Fulya Gursel

Fulya Gursel came to Baltimore 7 years ago, joining the man who is now her husband as he completed his studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and to earn her MBA at the University of Baltimore. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Fulya says she was a accustomed to a city life that was going 24/7.

"After Istanbul coming here was a shock. Istanbul is a 24 hour city. It's beautiful and historical. When I came here, my husband lived in the [Catonsville area] near Security Boulevard. I couldn't figure out why all of our friends lived outside Baltimore, even though they all came from big cities. They looked at Baltimore as not a safe place and somewhere to go just for the bars," she explains.

Eventually, she and her husband moved to first to Columbia, then Towson and finally Sykesville but between the commute to Baltimore and the need to drive to get to everything, Fulya and her husband made the decision to move to the city. During a visit, her parents asked if anyone else lived in her neighborhood, because they never saw anyone walking down the street.

"Everything closed early and you didn't have many options [about where to shop or go out to eat]. You don't deal with that kind of stuff in Istanbul. Everything is open late and there are always a lot of options. It's crowded," she explains.

Homing signal

Fulya moved to Federal Hill about 18 months ago. She and her husband chose the neighborhood in part because it was close to both their jobs and also because with a Lab, they needed somewhere with a park they could go with their dog.

"Baltimore, especially Federal Hill, I love it here. Everything is so close by, you don't need your car. It was between Canton and Federal Hill, but we just loved Federal Hill park. We're right across from the park right now. And with a Lab, we needed a big park to take her to," Fulya exclaims

Life in the city

The best part about living in Federal Hill, says Fulya, are all the options she has there. "Sometimes we feel like we don't need to go anywhere else outside of Federal Hill, especially at night."

"It has changed alot and now all of our friends are living in Baltimore. You get used to stuff and you have a lot of options that get better and better in the city," Fulya says.

When its time for a little shopping, Fulya heads to Whimsy, Babe and Cross Street Market. Going out to a fancy dinner takes her to Corks. "Corks is really nice and their food is amazing. There are always new restaurants popping up, but our favorite is Pub Dog. I think they brew their own beer and name it after dogs. They have pizza and salad. Their pizza is great and they bring everything in two glasses. You order a beer and you get two glasses. Order some water and it comes in two glasses. It's a nice place we go when we want something quick to eat."

All that and a bag of chips

For Fulya, what makes Federal Hill unique is its walkability and more of a neighborhood feeling. She likes the fact that she can walk over the Harbor or to either M&T Stadium or Camden Yards.

"Charles Village and Canton are walkable neighborhoods, but everything here feels much closer to each other to me. The library is close by. My dog's veterinarian is close by. Everything is in walking distance. And, it's historical. The view from Federal Hill park is also amazing."

Fulya and her husband have recently started looking for a house to buy in, of course, Federal Hill. "I don't ever want to move from here," she says.