| Several years ago, the C&C
Music Factory made a song entitled "Things that make you go, hmmm..."
While it's certain that they didn't have any interest in local oddities
in making the song, the title does seem to fit regarding a small number
of signs that are located about the Baltimore area, in that observing them
can really make one scratch their head or even laugh.
While the laughs one gets from the signs
are not nearly as uproarius as some humor books that show street signs
for "Horse Dung Road" or the like, they can still garner a chuckle from
those that know better. Here, then, is a sample of some of the head
scratchers seen about Baltimore.

While this sign that stands
right outside M&T Bank Stadium seems like nothing out of
the ordinary, it is actually an embarrasing mistake, as most locals should
know. While the I-83 sign is fine, the sign directing to Maryland
Route 40 is completely false, as the Route 40 it's directing to is U.S.
Route 40! It should be shown in a US Route shield instead of the
Maryland box. It still remains here years after its installation.
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Though both this etching
and the letters on the Baltimore Trust building opposite clearly mark this
small thorofare as WINE ALLEY, the city appears to be determined to claim
this as the sole stretch constituting SOUTH LOVEGROVE STREET. This
is even more interesting, as much larger streets such as Saint Paul Street,
Guilford Avenue, and even Holliday Street, mysteriously change names as
they cross Baltimore street, thus denying them of being divided into North
and South.
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Among the many finalists
in the City's "Most Puzzling Directional Sign Contest" is this completely
blank (er, faded rather) sign on Eastern Avenue at the entrance to I-95
South. One assumes the message is something to do about "NO STOPPING"
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If one takes the time to
really look at current maps, they'll find a couple of oddities such as
33 Ft Road, and 40 Ft Road among the offerings in the index. While
it would seem that these are copyright detectors laid out by the map companies
to see if other companies are copying their maps, there is indeed in fact
a 40 Ft Road, a short deadend street splintering off of West Rogers Avenue
near Mount Washington. It does however seem a good bit longer than
40 feet!
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