If you think 20something preppies out of college are only hanging out at polo matches at their parents' country clubs, you are sadly mistaken.

As a product of the Baltimore private schools, the most popular place for post-graduation, return to Baltimore, first job with the local investment houses / Daddy's connections was .... Fells Point, Federal Hill and Canton. The ones who stayed in Baltimore for good bought their first houses down there for a few years before trading up into Homeland or Ruxton. The ones with a bit more money settled in Harbor East. Come on, where else did you think they lived? A garden apartment in Cockeysville?

You'll also find them going out to the same bars as the hoi polloi. They're just unto themselves.

Anonymous wrote:Nothing screams wealth and preppy like Canton and Fed Hill.

Give me a break, couldn't pay me enough to live there.

paleo- can you define prep for us? I know what it used to mean; what does it mean to you today?

Nothing screams wealth and preppy like Canton and Fed Hill.

Give me a break, couldn't pay me enough to live there.

Anonymous wrote:Baltimore is very preppy and more so than DC. It was a wealthy city in the 19th century and many families from those days still abound, along with their institutions. As for why they stay in Baltimore, it may shock some of you to be told that despite the dysfunctional nature of large parts of the city, Baltimore still has lovely areas as well as suburbs and the valleys to the north of the city. For the prep (and not so prep) families in North Baltimore it's the land of pleasant living.

As for where the young preppies hang out - mostly in the waterfront neighborhoods - Canton, Fells, Locust Point, Federal Hill. But it is an insular crowd based on tight high school friendships and lacrosse clubs. Breaking in is not easy if you don't come from the same crowd/background, don't play lacrosse or have friends who know them. There are other graduates of the Baltimore prep schools around who aren't lacrosse freaks and are more open but as with any friendships you need to have something in common and be proactive.

Paleo, good luck in college. St. John's will be an interesting experience for you. Just be who you are, don't chase after an elusive dream of preppiness that may not exist. It really is not worth it.

This is a good description of the Baltimore old money culture. You always could be like Martin O'Malley and marry into it.

Baltimore is very preppy and more so than DC. It was a wealthy city in the 19th century and many families from those days still abound, along with their institutions. As for why they stay in Baltimore, it may shock some of you to be told that despite the dysfunctional nature of large parts of the city, Baltimore still has lovely areas as well as suburbs and the valleys to the north of the city. For the prep (and not so prep) families in North Baltimore it's the land of pleasant living.

As for where the young preppies hang out - mostly in the waterfront neighborhoods - Canton, Fells, Locust Point, Federal Hill. But it is an insular crowd based on tight high school friendships and lacrosse clubs. Breaking in is not easy if you don't come from the same crowd/background, don't play lacrosse or have friends who know them. There are other graduates of the Baltimore prep schools around who aren't lacrosse freaks and are more open but as with any friendships you need to have something in common and be proactive.

Paleo, good luck in college. St. John's will be an interesting experience for you. Just be who you are, don't chase after an elusive dream of preppiness that may not exist. It really is not worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Think Hopkins Lacrosse. Boats, lacrosse and horses .
Gilman , Loyola Blakefield , st Pauls , Calvert Hall , Boys Latin, McDonough, St Mary's , Spauding, Severn, Friends, Bryn Mawr, Roland Park Country, Notre Dame, Mt St Joe, Archbishop Curley, Saint Francis, Glenelg Country Day.

Lacrosse , crabs, Sailing , Horses... Crabcakes and preppy, that's what Marylnd does.

What about UMD? Preppy at all?

Many of the fraternity guys at UMD are preppy.

Anonymous wrote:

PaleoConPrep wrote:I know it's not typical on the travel forum to ask about this area, but I'm headed to St. John's in Annapolis in the fall. I'll have eay access to Baltimore and DC. My weeks will be full of work, but I do want to explore the area on weekends. What are some preppy hangouts (shops, restaurants, etc) in Baltimore and DC? What's the preppiest mall in the area?

Off point here I know, but I think I recall your posts on the college forum, and I'm surprised you picked St. John's College. I think it is a wonderful school, by the way, but you seemed very focused on a degree from a college filled with preppy handbook types, that would eventually land you a job on Wall Street. Assuming you are the poster I'm thinking of, kudos to you for valuing academics over the other factors!

PaleoCon here
Yep, I'm the same poster. I picked St. John's because it's the best academic fit for me.( I want to get a PhD in Classics or European History after undergrad) it's got an excellent classical curriculum, uses the Socratic method for every class, and has a top notch faculty. I loved the intellectual feel of the place when I visited. I'd say people on here might have a dated view of the social scene St. John's. It's not exclusively nerdy anymore. I do love prepdom, but I'd call myself a preppy scholar. There are plenty of conservative scholarly types at the Annapolis campus of St. John's. When I visited, I saw plenty of nerds, but I also saw a good number of guys in coat & tie. St. John's also has a fairly popular sailing program. I'm sure that attracts some preps. St. John's (Annapolis) is now a mix of East Coast preps and hipsters. A freshman there told me that the campus is 1/3 conservative and 2/3 Liberal. The reason I asked this question is because I thought there might be some preppy hangouts in Baltimore/DC. NYC has Dorians. Is there not a similar place in Baltimore or DC?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Preppy and Baltimore don't exactly cross paths.

You clearly do not know Baltimore. Plenty of preppy old money, probably more so than in DC.

Omg, TONSof preppy in Baltimore.

Anonymous wrote:U.md has a place for prepsters . The best overall lacrosse program over the last decade. The Calvert Cross and Md flag is inherently preppy and a healthy Greek system. Nothing could be more preppy than women's lacrosse and U.Md is the dynasty.

The preppy Greeks hang out at Bentleys.

I love when the UMD booster starts posting The Lists.

Preppy hangouts are kind of exclusive and not super friendly. You kind of have to buy your way in and then conform. The Baltimore privates, Caves and Baltimore Ccs, Burning Tree , Chevy Chase, Columbia and Congressional Ccs, buying a sailboat in Annapolis, waterfront eastern shore , northern Md horse breeding farms , Holton, Visi , Mater Dei , Prep, etc..

The Eastern Shore is preppy.

U.md has a place for prepsters . The best overall lacrosse program over the last decade. The Calvert Cross and Md flag is inherently preppy and a healthy Greek system. Nothing could be more preppy than women's lacrosse and U.Md is the dynasty.

Anonymous wrote:
Think Hopkins Lacrosse. Boats, lacrosse and horses .
Gilman , Loyola Blakefield , st Pauls , Calvert Hall , Boys Latin, McDonough, St Mary's , Spauding, Severn, Friends, Bryn Mawr, Roland Park Country, Notre Dame, Mt St Joe, Archbishop Curley, Saint Francis, Glenelg Country Day.

Lacrosse , crabs, Sailing , Horses... Crabcakes and preppy, that's what Marylnd does.

What about UMD? Preppy at all?

Think Hopkins Lacrosse. Boats, lacrosse and horses .
Gilman , Loyola Blakefield , st Pauls , Calvert Hall , Boys Latin, McDonough, St Mary's , Spauding, Severn, Friends, Bryn Mawr, Roland Park Country, Notre Dame, Mt St Joe, Archbishop Curley, Saint Francis, Glenelg Country Day.

Lacrosse , crabs, Sailing , Horses... Crabcakes and preppy, that's what Marylnd does.