Getting Situated
Baltimore has a number of treasures. Some of the things that will make your life here much more affordable, fun, and interesting are below.
  • Trader Joe's Grocery. Life is good with Trader Joe's around. Buy fresh, cheap, interesting, and fun foods. Lots of frozen entrees for the grad student, and they're always made from fresh stuff! Take the free Colltown Shuttle to Trader Joe's if you don't have a car. It's right next to the Barnes and Noble. Get off the shuttle at the Towson Towne Center Mall stop.
  • Trinacria Macaroni Works. Amazingly cheap and fresh Italian food. Fresh pasta, $4 bottles of wine, coffee, pastries, and so much more. 406 Paca St. (Mt. Vernon), 410-685-7285.
  • The walking trail along the stream in the middle of campus. You'll just have to discover it for yourself.
  • Baltimore School of Massage. Massages at very reasonable rates, given by advanced massage students. $30 for one hour. 6401 Dogwood Rd., 410-944-3315

Books and School Supplies

If you want to avoid the crowds at the bookstore (they're awful), then we suggest ordering your books online through the GRO Endowment Textbook Store. Just get the list of necessary textbooks from your professor (or even from the bookstore!) and order online from your favorite bookstore. New and used books are available. You'll be supporting grad student causes.

You can visit the bookstore's website. The bookstore's physically located at the Northwest corner of 33rd St. and St. Paul.

Grad Student Social Life

Summer Sports
If you're arriving to JHU during the summer, many departments have summer sporting leagues. The GRO sponsors softball, volleyball, and soccer leagues. Ask around your department if you want to join, or contact the GRO Sports Coordinator at euge@jhu.edu.

Happy Hour
Year 'round (summers too!), the GRO hosts a weekly happy hour for grad students. Every Thursday, 6-8, at Levering Market Place. There's always FREE FOOD and cheap drinks for grad students.

Coffee Hour
During the school year, the GRO hosts a weekly coffee hour for grad students. The coffee, decaf, tea, cocoa, and snacks are FREE to all grads. Every Monday, 3-4, in E-Level (Levering Hall).

First Thursdays
On the first Thursday of every month (during the school year only), the GRO hosts a special "bonus" happy hour for grad students. Featuring either karaoke, open microphone, or trivia. $5 to enter, then the beer, wine, and food is FREE!

Religious Groups
JHU has ministries of outreach and support for members of many faiths, including (but not limited to) Baptist, Jewish, Lutheran, Buddhist, Muslim, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Catholic. Visit their website at www.jhu.edu/~chaplain for more information.

Campus Groups
There's a club or association on campus for pretty much everything--from a capella singing, to martial arts, to drag racing, to kayaking. And there are always GRO sports leagues. If you're interested in campus clubs, check out our list at www.jhu.edu/gro/clubs.html. If you're interested in sports, contact Eugenio at euge@jhu.edu. And if you're interested in starting a new club, the GRO is here to support you. Just ask!

Transportation in Baltimore

Parking
In order to be eligible for a campus parking permit, you must live at least 1 mile from campus. Despite all the construction, there is still parking available on campus. There are a few meters scattered around, but we recommend getting a parking permit. The cost is $52 per semester (and very likely to increase by August), and you can get your pass at the Parking Office in Shriver Hall 16 (basement). A map of parking lots is available here.

If you're not early enough to find a parking space on campus, there's a shuttle bus that will take you from the off-site parking lot to campus (you still need a parking permit). The off-site parking lot is located at Eastern High School on 33rd Street, and a shuttle departs every 30 minutes to and from the back of Shriver Hall. You can find a shuttle schedule here.

Escort Service
If you're ever nervous about walking alone on campus at night, JHU provides a free escort service. Simply call 410-516-8700 to request an escort. The escort will walk you anyplace on campus or up to two blocks away from campus. If you need to go further than two blocks, JHU provides a free van service for up to a mile from campus. Many students also use this van service to go to the grocery store (usually the Rotunda). For more information about JHU escort services, please visit http://www.jhu.edu/~security/services_escortvan.html.

Shuttles
JHU offers a number of free shuttles to students and employees. Use These to get to the Medical Campus, to Mount Vernon, to the train station, to Towson, and just around the campus area. From here you can link to the Homewood-JHMI Shuttle and the Eastern High School Shuttle. More schedule information about other JHU shuttles can be found online.

Because there are a number of colleges in Baltimore City, they've linked together to help students get around town. It's called the "Colltown Network." Go to the shopping mall in Towson, to other colleges, or to places in between. Colltown.org is a good website to check out for general info on college life in Baltimore.

Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA)
Baltimore has its share of public transportation. Buses go pretty much anyplace, and there's always the train station to get you out of town. A trip to DC takes about an hour by train, and costs about $9 round trip. Get a free ride to Pennsylvania Station (the train station) from the Homewood-JHMI Shuttle. And there's always the Baltimore Metro, but we've never known anyone to brave it. Find information on all these services at http://www.mtamaryland.com.

Student Deals

When looking for car insurance, be sure to check out Geico. If you tell them that you are a member of the National Organization of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS), you will receive a discount. The GRO is a member of NAGPS, and by proxy, so are you.