For the Beautiful Willow Tree on W. Cross St.

For the 11 years I lived in Pigtown, one of most beautiful things about it was the massive willow tree on the 12th block of W. Cross St. When it seemed that I had had enough with the neighborhood, that glorious leafy waterfall kept me sane. It was just breathtakingly beautiful.

Tragically, on a visit to Pigtown in June 2018, I was horrified to notice that the once-massive willow had been hacked and chopped down to resembling a palm tree. It was so horrific, my mind still can't process it.

In memory of its greatness, here are a few pictures of that mighty willow in full glory.

Tree hacking should be a felony.

Going, going, gone. Parting Words...

Although I never got this blog up and running with bountiful posts, I couldn't end it without leaving some insight in closing.

I left Pigtown within 1 year of having my son, and I moved to a Baltimore city neighborhood where I now have a nice little yard, no passerby trash in front of my home, and peace and quiet--a boring, uneventful neighborhood, basically. At this point in life, I love it. With a growing child who needs space to run and play, my needs surpassed what Pigtown could offer. Nonetheless, Pigtown has some great things going for it (Main Street is on the up and up!) and some amazing, diverse, caring, and fine neighbors--you never know who you'll find; one is best to abandon presumptions.   

For those who are really excited about the possibility of moving to Pigtown, I'd say you're a good fit if you:

--want a reasonably affordable neighborhood in southern Baltimore near downtown/Federal Hill;

--want the best commute to DC from Baltimore city;

--aren't rattled by city living (tight parking, loud passerby walkers; trash in alley/gutters/your stoop); 

--don't have children or teens (namely because of neighborhood preying/bullying and schools);

--want to help revitalize the neighborhood--activists are awesome, especially those who care about disadvantaged people, feral cats, social justice, and/or community beautification/redevelopment.

--are okay and easygoing with the odds that you'll have at least one neighbor within your block who may play loud music, socialize loudly outside, doesn't clean up trash from the front of his/her home, or who sits on the stoop (sometimes all day);

--understand addiction and are not willing to enable it. Addicts are everywhere, but many travel specifically to Pigtown to get drugs, sometimes on your block, in the care parked in front of your house, etc. If you want to help strengthen Pigtown, it's a good idea to report drug activity.  

Always visit any neighborhood in day, night, and weekends--particularly the block in which you hope to move. One block can be completely different from the next. 

Good luck, and all the best!