The Baltimore Holocaust Memorial

I visited the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial over the weekend. I got a little lost taking the light rail and jumped off when I saw East Baltimore Street. I knew to take East Baltimore Street to Gay Street where the memorial would be.

As I was walking on East Baltimore Street, I saw Larry Flint's Hustler Club. it didn't take long before I realized that I was in the red light district. "Hey guy, come inside and take a look," was yelled at me several times. I put my head down and walked fast, determined to get to the Holocaust memorial.

The memorial was the next block over from the red light district. It is not well kept. There is a monument with tortured body's curled up in a bronze of fire. There's a well-written plaque in the middle. The half-block memorial is filled wit railroad track covered by overgrown weeds. In the back stands a large wall with adorned by a Primo Levi quote written in big letters.

While I was walking through the memorial, a motorcycle rally was taking place a half-block away. I could hear the announcer's continual screaming over the public address system and the occasional engine rev. It turned out to be one of those things where the motorcyclists jump off ramps and do tricks. The place was filled with outcasts and bikini-topped women.

I left the block and walked to the harbor futilely trying to process what had just happened.