Annapolis Capital Punishment

CP is pleased to welcome Andrew Waldman as a guest columnist. Waldman commutes by bus to Washington where he writes for a National Guard publication:

I've been familiar with Annapolis for a long time. My girlfriend hails from this city, and I made many trips from my home in Ohio to see her. I didn't notice much about the city during those visits beyond what a tourist might see: colonial-era architecture, a quaint downtown, a beautiful statehouse and a lot of places to eat, drink and go boating. It was a nice little town that seemed like a welcome change from what I was used to in Ohio.

When I got a job in Washington a few months ago, it was an obvious choice to live in Annapolis. My girlfriend was here, and the size of the city was such that a small-town Ohioan could navigate easily and get used to it. For me, it was a definite upgrade -- at the most basic level, it had more than the two grocery stores and one movie theater I was used to, and it had all the things you think a capital city would have.

I am happy about this move. I've already met quite a few great people and I hope to continue to expand my social network and get involved in this community. People here are generally friendly, and the city has plenty to offer.

When I moved here, I didn't know anything about the city's economy, other than that property was way overpriced. But over the last few months I've become aware of several unsettling problems in Annapolis evident from even my still-uninformed view. There is an obviously growing gap between the very-rich and very-poor, a transit system that won't get you anywhere you want to go (like the airport after 5 p.m.), and traffic congestion so great it's confusing. It seems as if nearly every one of the 36,000 people in this town each have their own car--or more than one! Is that possible?

A few weeks ago, during an online news search, I found out about CP, and e-mailed Publisher Paul Foer, asking him what motivated him to write so much. I was intrigued that someone would make such a concerted effort on their own (outside of a newspaper newsroom) to cover local events and important topics. Through that conversation, he asked me to contribute to the blog. Paul was especially interested in hearing about my experience commuting by bus. As a former daily newspaper reporter, I jumped at the opportunity.

I plan to reflect on my observations about the things I'm noticing as a new resident -- maybe not every week, but as much as possible. Please feel free to send in your comments. A.W.


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