A Quick Trip to DC!

One great thing about going to Hopkins is that we have access to two great cities, Baltimore and Washington, DC. While I've already talked about the many transportation options we have in Baltimore, I haven't talked about getting to DC which is just as easy as hopping on the next JHMI shuttle.

There are pretty hard to miss, they run every 5-15 minutes during peak times!

Getting to DC on the weekdays is really convenient, all you need to do is take the JHMI shuttle a few stops to Baltimore Penn Station. There, you can head over to a QuikTrak machine and buy a ticket for the MARC commuter train's Penn Line to DC's Union Station for $7 each way. This is a great deal cheaper than taking Amtrak. If you have a student advantage card, you can get an evern better discount! While the service only runs on weekdays for now, it's expected to operate on weekends starting this December.

Just yesterday, I hopped on a train to have some dinner with friends in DC. This year, I'm lucky enough to be on the national board for the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association. Being part of a national organization is really great because I get to meet people from all around that I otherwise wouldn't have, as well as extend my passions and skills to larger scale projects. A lot of fellow national board members either live in the area or are just here interning for the summer, so it was a good chance to catch up.

ITASA NB members and Pamela from Board of Directors!
(Photo credits: Jesse Chen)

After some dinner and a refreshing treat from Rita's, I hopped on a train back to Baltimore and made it back to my apartment in almost no time. So many cool places are just a stone's throw away from Homewood.

More info about MARC commuter train service: http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train

Getting Around Baltimore

Part of the Johns Hopkins experience is the chance to really explore Baltimore and branch out from the small Charles Village community. There are many ways to get around the city and today I'll talk about some of the most important ones that you can utilize.

JHMI/Peabody/Homewood Shuttle
The JHMI Shuttle is a big white bus (the one that says Johns Hopkins) that transports students between the East Baltimore Medical Campus, Peabody Institute, and the Homewood campus for free with Homewood's J-Card or the JHMI Badge. The full route takes 25 minutes from Homewood to East Baltimore and there's also express service at certain times.
Going Southbound, the JHMI Shuttle originates at the Interfaith Center, Barnes and Noble, and makes a few local stops before reaching Penn Station Baltimore. You can get off at Penn Station for other connecting services or stay on to get to Peabody/Mt. Vernon or the Medical Campus.
Going Northbound, the shuttle departs from the Med Campus at the same place as the drop off point and stops at Penn Station on the other side of Penn Station on Charles St. The closests stops to the Homewood campus are at Union Memorial Hospital (1 block from Barnes and Noble) and across the street from the Interfaith Center.

Find more info at http://parking.jhu.edu/
www.nextbus.com for estimated arrival times

It's pretty hard to miss, shuttles come close to every 5 or 10 minutes during rush hour.

Charm City Circulator
This is a free bus service provided for everyone in Baltimore. The circulator is how most Hopkins students get to the Inner Harbor. When you get off the JHMI shuttle at Penn Station, you can transfer onto the Circulator's Purple Route which brings you through Mt. Vernon and then Downtown/Inner Harbor. There are many routes that can bring you all over Baltimore. Circulator stops are located at the JHMI Campus, Little Italy, Harbor East, Fell's Point, Camden Yards, and many other places.

For complete info about services and destinations: http://www.charmcitycirculator.com/

The CCC has routes all over Downtown Baltimore and is sure to get you where you need to go! There's even a mobile app equipped with NextBus for time predictions.

MTA Buses
MTA operates the public bus service in the Baltimore region and is really inexpensive at $1.60 per ride. MTA buses take exact change payments, or you can just tap the MTA Charm Card or your WMATA Smartrip Card from DC. Both cards work in both cities which is really convenient for travelling between here and DC. One of the most common destinations that Hopkins students use MTA buses for is the Towson Town Center. This is a really large shopping mall in Baltimore County, about 4 stories tall. It's also close to other stores and restaurant in the Towson area. The closest stop to the Homewood Campus is at Union Memorial Hospital.

For more info: http://mta.maryland.gov/local-bus

Having a CharmCard is really great because it works alongside the Smartrip Card in Washington, DC as well.

Happy exploring and always remember to be safe when going off campus!