Baltimore reporter shooting then-and-now photos of 'The Wire' locations

About a year ago, John McCain grabbed the hand of Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and asked if things were any better in Baltimore "since "The Wire?"" Sadly, photos by Baltimore Sun crime reporter Justin Fenton reveal not much appears to have changed.

12 years ago, HBO premiered "The Wire," a Baltimore-based crime drama which has gone on to become one of the best television series ever made. To celebrate, HBO is airing a marathon of fully-remastered high-definition episodes for the first time.

Fenton decided to take the opportunity to trek around Baltimore and take photos at some of the series most famous locales, offering a then-and-now take. "In honor of this #TheWireMarathon, tell me a filming location you'd like to see present day, I'll take a pic on my lunch break," Fenton tweeted on Dec. 26.

Flooded with requests, the intrepid reporter set out on his lunch break to take photos.

Obviously, the first location Fenton picked was the Baltimore Sun newsroom:

Other stops have included The Pit, D'Angelo Barksdale's low rise hang-out:

The Eastside/Westside basketball game spot:

Hamsterdam:

Season one's opening scene:

Frank and Ziggy's longshoreman bar:

Marlo's spot:

One of Detectives Bunk's and McNulty's favorite drinking spots:

Speaking of Bunk, here he is in real life:

An important corner shop:

If you have any suggestions, send Fenton a tweet @justin_fenton.