20 Questions with Devan Southerland

October 6, 2015 - From the Blog

Get to know our newest Live Baltimore team members with a good old fashion round of 20 Questions! This installment features Devan Southerland, Administrative Assistant.

1. How long have you lived in Baltimore City?

I’ve lived primarily in the city all of my life.

2. Which neighborhood do you currently live in?

McElderry Park

3. Are you a homeowner or a renter?

Renter

4. If you had to live in a different Baltimore neighborhood, which would you choose and why? (Pretend money is no object.)

I love the neighborhoods of Barclay, Charles Village, and Waverly.

5. Best thing to do in Baltimore City on a Saturday night…Go!

Find a seat at the Mount Royal Tavern and talk to the colorful patrons over a shot of Pikesville.

6. What is still on your Baltimore “to-do” list?

TONS! The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, The American Visionary Art Museum, The Creative Alliance. Also anything touristy that I have otherwise avoided because it’s my hometown—like Fort McHenry.

7. Who is your favorite Baltimore mascot: Mr. Boh, The Oriole Bird, Poe (the Raven), someone else?

Testudo! GO TERPS!

8. What one piece of advice would you give to someone moving to Baltimore from out of town?

Take a walk around the city and really explore it for yourself. Our city is amazing, varied and multi-layered. We aren’t just crab cakes, bro’s and the Inner Harbor.

9. Which Baltimore restaurant have you visited most?

Probably Mt. Vernon Stable. They have great burgers and those mobster seats down on the lower level are always a win for me.

10. What is your preferred mode of transportation?

I don’t have a car but if I had one, I’d probably still take MTA everywhere. Much of what I need is either in walking distance or a 15-minute bus ride away.

11. How many places have you personally seen John Waters out and about?

I’ve never seen him but I always feel like he’d pop up somewhere whenever I’m in Hampden.

12. Besides Live Baltimore, what other local nonprofits do you support?

The Helping Up Mission, The Men’s Center, The Kennedy Krieger Institute, The House of Ruth, and My Sister’s Place.

13. Pets? Kids? Roommates? Who shares your life in the city?

My son Liam keeps me on the move! Especially on Saturday mornings when he talks me into why we need to go to the Mondawmin Target “just to look” at their toy section.

14. What is your superpower?

Being able to escape Target without spending more than $25! That’s skill.

15. Which Baltimore celebrity (past or present) would you most like to have dinner with?

Devin Allen. His photos is amazing and I’m so proud of him! As an east-side amateur photographer, we could totally discuss an East Side Devan/West Side Devin photo series. See what I did there?

16. What is your favorite locally made product?

Greg Juice AND my Black Nerds Unite t-shirts from Oyin Handmade.

17. What is one thing you want the world to know about Baltimore?

We’re a big city with truly a small-town feel and contrary to popular belief, lots of Baltimoreans are in fact quite charming ;)

18. What is one thing you’d still like to learn about Baltimore?

I can’t name just one. This place is an enigma, wrapped in a box, wrapped in a puzzle. Luckily, I like puzzles.

19. What three words best describe your work personality?

Low-key Team Player

20. What excites you most about joining the Live Baltimore team?

Every day, I get to tell people how awesome it is to live in my hometown. One of the best ways to get a person talking is to ask them about something they’re passionate about. For me, I’m passionate about Baltimore City. I can tell you all day how awesome it is but I want to do my part every day to continue to make it great and thankfully we’re doing that at Live Baltimore, one family at a time.