokes and getting faster. The Patapsco River has helped our team, and our team has decided to give back. Waterways in a city tend to be more polluted than other waterways and will be forgotten about. We spent one afternoon going out in canoes and kayaks with trash pickers and trash bags and rowed around picking up any litter that we saw.

Doing this for just one short afternoon meant a lot to our team. We were able to spend our time cleaning up a place that is very special to us. We have a team of about 30 girls and we picked up a large amount of trash in a very small time. Unfortunately there is so much more out there that we were not able to get. We also got to explore our area in a new way. Baltimore is a city on the water, which allows for beautiful areas to see, restaurants, and fun activities. Going out in a canoe gave me a new perspective of Baltimore and I was able to discover places on my own. It is important to go out and take in your surroundings because you never know what you are going to find. When you go and clean up the river you are not only taking care of your home, but you are rediscovering your city.