I grew up in suburban Maryland, and school trips to Balitmore - to visit the National Aquarium and such - were frequent. We'd go to Orioles and Ravens games and walk 20 minutes from parking without incident. The first time I was ever "cut loose" to roam around without adult supervision was during a trip to the Inner Harbor in 8th grade, and then every year after that, in high school, we would get to spend a day there with visiting Japanese exchange students. There was also an annual anime convention that I'd attend with friends, and again, we'd roam around the area without trouble. It wasn't actually until college, when serialized prestige TV began to be a "thing" and The Wire started to bleed into the the broader cultural atmosphere, that I had any comprehension that Baltimore was supposed to be a dangerous place.

There is a razor sharp divide, even if it's not delineated by a train track.