The public transportation in Baltimore is seriously lacking compared to other cities, so even without the accessibility issue, relying on that will be tough. I grew up outside DC and the metro is very convenient and accessible. Also, the museums are free and ADA compliant. DC is an hour away from Baltimore, but it might make a more convenient base for you, if that’s at all feasible

On the other hand, if you were to live in Hampden or Wyman Park, you’d be close to a lot of restaurants and shops and near the Homewood campus and might not really need to use public transportation that often. I see JHU shuttle bus stops everywhere around here. I lived in an apartment building near JHU called Hopkins House and it was a pretty nice experience. It’s a building from the 60s with elevators and each apartment has a balcony.

Charles Village is even closer to JHU but I lived in the southern part of CV for a year and the crime was more than I could take (and I’ve lived in a bunch of other cities). It may have improved since then.

Also have a look at the Rotunda—it’s a recently redeveloped shopping center not too far from JHU and seems like it’s very accessible. There’s an organic grocery store, some restaurants, a new movie theater is opening. I would think there’d be JHU shuttles there very often.

So to summarize: getting around Baltimore without a car is tough for everyone, but if you choose a neighborhood that you like, you may not need or want to go anywhere else all that often.