Geoff Brown was born outside Philadelphia, but grew up all over the nation, including rural Colorado, Atlanta, southern California, and northern Virginia. Finally, in 1988, he moved to Baltimore—the city he has called home ever since. Back then, the downtown and waterfront held only a few skyscrapers and developments (the most important of which was Harborplace), along with some well-preserved historic neighborhoods. More than two decades later, Charm City has transformed itself into a successful model of how to blend recent urban growth and preserve historic beauty. It’s a transformation that Geoff watched and chronicled firsthand, as he spent nearly eight years as an editor at Baltimore magazine, the nation's oldest city magazine.

Now a full-time freelance writer, Geoff lives in a sprawling, charmingly dilapidated, century-old Baltimore row house with his wife, expert proofreader and photographic advisor Stacey Mink. When their schedules permit, the pair enjoys taking quick trips—heading off to everything from an unpretentious West Virginia county fair to the romantic cobblestone streets of old Montreal.