Finding the charm in charm city

From the Bel-Loc Diner to the Arbutus Poodle Salon to the now vacant Pikes Theater, each landmark included in this book has its own story to tell about the city of Baltimore and its people. Here are marble steps and rowhouses, car dealers and corner shops, murals, pubs, and warehouses.

Every subject is visible from the street, and May and Smith have arranged the work around fourteen of the city's most inviting corridors, from South Hanover Street and Ritchie Highway to Washington Boulevard and Wilkens Avenue; from Reisterstown, Falls, and York Roads to Eastern Avenue, Harford Road, and Belair Road.

Using the Polaroid image transfer technique, Huguette May individually printed more than 100 pictures that splendidly capture the variety of interesting building exteriors, design details, and quirky sights she found around Baltimore. This unusual process (fully explained in the book) creates color images of a special warmth and vitality, each as unique as its subject. Accompanying the photographs, Anthea Smith's descriptions blend human stories and historical details.