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Picture courtesy of the Guardian, UK

Friday night Baltimore will once again find itself the center of a national tv audience's attention. Although this time, instead of grit, grime and crime, kitsch will play when Cafe Hon is showcased on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Even though the episode promises to be cringe-worthy (there's some doubt the show is in Cafe Hon's owner Denise Whiting's best interest) I'm looking forward to seeing how the show's producers portray the kitschy awesomeness that is Hampden and Cafe Hon.

Baltimore is a city of contradictions. From the bustle of the tourist friendly Inner Harbor, through the neighboring communities and surrounding suburbs to the crime laden streets The Wire showed the world, Charm City has a story to tell. In every nook and cranny neighborhood, Bmore unapologetically, without guile and with its own unique style, proudly lays itself out for people to see and explore.

Where else in the world could you find a city where neighborhoods play a football game every year to determine the owner of a waste treatment plant situated on their border? Perhaps in the same city that will host a Grand Prix in August? The same city that entertains Broadway shows, a thriving arts culture and nightlife alongside a hugely successful shipping and crabbing industry? Of course!

I truly love this city, and I hope you come along for the ride as I explore it and learn to love it as much as I do.