Mini-Parks within the City

In the Mt. Vernon area around the Washington Monument, Peabody Institute and the United Methodist Church, there are a series of parks that surround the Monument. In this area North Charles Street splits into 2 different lanes from Centre Street to Madison Avenue. These streets go around two parks and the Washington Monument in a circular pattern. Personally, I have always wanted to live in this area of the city, because of the beauty of well kept older buildings and cobblestone. I also love the fact that in the spring as you walk or drive down North Charles Street, when the Cherry Blossom trees are in full bloom you can see how great this city once was and how much pride they have in this beautiful area. Many people in this area are always taking advantage of the parks by either walking their dogs, resting on a bench, reading, eating at the café tables provided, relaxing on the lawn or listening to the students play music at the Peabody Institute.

This area should be thought of as an Open Space with in the city that keeps people coming back for more. Not only does it create a space for those who need green space for animals, but it creates a luxury for those who live near by to still enjoy green areas without having to tend to them themselves. I walk my dog 4 times in one park and occasionally bring my dog to the ‘dog park’ across the street from the Peabody Conservatory, where many of the other dog owners let their dogs off of the leash and mingle with others. This area is where many strangers meet with something in common. Even though many of us may not have personal things in common, one thing that ties us together is our dogs. Within this park I see dogs of all colors, shapes and sizes. My dog is a slender and very shy, Chihuahua and Poodle Mix. She seems to favor dogs that are not aggressive and announces that she is there by sniffing and sometimes even licking people’s legs as they walk by.

In these parks I see many Johns Hopkins students. Many of them live in the Waterloo Place apartments next to the Peabody Institute and take the John’s Hopkins shuttle to the Homewood Campus. A block away on Madison Avenue and St. Paul Street, is Red Emma’s, a book and coffee shop that houses many activist and social meetings. The Mt. Vernon park area is where many people of different backgrounds and ideas meet to enjoy the green open space. I’ve met homeless, Johns Hopkins students, Young Professionals, University of Baltimore Students, Activists, MICA students and dog owners in these parks. In a way it brings people together from different backgrounds because we all enjoy the are in which is not developed but always busy with activity, a place to call there own for only a few hours at a time with no obligation or commitment.