Hamilton here. Nothing about that post office makes it a gathering space for me.

I run into friends at out Farmer's Market though. That's a cool gathering space. Also Hamilton Tavern.

In your column you state that parks and playgrounds skew to the young demographically. I would put forth that post offices skew to the over 60 set demographically as the post office many times WAS the gathering place when they were growing up. The way business operates is changing and the post offices need to change wtih it. There are already businesses like Mail Boxes Etc. where you transact mailing and shipping (USPS, UPS, etc.) and postage stamps are sold via USPS online and at many grocery stores so the potential loss of a brick and morter post office shouldn't be as unexpected as those interviewed in this article make it seem.

I think you're right about the demographics, dacribbitt, though I did talk to several 20-something women who were dismayed about the idea of their post office closing -- mainly because it's so convenient to them.

The Postal Service's idea of "Village Post Offices" in grocery stores and other retail spots -- mentioned in the story -- is pretty interesting.

Interesting, yes, though several of the post offices closing are in retail locations - Townson Town Center and the Leisure World Financial Center to name two. Granted, malls are dying; it may be more logical to have "VPOs" in Walmart Supercenters, say.

The only reason a post office would be a gathering spot to me is that you spend so much time in line waiting for the one clerk to do everything... sigh...

I live in Patterson Park, and spent last night hanging out at Bistro Rx, our neighborhood restaurant in the building you wrote about, and it's totally working for us as our "spot". One of the things I think is really neat is that there are so many people coming in with children. Which means that families aren't leaving the neighborhood! They come in and eat in the early part of the evening, and the bar is more active later. There's a good balance, as it should be.

Jamie,

The 20-something women you spoke to must be unemployed. To someone who has a job with semi-standard business hours, post offices are one of the most IN-convenient places to get to.

I have had packages returned to sender because, without using vacation time to get out of work, I was unable to get to the post office in time to pick it up.

As far as neighborhood gathering places in my neighborhood...that'd be the bars.

Hee, TheBeav! Of the two 20-somethings I talked to, one is a stay-at-home mom and the other works at a university (presumably her summer hours are flexible). Post office hours definitely don't work with my schedule, except for on Saturdays.

We usually hang out at Jaime's place! You should see how much she can drink doing a kegstand.

Half a glass of wine is about my limit. I'm extremely boring at parties.

why doesn't the USPS open some branches inside local bars? that'd attract the young people.

In Bethesda, the post office is the gathering place for homeless people in the off hours. They are usually filthy and smelly. The police refuse to remove them.

Walmart of course!

I was wondering about the homeless and the USPS. Something I didn't know until a few months ago, is that if you move & don't have a specific mailing address or if you are homeless, you can have your mail sent to the local post office and w/ an id pick your mail. I'm not sure but I think it has to be a main post office & not an annex.
So if you move to Cali & are living in your car you can still get your mail. One of the few things available but no one knows about.

Booo that's probably why all those homeless are at the Post Office by you.

https://www.usps.com/manage/research-delivery-options.htm#3

From what ive seen, the focal point of most Baltimore neighborhoods is the bars. Canton was well on its way to being gentrified when the Can Company was being built. It was Canton [Oddonell] Square that drove gentrification in Canton. Gentrification spread from The Square outwards.The closer a house was,and still probably is, to the Square, the more it was worth

Fo r what its worth,Bistro RX at Baltimore and Linwood has done very well. It was always kind of sad to meet neighbors all the way down in Canton at bars.MR Mahaffy made a shrewd choice in opening up Bistro RX. The demographic moving into Highlandtown is the type of people that can afford to move to Canton.But want a lower price.So they are well off people with disposable income.Rather then house-poor people who own $700,000 houses , but cant afford to eat out.

I think that the previous two bars tried to seem to stuffy.Even the well of people in Baltimore, tend to like thier "high end" bars to be casual.Bistro RX is like many Baltimore bars, where a construction laborer like myself can eat and drink beside a doctor or lawyer. Its a place thats comfortable for everyone.