Screw culture. I'm going to sleep...

When I told my family a two years ago that I was moving to Resevoir Hill, in the heart of Baltimore, they thought I was nuts. I pointed out that it wasn't that bad a neighborhood, and it was near lots of culture - just up the street from the Lyric Opera House and Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. To which my brother pointed out "like you are going to go to the opera".

He was, of course, right. I always kind of feel out of place as someone who lives in the city but doesn't take advantage of the local culture or events or aspects of city living. I mean, aren't city residents supposed to sit outside small cafes all day and go to trendy bars all night? And take in all sorts of cultural events?

Not me. In fact, this weekend is ArtScape, which is just down the street from me. Did I go to this "celebration of the arts" last night? Nope. I ate some frozen chinese food from Trader Joe's, did a load of laundry, watched a couple eMule'd episodes of season 1 of "The Wire", and was in bed by 11pm.

I feel kind of bad about it, but at the same time I have neither an interest in the arts nor the free time to go. I really did need to do laundry, and I had to be at work 7:30am today, so I wouldn't want to stay out late (I've done it once or twice before, and working after 4 hours of sleep and a minor hangover isn't fun). Besides, I'm going to Hamfest this Sunday - doesn't that fulfill my cultural/festival duties for the year?

Besides, my reasons for living in the city have less to do with culture and more to do with the practical advantages. My apartment is fairly cheap, and does what I need it to do - give me a place to sleep and watch the occasional TV show, which is about all I have time to do anyway. It's also really close to work - like 10 minutes away - which is very nice. It's also right off 83, which is great for commuting to my Saturday job or running errands. So I don't have to go to Artscape or the Lyric to get my money's worth out of city life.