Amazon.com: The Wire: The Complete Series: Various: Movies & TV Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Save Big On Open-Box & Pre-owned: Buy "The Wire: The Complete Seriesâ from Amazon Warehouse Deals and save 65% off the $199.95 list price. Product is eligible for Amazon's 30-day returns policy and Prime or FREE Shipping. See all Open-Box & Pre-owned offers from Amazon Warehouse Deals. Editorial Reviews Product Description In the projects. On the docks. In City Hall. In the schools. In the media. The places and faces have changed, but the game remains the same. Review The Wire: The Complete First Season After one episode of The Wire you'll be hooked. After three, you'll be astonished by the precision of its storytelling. After viewing all 13 episodes of the HBO series' remarkable first season, you'll be cheering a bona-fide American masterpiece.

Series creator David Simon was a veteran crime reporter from The Baltimore Sun who cowrote the book that inspired TV's Homicide , and cowriter Ed Burns was a Baltimore cop, lending impeccable street-cred to an inner-city Baltimore saga (and companion piece to The Corner ) that Simon aptly describes as "a visual novel" and "a treatise on institutions and individuals" as opposed to a conventional good-vs.-evil police procedural. Owing a creative debt to the novels of Richard Price (especially Clockers), the series opens as maverick Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West, in a star-making role) is tapping into a vast network of drugs and death around southwest Baltimore's deteriorating housing projects. With a mandate to get results ASAP, a haphazard team is assembled to join McNulty's increasingly complex investigation, built upon countless hours of electronic surveillance. The show's split-perspective plotting is so richly layered, so breathtakingly authentic and based on finely drawn characters brought to life by a perfect ensemble cast, that it defies concise description.

Simon, Burns, and their cowriters control every intricate aspect of the unfolding epic; directors are top-drawer (including Clark Johnson, helmer of The Shield's finest episodes), but they are servants to the story, resulting in a TV series like no other: unpredictable, complicated, and demanding the viewer's rapt attention, The Wire is "an angry show" (in Simon's words) that refuses to comfort with easy answers to deep-rooted societal problems. Moral gray zones proliferate in a universe where ruthless killers have a logical code, and where the cops are just as ambiguous as their targets. That ambiguity extends to the ending as well; season 1 leaves several issues unresolved, leaving you begging for the even more impressive developments that await in season 2. --Jeff Shannon The Wire: The Complete Second Season It hardly seems possible, but The Wire's second season is even better than the first . The "visual novel" concept of this masterful HBO series is taken even further in a rich, labyrinthine plot revolving around the longshoremen of Baltimore's struggling cargo docks, where corruption, smuggling, and murder draw the attention of detective McNulty (Dominic West).

What follows is a series of events which at first seem unrelated (including 13 bodies found in a cargo container), and then the ongoing effort to topple the drug empire of "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba) and the imprisoned Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris), whose business is suffering from short supply, high demand, and disruption of distribution. The dutiful diligence of a Marine Police Patrol Officer and the moral outrage of the longshoremen's union leader are also factored into the suspicious goings-on at the loading docks, and what unfolds in these 12 episodes is an American crime epic easily on par with the Godfather saga. Yes, it's that good. Detailed synopsis is pointless; The Wire must be seen, heard, and absorbed to fully appreciate the way in which over 40 characters are flawlessly incorporated into a sprawling but tightly disciplined plot that deals, in the larger sense, with the deindustrialization of America and the struggle of longshoremen in a changing economical climate.

Offering a privileged and occasionally frightening glimpse of the inner workings of shipping ports and cargo transports, The Wire is also a detailed exposé of organized crime and blue-collar corruption, and an authentic, well-informed study of political maneuvering among police and city officials. There's not a single false note to be found in the cast, direction, or writing of this phenomenal series, hailed by many critics as "the best show on television." With all due respect to HBO's other excellent series, The Wire tops them all. --Jeff Shannon The Wire: The Complete Third Season With volatile issues of Baltimore city political reform as its narrative focus, the third season of The Wire superbly maintains the series' astonishingly consistent status as the greatest "novel for television" ever created. While the Baltimore police department's wire-tapping investigations continue to monitor the intricate and now legitimately fronted drug ring of Russell "Stringer" Bell (Idris Elba, smooth as ever), detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) continues his loutish ways, navigating through a series of shallow sexual conquests while doing some of the best cop-work of his career.

Stringer's ex-convict partner Avon Barksdale (Wood Harris) is back in the picture and bent on eliminating a drug-dealing competitor named Marlo (Jamie Hector), and Baltimore P.D. Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom) tries his own defiantly independent brand of street justice by essentially legalizing drugs in "Hamsterdam," where isolated sections of the city are established as open drug-dealing zones, utterly without the knowledge or approval of Colvin's superiors. As city councilman Tommy Carcetti (Aiden Gillen) plots his own ruthlessly ambitious strategy for the mayor's seat, Baltimore officials, McNulty's wire unit, and the entire Baltimore P.D. stand poised for the inevitable fallout from street-level and executive-level manipulations of power. Of course, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg, as The Wire continues its labyrinthine yet tightly controlled chronicle of over 50 characters, major and minor, who are all flawlessly woven into the fabric of these 12 remarkable episodes.

For season 3, series creator David Simon continued to recruit a top-drawer lineup of reputable writers (including novelists Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, and George Pelecanos) and directors (including Ernest Dickerson, Tim Van Patten, and Agnieszka Holland), and by the time a major character is killed in the season's penultimate episode (arguably the series' finest yet), it's clear that The Wire has earned its crown as the most ambitious and intelligent crime drama in the history of American television. DVD extras are excellent, as usual, including five illuminating episode commentaries (an absolute must for devoted fans of the series), a Q&A session with cast & crew moderated by renowned TV critic and author Ken Tucker, and a classroom conversation with Simon that delves deeper into the creative process of the series. Having deservedly earned its renewal for a fourth season (out of a projected five, according to Simon), The Wire delivers surprises aplenty (keep a close watch for startling revelations) while proving, yet again, that cable-TV is the place to be for anyone seeking respite from the relative mediocrity of mainstream network programming.

--Jeff Shannon The Wire: The Complete Fourth Season Even if you missed the first three seasons (the character guides and thorough episode recaps on HBO's website are recommended), and with only one season left, it's not too late to get in under The Wire. In fact, season 4 is an accessible introduction for those who know The Wire only by its street cred as arguably the very best show on television. For them especially, this season will be, as befitting its theme, a real education. Without resorting to melodramatics that other ratings-challenged series employ to gain that frustratingly elusive audience, The Wire shakes things up this season in a way that is true to the series and its characters. A major character, Dominic West's McNulty, plays a minor role as a contented street cop and family man, while a former supporting player, Jim True-Frost's Roland Pryzbylewski, goes to the head of the class as a new eighth grade teacher at beleaguered Edward Tilghman Middle School.

It may take a couple of episodes to orient yourself to the Baltimore backrooms, squad rooms, classrooms, and street corners where The Wire's intense dramas play out, and new viewers may miss something in character nuance, but they will easily grasp the big picture. A politically motivated shake-up sends Major Crimes detectives Freamon (Clarke Peters) and Greggs (Sonja Sohn) to Homicide. The gloves come off in the mayoral race between black incumbent Clarence Royce (Glynn Turman) and idealistic white challenger Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen). Gang leader Marlo (Jamie Hector) quietly and deliberately becomes the city's new drug kingpin, managing to subvert all surveillance efforts. Meanwhile, while "Prez" tries to reach his students, four highly at-risk kids will be drawn into the drug trade. Mere synopsis does not do The Wire justice. The series deftly juggles its myriad storylines and characters, all of whom make an impression, from Marlo's cold-blooded enforcers, Snoop (Felicia Pearson) and Chris (Gbenga Akinnagbe), to boxing instructor "Cutty" (Chad L.

Coleman), determined to keep his young charges off the corners. There is not a false note in the performances or the writing. Richard Price (Clockers) and Dennis Lehane (Mystic River) again contributed episodes. That this series has only been nominated for only one Emmy (for writing) is a travesty. As engrossing as the finest novels and in a class by itself, this isn't television; it's The Wire. --Donald Liebenson The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season A barroom toast to Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), a one-man good cop/bad cop, offered in The Wire's final episode could very well serve as this series' epitaph: "When you were good, you were the best we had." Season five bears witness to this. The 10 riveting, wrenching episodes focus on yet another beleaguered Baltimore institution, The Baltimore Sun daily newspaper, whose staff, much like the police, is forced to do more with less. One editor (Clark Johnson) struggles to maintain the paper's journalistic standards in the face of declining ad revenues, employee buyouts and bureau closures.

An ambitious reporter (Tom McCarthy) undermines him by taking a page out of the Stephen Glass/Jayson Blair playbook, manufacturing sensational quotes, and eventually, whole stories, while bean-counter management encourages its rising star and keeps its eye on the (Pulitzer) prize. Meanwhile, on the streets, the year-long investigation of rising drug lord Marlo Sansfield (Jamie Hector) and the 22 bodies found in "the vacants" has been discontinued and police morale is at an all-time low (the money promised to the department has been diverted to the schools). McNulty manufactures a serial killer case that will have far-reaching repercussions in the mayor's office, where Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen) is mounting a run for governor a mere two years into his term. "I wonder what it would be like to work at a real police station," McNulty rages at one point. The Wire, as ever, is all about real. It's a gritty and unflinching look at life in one of roughest districts of a "broke-ass city." There is street justice for some characters, and street injustice for others. Some meet sad, sudden, or shocking ends that defy TV convention.

Referring to Marlo, McNulty declares early on, "He does not get to win; we get to win." The hard-earned victories are mostly small, or come with a price. Not that The Wire does not offer glimmers of hope. Bubbles (Andre Royo) struggles to maintain his sobriety (Steve Earle portrays the leader of his 12-step program and also does the theme song honors this season), and the final episode features a cameo by Jim True-Frost as the once overwhelmed teacher, "Prez," who now seems to have the hang of the job. The ratings-strapped and criminally Emmy-snubbed The Wire has always been a critic's darling with a passionate fan base. To the show's credit, it did not make itself more accessible in its final season (consequently, its send-off did not receive near the fanfare of The Sopranos or Sex and the City). That should not dissuade newcomers to the show. It is heavy lifting, and if you're just joining The Wire, a visit to the show's official website for orientation is recommended. But buy it, watch it, and be patient. It's so worth it.

From the masterful storytelling to the peerless ensemble, it just doesn't get any better than The Wire. But that's not exactly news. --Donald Liebenson Special Features The Wire (TV Series 2002–2008) - IMDb IMDb 18 January 2017 5:37 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Baltimore drug scene, seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement. Creator: Carcetti maps out a damage-control scenario with the police brass in the wake of a startling revelation from Pearlman and Daniels. Their choice: clean up the mess...or hide the dirt. 9.3 In the Season Four finale, the bodies from the vacants pile up while Burrell offers his support to Daniels and admonishes Rawls for crossing him. A distraught Bubbles finds himself at his wit's end ... 9.3 The wire begins to yield information about the Barksdale organization. Stringer and Avon reminisce on how far they have come.

McNulty finds the way to a key piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place. ... 9.3 a list of 39 titles created 26 Mar 2012 a list of 30 titles created 04 Jun 2014 a list of 30 titles created 06 Jun 2015 a list of 29 titles created 02 Jan 2016 a list of 34 titles created 1 month ago Search for " The Wire " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: The Wire (2002–2008) 9.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 14 wins & 51 nominations. See more awards » Videos New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life. Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco An Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law, conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.

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It starts as mid-level drug dealer, D'Angelo Barksdale beats a murder rap. After a conversation with a judge, Det. James McNulty has been assigned to lead a joint homicide and narcotics team, in order to bring down drug kingpin Avon Barksdale. Avon Barksdale, accompanied by his right-hand man Stringer Bell, enforcer Wee-Bey and many lieutenants (including his own nephew, D'Angelo Barksdale), has to deal with law enforcement, informants in his own camp, and competition with a local rival, Omar, who's been robbing Barksdale's dealers and reselling the drugs. The supervisor of the investigation, Lt. Cedric Daniels, has to deal with his own problems, such as a corrupt bureaucracy, some of his detectives beating suspects, hard-headed but determined Det. McNulty, and a blackmailing deputy. The show depicts the lives of every part of the drug "food chain", from junkies to dealers, and from cops to politicians.

Written by Yuri Jermaine Crawford, Maestro Harrell, Tristan Wilds, and Julito McCullum in The Wire The Wire , which has just begun its fourth season on HBO, is surely the best TV show ever broadcast in America. This claim isn't based on my having seen all the possible rivals for the title, but on the premise that no other program has ever done anything remotely like what this one does, namely to portray the social, political, and economic life of an American city with the scope, observational precision, and moral vision of great literature. During its first year, it was possible to mistake The Wire for merely an unusually shrewd and vivid police drama. But the program has gotten richer and more ambitious with each season and now fits only into a category it defines by itself: the urban procedural. Its protagonist is the broken American city of Baltimore, depicted with obsessive verisimilitude and affectionate rage. Its fundamental concern is the isolation and degradation of the black underclass, a subject that has, with the exception of a blip after Hurricane Katrina, disappeared from the political radar screen.

If the national conscience is ready for another sleepless night about the waste of lives in the ghetto, I expect that The Wire will be what keeps us awake. Advertisement It's a mark of the program's artistic courage that while drug dealing, murder, and detective work remain its bread and butter, it dares to focus Season 4 on an urban environment not ordinarily associated with prime time: an all-black middle school in West Baltimore. The show's creator, producer, and chief writer, David Simon , has had the self-assuredness to drop the Hollywood convention of the white hero. This season, Officer McNulty , the charming rascal cop played by Dominic West, is sent to the sidelines, relegated to patrol work by his repeated defiance of mindless bureaucracy. In McNulty's place at the center of the drama are the compelling characters of four adolescent African-American boys, played by little-known actors so preternaturally talented they don't seem to be acting at all. Watching the show this season feels less like observing these four children navigate their cruel world than it does like adopting them in hour-long sessions. The story begins with the boys entering eighth grade. At 12 and 13, these kids still have a chance to escape the streets.

The central drama is whether "the game" of drug dealing will exert its gravitational pull on them or whether they will somehow beat the odds pointing them toward jail and violent death. The vain, troublemaking Namond, played by Julito McCullum, has a mother who wants him to follow in the footsteps of his drug-dealing father, imprisoned for multiple murders. The sweet, enterprising Randy , played by Maestro Harrell, lives with a caring foster mother who cannot protect him from the cruelties of the drug dealers or the child welfare system. Tough, mature Michael , played by Tristan Wilds, enmeshes himself with killers in order to protect his younger brother from his addicted mother's abusive boyfriend. The most affecting of all, Dukie , played by Jermaine Crawford, comes to school hungry and dirty and lives in a home so broken we are mostly left to imagine what goes on inside. Having previewed all 13 episodes, I won't give away what happens to them, except to say that as usual, the program reverses your expectations while breaking your heart. Jacob Weisberg Jacob Weisberg is chairman and editor-in-chief of The Slate Group and author of The Bush Tragedy . Follow him on Twitter .

Several critics have commented on The Wire's "literary" quality. In particular, The Wire has echoes of the Victorian social panorama of Charles Dickens (who gets a mention this season, as an obscene anatomical reference). The drama repeatedly cuts from the top of Baltimore's social structure to its bottom, from political fund-raisers in the white suburbs to the subterranean squat of a homeless junkie. As with Dickens, the excitement builds as the densely woven plot unfolds in addicting installments. The deeper connection to Dickens' London is the program's animating fury at the way a society robs children of their childhood. In our civilized age, we do not send 12-year-olds to work in blacking factories as the Victorians did. Today's David Copperfield is instead warehoused at a dysfunctional school until he's ready to sling drugs on the corner, where his odds of survival are even slimmer. The other major theme this season is politics. A white candidate for mayor ( Tommy Carcetti , played by Aiden Gillen) cynically tries to win the election by encouraging an African-American colleague on the City Council to run and split the black vote.

But the ambitious Carcetti is also an idealist frustrated by the waste of lives all around him. This plot line, along with another about the venal police brass trying to manipulate crime statistics, captures the realities of government and the compound motives of politicians in a telling and subtle way. This year, The Wire's political science is as brilliant as its sociology. It leaves The West Wing, and everything else television has tried to do on this subject, in the dust. Advertisement Before this season, The Wire won much love from critics but not much in the way of ratings. That may be less because the program leaves viewers drained and disturbed at the end of an episode than because of how hard it is to catch on to at first, thanks to the complexity of its multiple storylines and the number of characters. There is also the challenge of following the localized black dialect that the program tries to represent as faithfully as it does its other details. In the Baltimore ghetto, yo is both a salutation and the third-person singular pronoun; "feel me," means "listen to what I'm telling you"; and the ubiquitous use of bitch has mostly replaced the N-word.

The cops have their own language as well, in which a capable officer is "good police," bystanders caught in the crossfire are "taxpayers," and young boys up to no good are called "hoppers." The dialogue becomes easy enough to follow after a couple of episodes, but first-time viewers should switch on the closed-captioning feature for the first hour or two so as not to miss anything. While The Wire feels startlingly lifelike, it is not in fact a naturalistic depiction of ghetto life. That kind of realism better describes an earlier miniseries of Simon's, The Corner , which was based on the book of the same title that he and Ed Burns wrote, set in the same Baltimore ghetto. The six-part HBO version of The Corner is nearly unwatchable, because—however true to life—the extended depiction of shrieking crack whores and broken-down junkies 10 cents short of the price of a "loosie" is too much to take. But for Simon, The Corner seems to have been a crucial life study for The Wire, a program that attains the dimensions of tragedy without being depressing.

The Wire does this by painting with brighter colors on a wider canvas and by leavening its pain with humor. The brilliant writing and bravura cast also make viewers root for dozens of rich characters, including several completely despicable ones. Everyone's favorite survivors from earlier seasons are two truly Shakespearean figures who get a lot of play this year: the vagabond snitch Bubbles played by Andre Royo, and Omar , the gay stickup artist played by Michael K. Williams, a cold-blooded killer whose personal code involves not serving any masters other than himself and never cursing. What ultimately makes The Wire uplifting amid the heartbreak it conveys is its embodiment of a spirit that Barack Obama calls " the audacity of hope ." It is filled with characters who should quit but don't, not only the boys themselves but teachers, cops, ex-cops, and ex-cons who lose their hearts to them. This refusal to give up in the face of defeat is the reality of ghetto life as well. Feel me: It's what The Wire is all about.

The Wire - Show News, Reviews, Recaps and Photos - TV.com EDIT In chronicling a multi-generational family business dealing illegal drugs and the efforts of the Baltimore police to curb their trade, this series draws parallels between these organizations and the men and women on either side of the battle. The words of Gary W. Potter, Professor of Criminal Justice and Police Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, in writing about the savings and loan scandals of the 1980s, can also be used to illuminate some of the central premises of the show: "There is precious little difference between those people who society designates as respectable and law abiding and those people society castigates as hoodlums and thugs. The world of corporate finance and corporate capital is as criminogenic and probably more criminogenic than any poverty-wracked slum neighborhood. The distinctions drawn between business, politics, and organized crime are at best artificial and in reality irrelevant.

Rather than being dysfunctions, corporate crime, white-collar crime, organized crime, and political corruption are mainstays of American political-economic life." Tim Goodman, the television critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, summed the show up perfectly when he wrote: "This show is precisely the reason you pay for HBO." In New York's Newsday, Diane Werts says: "Most TV crime series aspire to John Grisham's level. 'The Wire' aspires to Dostoevsky's." Season Themes Season One centers around a family of drug dealers and the innerworkings of their empire. It also follows the detectives who are trying to catch the high members of the empire. Season Two steps away from the drug trade (while still mentioning characters from the previous season) to a case of dead prostitutes which turns into a look at the corruption surrounding the Port. Season Three investigates politics and finishes the main stories that were left open in season one. Season Four focuses on four middle school students and their journeys through the public school system and continues to address the politics of an inner-city and the issues of an election. Season Five is rumored to be about the media's role in Baltimore. Season Five will be the show's final season.

Theme Music In the Season One opening credits, the Blind Boys of Alabama did Tom Waits's "Way Down in the Hole". The Season Two opening credits feature Waits's version of the song. According to creator David Simon, "It was our way of saying: This is the same show (song) but this year, the tale itself (singer, tonality) will be different." The Neville Brothers's version of the song opens Season Three. The theme which plays over the end credits was composed by the show's music supervisor, Blake Leyh. International Airings Australia -- Monday at 12:00 p.m. on Ch.9. Currently airing Season 3. New Zealand -- Wednesday at 11:40 p.m. on TV2, beginning December 15, 2004. moreless By fish1413 Aug 16, 2013 Story By Kaitlin Thomas Oct 10, 2013 Story The Wire - Season 1 Reviews - Metacritic Starring: J.D.

Williams , Lance Reddick , John Doman Summary: In chronicling a multi-generational family business dealing illegal drugs and the efforts of the Baltimore police to curb their trade, this series draws parallels between these organizations and the men and women on either side of the battle.The words of Gary W. Potter, Professor of CriminalIn chronicling a multi-generational family business dealing illegal drugs and the efforts of the Baltimore police to curb their trade, this series draws parallels between these organizations and the men and women on either side of the battle.The words of Gary W. Potter, Professor of Criminal Justice and Police Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, in writing about the savings and loan scandals of the 1980s, can also be used to illuminate some of the central premises of the show:"There is precious little difference between those people who society designates as respectable and law abiding and those people society castigates as hoodlums and thugs. The world of corporate finance and corporate capital is as criminogenic and probably more criminogenic than any poverty-wracked slum neighborhood. The distinctions drawn between business, politics, and organized crime are at best artificial and in reality irrelevant.

Rather than being dysfunctions, corporate crime, white-collar crime, organized crime, and political corruption are mainstays of American political-economic life."Tim Goodman, the television critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, summed the show up perfectly when he wrote: "This show is precisely the reason you pay for HBO."In New York's Newsday, Diane Werts says: "Most TV crime series aspire to John Grisham's level. 'The Wire' aspires to Dostoevsky's."Season ThemesSeason One centers around a family of drug dealers and the innerworkings of their empire. It also follows the detectives who are trying to catch the high members of the empire. Season Two steps away from the drug trade (while still mentioning characters from the previous season) to a case of dead prostitutes which turns into a look at the corruption surrounding the Port. Season Three investigates politics and finishes the main stories that were left open in season one. Season Four focuses on four middle school students and their journeys through the public school system and continues to address the politics of an inner-city and the issues of an election. Season Five is rumored to be about the media's role in Baltimore.

Season Five will be the show's final season.Theme MusicIn the Season One opening credits, the Blind Boys of Alabama did Tom Waits's "Way Down in the Hole". The Season Two opening credits feature Waits's version of the song. According to creator David Simon, "It was our way of saying: This is the same show (song) but this year, the tale itself (singer, tonality) will be different." The Neville Brothers's version of the song opens Season Three. The theme which plays over the end credits was composed by the show's music supervisor, Blake Leyh. International AiringsAustralia -- Monday at 12:00 p.m. on Ch.9. Currently airing Season 3. New Zealand -- Wednesday at 11:40 p.m. on TV2, beginning December 15, 2004.… Expand Genre(s): Drama Season 1 premiere date: Jun 2, 2002 Episode Length: 60 Jun 14, 2013 100 It's loose and rambling; its dramatic climaxes don't coincide neatly with the conclusion of any given episode. Its dialogue, overseen by creator David Simon ...

is so good it often sounds improvised. One criticism of the show I've read is that it's repetitive (in showing the slow process of how the police bring down bad guys). But what those critics don't get is that those qualities are exactly what make 'The Wire' the funkiest cop show on TV. Apr 29, 2013 100 Spellbinding...The Wire is compelling in its complexity, heart-rending in its humanity, and surprising in the ways it finds to spin the conventions of cop drama. [31 May 2002, p.4] Apr 29, 2013 90 It's to the network's credit that it undertakes projects that aren't necessarily big crowd-pleasers but have a palpable artistic integrity and social significance. [1 June 2002, p.C01] Apr 29, 2013 80 The Wire is a cop drama from top to bottom. It does take a systemic view of the issue, like "Traffic," Steven Soderbergh's drug-trade saga. But it never sacrifices drama and character for lecture.

[31 May 2002, p.E14] Apr 29, 2013 80 Though it's extremely well done, The Wire lacks the signature HBO kick of discovering something brand new, that giddy feeling of freshness that immediately attached itself to "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under." With The Wire, there's a less-exciting echo: Same old, same old. Been there, done that. [31 May 2002] Jun 28, 2013 70 It slowly develops into an engrossing look at the methodical nature of police work and the limits of individualism. Apr 29, 2013 40 After watching five hours of preview tapes, I'm interested to see how The Wire turns out. But without characters to care for, much less root for, I'm not exactly burning with curiosity -- the way I am with most of HBO's other series...When it comes down to The Wire, this show falls short. Mixed: 0 out of 62 Negative: 0 out of 62 The Wire: A Streetview Tour | Welcome to Baltimore, Hon!

Welcome to Baltimore, Hon! View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map Shot on location during its five-year run on HBO, Baltimore was more than a backdrop and setting for The Wire. From its corners to its classrooms to the corridors of power, the city was the prism through which issues and themes were refracted. Here follows some of The Wire‘s more iconic locations. THE PIT View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map One of the major venues for the Barksdale crew were the Pit and the Tower, based on the McCollough Homes on the west side and other similar projects such as the Poe Homes and Lexington Terrace. Nearly all of Baltimore’s high-rise housing projects were demolished years ago. HAMSTERDAM View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map Baltimore never actually had “free zones” with open drug markets, as envisioned by Bunny Colvin. The filming location used for the first and largest of the free zones — known as Hamsterdam — was near Broadway and Gay streets. The homes in this area have been demolished and the blocks are now open space. This stretch of Lexington Avenue runs through what was supposedly Hamsterdam.

COLLINGTON SQUARE View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map This eastside park, with a commanding view overlooking the Johns Hopkins medical center and the waterfront in the distance, was the location of several meetings during the course of The Wire. The eastside-westside basketball game was played on the court here. LITTLE JOHNNIE’S View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map The dockside S. Clinton Street restaurant where Vonda and the Greek hung out. Marlo met them here a couple of times as well. Interestingly, the location of the Major Crimes Unit building is just down the street. CITY HALL View Larger Map Baltimore’s City Hall and War Memorial Plaza were a backdrop in several episodes. Facing the place, to your back, is the courthouse where Proposition Joe and Stringer Bell met in the rain — the same courthouse steps featured in Barry Levinson’s “…And Justice for All.” ORLANDO’S View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map Orlando’s strip club on South Broadway was the base of operations for Avon Barksdale’s crew during the first seasons of The Wire, until ambition got the better of Orlando.

As it was during filming, the location is actually a strip club — the Ritz Cabaret. Stringer Bell’s copy shop is just a few doors down at 510 S. Broadway. MAJOR CRIMES UNIT View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map From this small dockside building on a desolate stretch of South Clinton street, Lt. Daniels, Lester Freamon and other members of the major crimes unit played a never-ending game of cat and mouse with violent drug gangs, mobsters and corrupt public officials. POLICE HEADQUARTERS View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map This quintessential Bauhaus building designed by Mies van der Rohe, used as the location for the Baltimore City police headquarters, was part of the original Charles Center redevelopment project in the early 1960s. A news ticker runs along the building across Baltimore Street. MARLO’S COURT View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map The ambitious and ruthless Marlo Stanfield met in this secluded park near Chase and Bond Streets. Herc lost a surveillance camera here as well.

LANVALE & BARCLAY View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map Several locations were used as drug corners during the filming of The Wire. The intersection of Lanvale and Barclay was Bodie’s spot during the fourth season. THE RIM SOURCE View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map At the intersection of North and Gay, the Rim Source, with its windows distinctively outlined with blue neon lights, was one of Marlo’s meeting spots. JOHN’S RADIO & TV View The Wire: A Streetview Tour in a larger map Proposition Joe ran a repair shop at 301 S. Highland in Highlandtown, most recently a jewelry repair shop but presently vacant. The Wire Tour - Wikitravel The Wire Tour This article is a Movie/TV Tour . Overview map The Wire Tour is a grand tour of Baltimore , taking you past various important filming locations for the highly acclaimed HBO TV series, The Wire. It is a driving tour 54 miles long (87km) past 54 filming locations. It would take about three and a half hours without stopping at the sights, but to properly do the tour, you'll want to make stops for photos, food, and general gaping.

It's wise to plan for a full day. First, watch The Wire. The whole thing. Otherwise do not read beyond this section, as major spoilers follow! If you haven't watched it yet, many major news organizations and arts and entertainment journals have called it the greatest TV series of all time, on par with great literature. Entire classes devoted to studying the TV series are becoming common at top US universities. You won't likely regret watching the full five seasons. There's really only one thing you need to bring along (aside from a printout of the itinerary): a car with a full tank of gas. There is a surprising dearth of gas stations in the city, so fill up first! The only other thing you might find useful to bring is a camera to capture some of the more interesting surprises you'll find along the way. Get in[ edit ] The tour begins on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, heading north from I-395 off I-95. To get there from Downtown or the Inner Harbor , take any major road and head west, then turn right (north) onto the boulevard. If you want something to eat before you start, Lexington Market is just east of MLK Jr Blvd on the western edge of Downtown.

On the Paca St Entrance you'll find Faidley's (M-Sa 11AM-5PM), which serves magnificent crabcakes—the virtues of which are extolled by every food review, everyone in Baltimore, and of course McNulty, who brings some for a couple cops on a stakeout. They liked them too—"Faidley's? You all right, McNulty." They run about $18 each, so for a cheaper Bawlmer option, you could try a coddie, a $2 codcake sandwiched between saltines with mustard. Get around[ edit ] Bring your car. This is a driving itinerary, as there simply is no other realistic way to tour the various filming locations—Baltimore's system of public transport is lacking, and furthermore there are parts of this trip where it is safer and more comfortable to avoid traveling on foot, particularly in West and East Baltimore, as well as the eastern portion of the North Central section. Granted, chances are fairly slim that anything bad would happen to you, but if you are unfamiliar with the city and walking around snapping photos in areas that wouldn't dream of being a tourist destination, prepare to feel extremely visible, stared at, and uncomfortably out of place!

Portions of this tour are easily visited on foot, particularly those Downtown and by the Inner Harbor , but this will leave you picking and choosing among a select few of the filming locations, and you will not be able to complete the grand tour. This is a meandering and complicated itinerary through many of the city's lesser known streets. You'll have a much easier time if you bring a friend along, who can be your navigator and read the itinerary as you go! Eat[ edit ][ add listing ] There are lots of great places to eat filmed in The Wire, all of them dripping with local character and a real sense of place. Look for them in the following sections of the tour, and plan to finish on a full stomach! West[ edit ] West Baltimore is where it all begins, right on Lexington and Fulton Ave where Snot Boogie, the man of unfortunate name and unfortunate life laid dead in the street. While nearly the whole of the drug gang plot lines theoretically take place in West Baltimore, only the first season was extensively shot here. The directors found East Baltimore's relatively treeless streets much easier to film in, as they could film throughout at least three of the seasons without losing seasonal continuity.

To reach the series opening scene, head up MLK Jr Ave, turn left onto W Fayette St, then after going a ways, right on Fulton Ave and up two blocks to Lexington. The scene was filmed on Lexington on the block just to the left. As you drive through West Baltimore, keep a lookout for the famous horse cart fruit vendor (known locally as an Arabber) in good weather—he's very much real, and quite the living legend. Turn right on Lexington and turn right onto Mount St. Go about four blocks and look for the Viva House (44 S Mount St) soon after crossing Hollins St, where Bubbles cooked and served at the soup kitchen. Turn left on Lombard and left again onto Gilmor St to get back to Lexington St. You will pass by beautiful Union Square on the right, with the HL Mencken Fountain in the center. Mencken, the "Sage of Baltimore" lived at 1524 Hollins St at the north of the square for 67 years, and to this date, despite the surrounding urban decay, this remains one of West Baltimore's best kept, wealthiest, and safest neighborhoods. Turn right on Lexington to go back east towards MLK Jr Blvd.

Once you reach Amity St, look left—the second building on the right is the famous Poe House. In the show, a lost tourist asks a local kid where the Poe House is. The kid, being more familiar with the Poe Homes public housing project that bears Poe's name and is next to the historic site, responds, "uh, take your pick!" The Poe Homes were the site where state's witness William Gant, whose murder in the very first episode set The Wire in motion, worked as a maintenance man. Fortunately, you brought your Wikitravel map, so you won't have to reenact this silly scene. While closed for winter, the house of Edgar Allen is open for a small fee and tour from April to early December, Th-Sa noon-3:30PM. Just go up to the front door and knock. Street parking right on Lexington couldn't be easier. Continue east on Lexington and turn left onto Fremont. You are now in the thick of The Terraces, a mixed use public housing complex that replaced the once blighted and now demolished Lexington Terrace high rise public housing projects, which served as inspiration for Franklin Terrace, the high rises controlled by the Barksdale Organization.

Make a left on Saratoga St and then a right onto Arlington Ave. When you reach Lafayette Ave, turn right and look immediately on your right for the church where Bubbles attended AA Meetings. You can't miss the brightly painted red doors. Continue east on Lafayette, turn left on Fremont, after following Fremont for several blocks, turn right on Presstman St and then right down Pennsylvania Ave. While not a filming location, it's worth a short drive down this street to get a sense of history. This stretch of Pennsylvania Ave was once the heart of African-American culture and commerce in the city, but still has not quite recovered from the devastation of the 1968 riots following the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. In recent years, though, things have been slowly but surely improving. Turn left on Preston St to enter the McCulloh Homes, the low rise housing projects that served as location for much of the drug trade in Season One. It's hard to see from the street, but The Pit, where D'Angelo plied his product is just behind the fourth building on the right.

Turn left on McCulloh St to continue your tour through the McCulloh Homes and look left in the middle of the first block for the harmonica and dance statues of a boy and girl, featured several times throughout the series. Continue up McCulloh to Lanvale St and turn left. On the second block look right for Bethel Church, which was home to one of the prominent and politically powerful church groups throughout the series. At the end of the block turn right onto Division St, then turn right back onto Lafayette, then left back onto McCulloh. Right on the corner with Wilson St is Carlton C Douglas Funeral Services, which served as the West Baltimore headquarters for the Barksdale organization throughout the first three seasons. Time to turn around to get back to Lafayette—make a left on Wilson, a left on Druid Hill Ave, and then a left back onto Lafayette Ave. This will take you into the relatively small neighborhood of Bolton Hill , which while not featured on TV, is undoubtedly Baltimore's most beautiful old neighborhood and a great place for a little aimless drive. North Central[ edit ] At the north end of Bolton Hill is Mt Royal Ave. Turn right and head back east into Midtown until you reach Maryland Ave.

Turn right, then left on Chase St, and then left again onto N Charles St. This section of Charles St has as good a claim as any to being the hippest stretch of Baltimore, largely unknown to anyone but locals. Immediately on the left is the Brewer's Art, quite possibly the best spot for dinner and drinks in the city, and the swanky place where Marlo was seduced by Devonne. Mark this place down for a later point in your trip—it's a true local favorite and for good reason. Head north on Charles past Penn Station, where Herc made his abortive arrest of Marlo, and its giant Male/Female Statue. Once you reach North Ave, look right for Pearson's Florist, where Bodie headed into "the back room" to get his gangsta flower arrangement for D's funeral. Turn left on North Ave and then right into the parking lot of the distinctive North Avenue Motel, where Omar shot Brother Mouzone. Head back out to North Ave and make a U-turn to start heading back east.

This is a good time for a side trip: You're near another fine food establishment that, while not a filming location, was referred to several times in the first season as a favorite place among the gangsters for their delicious coddies, Sterling's Seafood (401 W 29th St). To get there, turn left off North Ave on to Charles St to 29th, turn left again, and drive eight blocks. Here it's time to hop out and get yourself some delicious food. The coddies may be an obvious choice, but there's a whole long list of seafood items worth your while. (To get back to North Ave, just turn left, then left again onto 28th, right on Maryland, and then left on North Ave.) Continue east on North Ave until you reach Guilford Ave and turn right. Look right down the alley for Bubbles' garage in the later seasons. Keep going and once you pass Lanvale, the Tilghman Middle School from Season Four will be on your right, now a Montessori school. Turn left on Federal St, then turn right on Greenmount Ave to get to the entrance of Greenmount Cemetery on your left.

This was the setting for many scenes in The Wire, some of the more memorable of which include D's funeral and the fateful meeting between Stringer and Colvin, where the former betrays Avon by giving up the safehouse location. It's certain to be open for cars M-Sa 9AM-4PM (other times are unreliable). Coming out of the cemetery, turn right up Greenmount, left back onto Federal St, and then right on Barclay St. The northeast corner of Barclay and Lanvale should be instantly recognizable as Bodie's Corner, where he ultimately met his end. Head straight back up to North Ave, and turn right and that's all for North Central! East[ edit ] Several blocks down at 1268 E North Ave on the left you will pass by a location of the oft-filmed New York Fried Chicken franchise. NYFC begs a bit of background. It started in New York, run by Afghan immigrants, under the name Kennedy Fried Chicken, looking to impersonate both the initials and the look of the giant Kentucky Fried Chicken chain. KFC objected to this, and has tried, rather unsuccessfully, to stamp out all instances of that name.

Owing to the Afghan connection, the franchise found itself in the early years of the 21st century investigated for terrorist connections, but fear not the chicken—the investigation was baseless and yielded nothing. Continue up to Caroline St and turn right. This area of East Baltimore , especially Bond St two blocks east, was the actual filming location for much of the whole show, including many locations supposedly in West Baltimore. After about ten blocks, turn left on Chase St, then left on Bond St. Look immediately on the right for Marlo's Hangout. Hop out of the car and into the square (Faith Ln) to take some pictures if you like, but bear in mind that this is a legitimately rough neighborhood. Continue way back up Bond to Lafayette Ave, and admire the familiar scenery along the way. Turn right at Lafayette and look left just before Bethel St for Hamsterdam, where Maj. Colvin legalized drugs! Turn right on Bethel Alley, and once past Federal St, look left into the alley at the end of the block. This was the location of the infamous Bodymore Murdaland graffiti. The city decided this was bad press and, alas, removed the graffiti. We'll see how long it takes for someone to put it back!

A left on Oliver St takes you to Broadway, turn right. In about ten blocks, you'll be in the thick of Johns Hopkins Hospital and its Medical School. Why is this relevant? Because this is where you get patched up if you catch a bullet! Turn left when you get to Orleans St, left on Washington St, then right onto Monument Ave. On the right just after Chester St is Northeastern Market, where McNulty had his kids shadow Stringer, then lost track of them... The market is less of a market and more of a Johns Hopkins Hospital crowd food court. There is far superior food coming up, though, at Chaps Pit Beef, so better to wait until you get there. Make a left onto Patterson Park Ave to reach Collington Square Park, where the big East-West Basketball Game went down. Continue north on Patterson Park Ave for two blocks. The Saveland Food Mart on the left was used in a particularly disturbing scene, where Marlo stole a lollipop in plain view of the security guard, just to show that he could. The guard went to talk to him outside, asking him why he had to do that, to put his job in jeopardy for no reason.

And for that act of bold honesty, Marlo later had him killed. Turn left here onto Federal St, and you will see a very distinctive and beautiful building just behind the Saveland—the recently renovated American Brewery Building. Just behind the building is an abandoned area where the school kids hung out and played throughout Season Four. Turn right onto Gay St to head northeast. Turn left back onto North Ave and look left for the building that formerly housed The Rim Source, Marlo's store. (The Rim Source has since relocated to the northeast of the city .) At the end of the block, turn left onto Patterson Park Ave. Far East[ edit ] Head way down Patterson Park Ave all the way past Patterson Park and turn left onto Eastern Ave. Look left for that crazy pagoda. At the end of the park, turn left onto Ellwood Ave. Just past Gough St, on the left a little ways into the park is the spot where Vondas would meet up with Prop Joe and later Marlo to discuss business. The benches face away from the street, but they had rotated them to face eastwards when filming. This is a nice time to hop out of the car and stretch your legs.

Afterwards, keep heading up Ellwood all the way to the Pulaski Hwy (US-40) and turn right to head to the far east of the city . Just past Conkling St on Pulaski is the Executive Inn, where the Co-op would meet up under Prop Joe's aegis to organize their now peaceful drug trade. You have got to be hungry by now, so it's time for some Chaps Pit Beef, which will be on Pulaski on the right shortly after the second overpass. If the interior looks familiar, it should, as there was a great little Baltimore scene at the main picnic table, where Wee-Bey piled the potent horseradish on his pit beef sandwich. His friends told him he was in for a world of hurt, but the ever tough Bey responded, "the trick is not to give a shit." Bad move—he cried from the pain! Chaps is generally considered to have Baltimore's best pit beef, a sort of local "barbecue" producing a very soft roast beef sandwich, which begs for onions and horseradish. It is properly ordered rare. There are plenty of other good dishes, though, so make sure to eat here!

Head back down Pulaski to Conkling St and turn left. Just past Eastern Ave, look on the right for the old Carcetti Campaign Headquarters, which proudly displayed the campaign signs long after David Simon's film crew had moved on. There's a Vaccaro's on the right, a famous local Italian pastry chainlet, which should make for a decadent dessert if you so choose. Head left down Eastern and you should see the area where Glekas ran stolen goods out of an electronics store for Ziggy and Nick off the docks. Also, this is where Ziggy ends up going berserk and a shooting rampage. Southeast[ edit ] Turn right on Haven St to head south into Southeast Baltimore . Once you get to O Donnell St, you'll see an overpass. Yes, this is the location where McNulty, drunk driving, to the tune of the Pogues' Transmetropolitan, somehow managed to crash his car twice in the same place. Do not reenact this scene. Turn around and then turn left on Dillon St (since you can't turn onto O Donnell here). Turn left on Conkling and go down to O Donnell.

Look just left and up for one of Baltimore's most famous icons, the neon Brewer's Hill Mr. Boh! If you wait a little at night, he'll wink at you (the frequency of the winks seems linked to consumption of the beverage). Anyway, turn right and keep going west through the split around Canton Square, a gentrifying area full of crowded bars. Near the end of the split, St Casimir's Church is on the left, where the police and the stevedores' über-Polish feud over the stained glass window began at the outset of Season Two. At the end of O Donnell St, turn left to go south and then left again onto Boston St. Turn right on Clinton St to head south along the harbor, into the territory of The Greek. Past Holabird Ave, start looking on the right for The Greek's Diner (Johnny's Restaurant). Just past it, you'll come to the so-called Port of Philadelphia (remember that all scenes were in fact filmed in Baltimore), a.k.a. the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, where Sergei (with Spiros' help) relieved a Turk ("Sailor" Sam) of head and feet.

This place has great spooky, abandoned atmosphere at night. The big Liberty Ship, the SS John W. Brown, is today actually a museum ship [1] , offering several living-history cruises throughout the year. Just before the end of the road, turn left onto a little side street to find the ramshackle Major Crimes Unit HQ, used starting at the beginning of Season Two. Get back onto Clinton St and turn left, then bear left onto Haven St, which will turn into Keith Ave. To the right is Seagirt Marine Terminal, a giant port where the Sobotkas and the stevedores union worked throughout Season Two. Good luck getting into the complex, though! South[ edit ] Time for a good 20 minute drive to South Baltimore . Backtrack back up Clinton St to Boston St and turn right towards I-95, and get on southbound towards the Fort McHenry Tunnel. This guide apologizes in advance for the toll and any potential tunnel traffic. Get off at I-395 and stay in the right lane. Turn right onto Conway St and then right again onto Light St. Look right for the Intercontinental Hotel, where the Greek narrowly evaded capture at the end of Season Two.

Turn left on Warren Ave to go to Federal Hill Park, a green space full of history both real and fictional from The Wire. If you can find a parking space, and that's a big if, this is another great place to get out of the car. The views from the top of the hill are probably the best in the city. Carcetti loved to take strolls around the place to get away from politics and clear his head. McNulty's strolls were less successful, as he fell down the hill drunk while failing to exercise his police authority by stopping some kids from vandalizing public property. (A slight detour to 1400 Jackson St at the corner of Clement and Jackson will put you at a house that served as the location for Delores' Bar frequented by the longshoremen.) Turn right down Riverside Ave, left on Cross St, and then right onto the Key Hwy. Follow the Key Hwy to Webster St and turn right, then left onto Fort Ave. Just before going over the Key Hwy again, turn right onto Ludlow St to reach the Wine Market. Part restaurant and part wine store, this is a great place for an upscale, but reasonably priced dinner.

Senator "sheeeeiiiit" Clay Davis and Stringer Bell agreed with this assessment, and met up for some lunch to discuss real estate. Go back up to Fort Ave and turn right to get into Locust Point, home to the Sobotkas. Turn left on the side street just past Andre St (Reynolds) to catch a glimpse of Nick Sobotka's house. Please do not disturb the residents. At the end of the street turn left on Clement and then immediately right on Andre St. Coming up on the right is the gigantic Grainery, which Nick remarked would soon be turned into upscale harbor-side condos to mark the end of blue collar Locust Point. And indeed, today it is condos. Now take a left on Beason St, a right on Hull St, and then a right on Nicholson St to get over to Fort McHenry. You can't quite get to the filming location, but the very southeast of the fort area is where Vondas wised up to the fact that his texts were being monitored by the police, and then flung his cell phone into the harbor. Central[ edit ] You're nearing the end of this long, grandiose tour of the city.

Go back to Fort Ave and turn left, heading all the way to Light St, and turn right. Past the Intercontinental, as you are getting into the Inner Harbor , look left for the Hyatt Regency, where Beadie stalked Vondas to room 520 on her reconnaissance mission. Light St will turn into Calvert St and take you into Downtown . Look right down Redwood—it's a one way street so you won't be able to turn right, but note that at the end of the block is the one-time location of Werner's Diner, a famous old Art Deco Downtown diner, and a recurring filming location to show the politicians meeting up to talk shop. (Good News. Werner's is back and better than ever. It was closed for a year then reopened. You will see it in many episodes of Netflix's House of Cards). Now turn right onto Baltimore St.

At the end of the first block on the right is The American (currently occupied by a 7-11, Edible Arrangements, and other boring businesses), the interior of which was used as Kavanagh's Irish Pub (the exterior shots of Kavanagh's were filmed at The Sidebar, a lawyer bar by day and punk bar by night, located at Lexington & Guilford. The aforementioned statement about The American is untrue, as the interior shots of Kavanagh's were also shot at the Sidebar), where the police would have wakes for slain officers Keep going straight, and between Commerce St and Gay St (really, those are the names of the streets by accident, not irony) is The Block, the infamously seedy one-block stretch of Baltimore St filled with nothing but strip clubs. Despite the look and the business, it's actually quite safe because, as you will see on the corner of the next block, the city put the real Police Headquarters right next to it. It's not clear that any scenes were shot right here, but rest assured that the spirit of The Block made its way into the series (Omar shot Savino in Season 5 after Savino left the block and turned north on N.Holiday Street).

Turn right onto the small one-way Frederick St and go one block to Water St. Just left is the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse that former Maj. Colvin takes Namond, Zenobia, and Darnell to as a prize for doing well in class. It doesn't go so well, as the students feel uncomfortable and have no idea how to act in this new environment. Turn right on Water St, and then right onto Gay St up to a left on Lexington St. On the right is the exceptionally famous Hollywood Diner (currently closed), known to The Wire fans as the diner where drunken McNulty could, um, "get anything he wants." But it is even more famous as the principal location for Barry Levinson's (a co-director for The Wire, no less) classic 1982 Baltimore movie, Diner. Take a left on Commerce St to find City Hall, used extensively on the show. Turn right on Fayette and go down all the way past Charles St to find the fictional location of the Police Headquarters on the right, which is in actuality an office building. One last stop!

Turn right on Park Ave, go up to Saratoga St, turn right, and follow it back to Calvert St and turn left again. After going under the US-40 overpass, you will see the Baltimore Sun Building, of Season Five fame, on the right. End[ edit ] Seagirt Marine Terminal Your grand tour is over! If you still haven't eaten dinner, remember the Brewer's Art from the North Central Portion of the tour? It would be hard to do better, although if you are in the mood for something else, there are a lot of good options right on Charles St nearby . Head north on Calvert past the Baltimore Sun building, then turn left on Madison St. You will turn right on Charles St, but first look left down Charles to see the beautiful Washington Monument square (this one pre-dates the big monolith in Washington, D.C. ). Anyway, turn right onto Charles and head north back to the Brewer's Art. Northwest[ edit ] Further out of the downtown area covered by the tour but still very much within the city limits is Reservoir Hill . Forming most of its northern border is Druid Lake.

At 901 Druid Park Lake Dr, at the corner of Linden Avenue, is the Riviera Apartments building, the site of Monk's residence and the exterior shooting location of the infamous Season 5 gunfight between Omar and his accomplice Donnie (played by Donnie Andrews who was the inspiration for the character of Omar Little) and the forces of Marlo Stanfield, namely Chris Partlow, Snoop Pearson, and their protégé, Michael Lee. The southeast corner of the building on Linden is where Omar made his spectacular leap from the balcony when his ammo ran dry and improbably disappeared from sight to the utter astonishment of his attackers. Please remember this is a private residential building-don't anger those who live there by trying to enter the building! Drink[ edit ][ add listing ] This tour purposefully ends in Central Baltimore. You've completed a tour around much of the city, including some of its more interesting and decidedly less visited neighborhoods. Pat yourself on the back and reward yourself with a drink by the Harbor, at the Brewer's Art, or in historic Fells Point ! A couple rounds at a Fells Point faux-Irish pub would be a classic McNulty-esque end to the day.

Just don't take a page from his drinking and driving handbook—not only is it immoral, but also rest assured that the police look hard for this type of thing in bar-heavy neighborhoods. If you do choose Fells Point, be sure to look for The Ritz, which was the filming location for Orlando's strip club, on Broadway just south of Eastern Ave. Respect[ edit ] This part is crucial. The hand-wringing associated with the terribly distasteful and offensive term "ghetto tourism" is a bit overwrought and contrived, but there are pitfalls to be aware of. This tour will take you through examples of some of the more impoverished and alienated urban communities in the United States, and if your purpose is to "gawk at poverty," you are here for the wrong reasons. These are real neighborhoods with a vibrant culture that the locals are proud of in spite of the obvious social problems, and as a sophisticated traveler you should accept them on their own terms. You should be here to reconnect with your favorite scenes from the TV series and to better appreciate that which is Baltimore. Note that it is highly inappropriate to photograph people without their express permission.

Stay safe[ edit ] Yes, you are touring some high crime areas, be smart about it. Behave as you should in any major American city. Be aware of your surroundings. Do not leave valuables in a parked car visible to any passerby. Be cautious about valuables on your person (purse, phone, camera). Travel in a group if possible. As noted above , walking on foot around the East and West Baltimore sections of the tour could be more risky. Yes, they are high violent-crime areas, but you are more likely to be offered drugs for sale or get hit by a car than become that kind of victim, and there are really great hospitals near all tour locations. Additionally, you may be more likely to become the victim of petty crime (like someone running off with your phone) in the less residential neighborhoods. A night time stroll in many locales would be ill-advised, but no one is likely to bother you beyond asking you what you're doing there or advising that it's not safe for you to visit. Unless, you are or look to be "in the game" people will probably leave you alone.

Question: The TV series The Wire was set in which US city?
Answer: Baltimore