Smile, hon!
Baltimore’s charm is somehow untarnished by rats. In fact, rats seem to be part of the charm. I can’t explain this, but I know a magazine (or zine, really) that revels in Baltimore’s off-kilter breed of charm and may help you understand.
“Smile Hon, you’re in Baltimore,” is a zine of fiction and non-fiction produced by William P. Tandy of Eight Stone Press. It’s full of pictures of the city and well-written pieces that are just a little weird. But Baltimore also has it’s beauty, and that comes through a bit in every issue, even the very popular annual “infestation” issue, which focuses on the rodents that scamper through B-more.
You should buy a copy, if only so that when people ask “What was Baltimore like?” you can hand them “Smile Hon” and say “This is what Baltimore is like. A little weird, a little beautiful, not too serious about itself, and pretty fun to visit.”
“Smile Hon” is available at super-cool Atomic Books (which deserves a post of its own), as well as some spots outside of Charm City. You can find out more at www.EightStonePress.com.
