Laugher of the Day

Baltimore is America's Fittest City. No joke, according to Men's Fitness magazine. Pardon me while I bust a gut. This is one more piece of terrible journalism in a year with plenty of examples to choose from.

Among [the criteria]: the amount of public park space, access to health care, air quality, the relatively small number of fast-food restaurants and the leadership of Mayor Martin O’Malley. Boulton says Baltimore has become safer, more prosperous and more conducive to fitness.

Granted, I haven't live in Bmore in three years, but it couldn't have improved that much during that period. I remember how enjoyable it was to run along the lake in Chicago during the summer, then returning to Bmore and being unable to run half as far in the city as I choked on factory fumes and hot air burning off the pavement. I remember defying a co-worker to find a patch of grass by looking out any window in our 35-story downtown building. I remember never going to the parks because of the all the trash, gangs, and rats that infested each. There are no running trails. There are no bike trails (I used to weave through traffic every morning on the way to the gym). Block by block, you're either in a good neighborhood or the ghetto. It's not easy to find a safe running route anywhere in the city.

Granted, they probably based their study on the entire city, limit to limit. There are some nice spots in the Northwest of the city. There are alse many spots that are the definition of "urban wasteland." There are treeless, pavement-only zones. My backyard my last year in the city, and this is typical downtown, was a slab of concrete. If you're living in downtown Bmore, there is no possible way this study is truthful.

On the other hand, this is some all-star reporting:

“I’ve been eating here for 21 years,” Smith said. “I walk around and think, ‘What’s the lesser of the evils?”’

While the city has seen significant reductions in violent crime, large sections remain plagued by poverty and drugs, and residents of less prosperous neighborhoods often have to depend on convenience stores and takeout food for sustenance.

“We don’t eat well at all,” said Tremonteria Morgan, a vegetarian. “We eat a lot of fried foods — fried chicken and soul food. For myself, I have to search high and low for a health food place. We have a lot of obesity here in our city.”