Baltimore Skyline

(photo credit, The Baltimore Sun ) Word on the street is that the Fells Point DuClaw is closing after tonight. I saw in Sam Sessa's blog earlier today, and that was confirmed by Elizabeth Large and BeerInBaltimore . I guess I am a little surprised, I did enjoy going out there when I lived in Fells Point. While the service wasn't the best, it was nice to have a few beers out on the porch in nice weather. It was off the street, and you have a nice view of the harbor. Apparently business wasn't so hot in the winter season, how I have no idea, but anyways they did. This complicated with lease disagreements has caused this location to close up shop. The other four locations in the burbs will not be affected. There aren't many brew pubs in the city, and it's a shame to see this one go. Ideally it would be nice if another one opened up in town. Now with DuClaw gone, and in this type of economy, we get to look forward to months and months of a large, empty space in...

Over the past few weeks the Traffic Division has been busily painting the new Bus Lanes on Pratt St. Starting on the 17th the city placed Variable Message Signs up alerting drivers that the lanes would go into effect on December 28th. Yesterday, being the 28th, I took a walk down to Pratt St after work during the evening rush to see how things were going with the new bus lanes. What I saw brought me to the conclusion that "bus lanes are only effective if properly enforced". I stopped along Pratt at Commerce for a few minutes and watched as about two dozen cars zoomed along the bus lanes as if nothing had ever changed. Apparently they were oblivious to the new solid white lines, Bus Lane pavement markers, and Bus/Bike/Right Turn only signs. I would have to say that some of the culprits were taxi drivers, but most were everyday drivers not paying attention. (Thankfully, the bikers were being smart and stayed in the protected bike lane on the inside of the orange barrier.) S...

Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas! Many Hopes to a Wonderful Day!   Baltimore Skyline will be returning to its regular posting after the long weekend with its usual vigor! There are only six days left in 2009, that's plenty of time to do a recap of the year and a look forward to Baltimore in 2010. Until then, enjoy the time off if you have it!    

Here are some photos I took while walking around downtown late this afternoon during the Blizzard. It was really quiet out on the streets other than the occasional car or snow plow passing by. Almost every store and restaurant was closed, even the 24-Hour Subway on Calvert, with a few exceptions. The Nest on Pratt was still open, so was the Cheesecake Factory at the Inner Harbor. I guess they figured they would get 100% of the hungry tourists. The Light Rail was still running during the peak of the storm, and there were some brave folks huddling at the Convention Center stop waiting for a northbound train. They told me they had been waiting for a little while, as no northbound trains had come. They were on their way back to Mount Washington, and eventually one came. There were a decent amount of people taking in the winter wonders. It isn’t frequent that you can be downtown on a Saturday and have the sidewalk to yourself, or even walk down the middle of the street! The snow pl...

Brace yourself folks, the white squall is upon us. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect with snow beginning after 10pm tonight, becoming heavy overnight, and continuing through tomorrow. The Weather Channel is calling for anywhere between 10 and 20 inches of the white stuff. Whatever the total snow fall will be one thing is for certain, Baltimore will be a mess tomorrow! We all know what happens here when it rains too hard, imagine with this much snow! I doubt the snow will be dumped in the harbor like the city did in 2003 blizzard, but anything is possible. Let me know how you fair out there this weekend. I'll be sure to be out with the camera tomorrow as the storm comes through. Here's to the first storm of this season!

(flickr photo, jayunsplanet ) As Christmas is fast approaching, Santa Claus is busily preparing his list of presents and goodies to give out on December 25th. Here at BaltimoreSkyline, I'm putting together my own Baltimore Christmas Wish List for all the gifts we would all like to have this year. Charm City Circulator - This one we might actually get this Christmas, thanks Santa! The Bus Only lanes are getting painted on Pratt Street with Lombard Street soon to follow. The lanes go into effect on December 28th, and the Orange Route of the CCC starts January 11th (the Green and Purple Route will be in the Spring). http://www.charmcitycirculator.com/ More Forward Movement on the Red Line - 2010 could be the big year for the Red Line. Advanced planning and engineering may start, and funding could be granted. The city has revamped their website, http://www.gobaltimoreredline.com/ already, and the MTA' site http://www.baltimoreredline.com/ will be shortly.   Charles Stree...

http://charmcitycirculator.com/ There you go folks. The full details of the charm city circulator. Route maps, stops, and schedules. Tentative opening for the Orange Route will be January 11th.

The city changed its mind today and decided only to close one station, Truck 16. Instead of closing all three, the city will add 4 companies to the rotating closure list.  Apparently, there was enough of an outcry from the public and the BCFD to encourage a compromise. Good work people.

A recent plan from City Hall would have three BCFD fire companies close after the New Year. Engine 14, Truck 15, and Truck 16 would be closed after January 1st if the city has its way. The firefighters from those companies would be assigned to other houses. This year, in an attempt to curb overtime costs, the BCFD has rotated closings where certain fire companies would be closed on certain days of the week. These three companies are currently a part of that rotation. Engine 14 is one of the oldest companies in the Baltimore Fire Service, having opened in 1888 at Hollins St. in West Baltimore. The station house is the original building, and according to the Baltimore Sun, is one of the oldest fire houses on the East Coast. With Engine 14 closing, the station house will remain for storage, which will most assuredly mean its deterioration. The company’s first response was on July 15, 1888, and after 121 years will make its last in 2010. The consequence of closed stations is reduced s...

(flickr photo, jacorbett70 ) Here is a picture I found on flickr of a MARC train crossing the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia that was taken on Sunday. What is a MARC train doing so far North? Just when you thought this was weird, guess where it started out from: I would like to know what this was all about.

I was riding the subway today and I saw that workers finally installed credit card readers on the Ticket Vending Machines at the Shot Tower/Market Place Station. They also replaced the stickers on the faregates that read "Charm Card" now. I did not see this at the Charles Center Station or Hopkins Hospital, and I rarely ride the line further past Lexington Market, so I have no idea if this has been added anywhere else. Has anyone seen these elsewhere? How come MTA hasn't made some announcement about this. I would have added this under "Press Release" worthy.

Recently the 13 new bi-level coaches that MARC aquired from VRE went into service on the Penn Line. This allowed MARC to remove all single-level coaches from the Penn Line, and replace then with full bi-level trains, increasing seat space. Apparently, this is not all great news. As Mike Dresser from the  Baltimore Sun explains, the new coaches are a little different from the bi-levels MARC riders are used to. New MARC cars have more seats, less comfort -- baltimoresun.com Posted using ShareThis

Are the Metro Subway Train Operators just getting lazy, or is there seriously a problem with the metro cars? The last few times I have taken the metro subway, I've noticed a few things. First the train operators neglect to change the desitnation signs on the cars. I've noticed several times, just this week, that trains leaving the Johns Hopkins Hospital station still have "Johns Hopkins Hospital" displayed on all the cars as it's heading toward Owings Mills. In addition, several times, operators have not turned on the Automated Station Announcement system. It's not helpful for people riding along when either no station stops are being announced or they hear "Next stop is Shot Tower/Market Place" as the train pulls into Charles Center. Now as a normal commuter we all know where we are going, and let's be honest the Metro Subway is one line, how could you possible get lost? That isn't the point though. What is important is proper protocal fo...

A brand-spankin new flamingo returns the facade of Cafe Hon in a victory for small business in Baltimore! A new, improved flamingo -- baltimoresun.com Posted using ShareThis

For many people affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, the Hopkins shuttle that connects the Homewood Campus with the Medical Campus. The convenience is great, the experience, sometimes, isn't as much. If any song fit this situation the best it would be U2's "With or Without You". In the few months that I have moved from Fells Point to Mt Vernon, I have relied on the Hopkins Shuttle almost daily to get back and forth from work. Unfortunately, so do many other students, faculty, and staff that utilize the line.   For those of you unfamiliar with the service, the shuttle runs North-South along Charles St and St. Paul Street turns at Mt Vernon and runs East-West along Monument St and Madison/Orelans Streets between the two campuses. Simple right? Tell that to the shuttle drivers. Sometimes you'll notice if you ride many days in a row, your shuttle might not go the same route twice. Some drivers diverge and continue down Madison Street, while oth...

Charm City Circulator could take until 2010 to start circulating - Baltimore Business Journal: This was from last week, but I literally just saw this. Seriously, this is getting really ridiculous. It wasn't in time for the summer tourist season, or the majority of the football season, now it's going to miss the winter tourist season, and 2009 all together. Production delays of the hybrid buses are pushing the Charm City Circulator till at the earliest January 2010. I know they say that the best things come to those who wait, but will this really be the best? I'm hoping it will be, but I would like to see it up-and-running, and not running late.

(image credit, wikipedia ) Game 1 of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies vs the New York Yankees begins tonight up in the Big Apple. The Evil Empire against the defending champion Fightin' Phils. I'm from Philadelphia, so I cannot hide my enthusiasm for this one. Let's go PHILLIES!

Here's a summary of some of the problems here this morning, late trains here, cancelled trains there. All kinds of messed up commutes this morning.  How did everything turn out? Camden Line: Northbound trains are experiencing 15-20 minute delays though the Muirkirk/Laurel area due to signal problems. Penn Line Update #6: Due to its severe delay, train 407 is cancelled and will depart from Baltimore as on time train 417 (8:10am), Southbound trains 513 (7:15 am) and 415 (7:40am) will operate on time making the normal stops. Northbound Express train 406 ( 7:21am) is cancelled the next northbound train will be train 408 (7:40am) Penn Line Update #5: Due to the severe overcrowding of train 509 it will discharge passengers only from BWI station and points south. The next southbound train will train 411 expected to depart Baltimore on time (7:00 am) , again with expectations of crowded conditions. Updates to follow. Penn Line Update #4: Train 407 will be delayed for an uncerta...

(photo credit The Baltimore Sun ) You have to give the Ravens a whole lot of credit, they fought their hardest to get even within a snowball's chance in hell of winning today's game. For the most part the Ravens just got out-Favred, but battled their way all the way to the end. Hauschka hooked it, that's all that can be said, tough break, but that's the way football is; nothing is certain in this game.

(flickr photo mddailyrecord11 ) My new favorite place has to be the revamped Hollywood Diner at 400 E. Saratoga Street.  It was reopened by Crema Coffee Company  which has two other locations at UB.  This adds a nice spot downtown close to City Hall which is a true welcome for those of us that live nearby. Sitting along Saratoga it sits on the way from the parking lots under the JFX and the City Hall buildings down Holliday Street. Though you won't find a true diner short-order menu, the new Hollywood Diner has a decent selection of sandwiches, soups, salads, bagels, and of course coffee. To tell you the truth, I've really only stopped in there in the mornings to get coffee, but there seems to be a decent following so far. Their hours are pretty standard, 7am-5pm Monday-Friday, with Sunday morning hours from 8am-12pm (only May-Dec) to catch the crowds going to and from the Baltimore Farmers Market (brilliant!). They even have hours from 9pm-2am on Fr...

Here's a good article from the Sun paper about the proposed renovation of Mt Vernon Mill No.1 into mixed use apartment/office space. This follows on the heals of Clipper Mill and other mill rehabs that have been done in the past couple years. The nice thing about these from a historical preservation standpoint is that it lets us connect back to the rich history of Baltimore. If these building were left to languish or were knocked down completely, we'd lose it. Historic mill project planned in Baltimore -- baltimoresun.com Posted using ShareThis

(photo credit, The Baltimore Sun ) With one last victory the Orioles are done for the season. One we would probably hope to forget, but there were many times that you entertained us, and we thank you! When you thumped the Yankees 10-5 on the first day of the season, and made C.C. Sabathia's Yankees debut a short one, we cheered! We had hoped it would have been much better after that, but unfortunately it wasn't your year. Sure it was a downer for most of the season after June, but you brought up a lot of young players and gave them their MLB debut. Thank you for bring up Matt Wieters, and Nolan Reimhold, and Brad Bergeson, young players we know will make a difference in the future with you. We also thank you for bringing back Baltimore to your jerseys, by returning it to its rightful place on your road jerseys. That made us feel good about ourselves when we watched you on the road either following you at the stadium, or on tv. I am sure the birds and ornithologists thank you f...

(image credit, The Baltimore Sun ) A season that couldn't get any worse is tetering on getting worse. With last night's loss the Orioles sit at 60-98, two losses shy of 100 on the season.  Last night was also the 13th straight loss for the Birds.  They will have to go at least 3-1 in their last four games to avoid hitting the 100-loss mark. What started off as a promosing season, has now turned into a demoralizing tale spin that can't wait to hit the end.

Today marks the name transition of one of Baltimore's institutions of higher education. Loyola College in Maryland, founded in 1852 by the Jesuits on Holliday Street in downtown Baltimore, officially changes its name to Loyola University Maryland . While the school has had university status for many years, last year Loyola decided that a change of designation was in order to reflect its growing identity. Over the past few weeks Loyola has been busy preparing its campus for the new name. Old signs have been brought down and replaced with shiny new ones. A grand convocation is also planned for today with two honorary degrees being awarded. Fireworks will cap off the night. Not everyone is fine and dandy with this new name. Over the past year many students, staff, and especially Loyola alumni have voiced their opinion in opposition to the designation change. Many feel that this isn't the best decision, while others feel it's a waste of money during tough economic times (a...

First it was "Coming This Summer" then it was "Coming Late Summer" now it's "Coming This Fall" The Charm City Circulator keeps getting pushed back due to, as the website states, "the global economic downturn and problems with the automated supply train" Maybe they wouldn't have had this problem if the city didn't ask for a last minute design change to the front of the bus that necessitated the windshields and front panels to be replaced. The hints should have been coming that the CCC was in fact not going to start any time soon, if you ever took a look around the proposed routes. All summer there were no signs, no dedicated lanes, no shelters, or anything going up that screamed "There's where the new circulator will be!". Instead all of these have just been recently added to along the first line along Lombard and Pratt streets. What does "Coming this Fall" mean anyway? It's clearly not by the Autumnal E...

The Baltimore City Paper awarded Michael Dresser's Baltimore Sun blog "Getting There" as the city's Best Newspaper Blog for 2009. Thanks for keeping us up-to-date on what's going down on the roads and rails in Baltimore! Best Newspaper Blog: Getting There | Baltimore City Paper Shared via AddThis

(flickr photo by Ash Crowe ) That last holiday of the summer, the one after Labor Day, the one that is really only a Maryland Holiday, and pretty much only celebrated in Baltimore, was a total wash this past weekend thanks to Mother Nature. What is usually a grand celebration of history and Baltimore with fireworks, food, picnics, and cannons was mostly turned into a subdued event due to the rain. Baltimore area school children were left with running between buildings on Friday morning during the Young Defenders program, to keep out of the steady light rain. The Living Flag program for them was cancelled. A gray Saturday morning turned into another afternoon of mistiness that left Fort McHenry with lower than anticipated attendance. The fireworks were as grand as usual Friday night, but the crowd seemed much smaller then in the past due to the unpredictable weather. The major change this year from previous was in the setting. The crowd gathered near the statue of Orpheus rather th...

Here are two responses from some good blogs on the webs about the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance's recommendation that the proposed Yellow Line, an extension of the current Central Light Rail south from BWI to Columbia and north from Penn Station to Towson, be moved ahead of the next scheduled project, the extension of the Metro Subway past Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Transport Politic - Baltimore to Advance Yellow Line Project Ahead of Metro Extension? Greater Greater Washington - Baltimore needs central transit, not Yellow Line extension I'm still formulating my own take on this, since I haven't had the change to fully dive into the plan, but from what I see of it so far, the extension of the current light rail past BWI to Columbia doesn't sound like the best idea at all. It doesn't make a quick trip to anywhere. I'll get back to you all on my full report in a later post. You can view the full report of the CMTA recommendation here: Central Maryla...

Your Baltimore Skyline is taking a little "last weekend of the unofficial summer vacation" to the New Jersey shore for Labor Day, so we'll see you in a few days. Wow did this summer fly by! It feels like only yesterday that we were celebrating Memorial Day drinking some cocktails, bbqing, and enjoying the nice weather in Baltimore, and now it's September. Where did you go summertime? Now it's time to transition into Fall. School's back in session, the Ravens will be rocking M&T Bank Stadium soon, and the Orioles won't be playing October baseball (ok, so the regular season goes into the first week of October this year, but you know what I mean). It will be Defenders Day in another weekend, and right before you know it, it will be time for the B'more Book Festival, Free Fall weekends, and somewhere there will be a brand spanking new Charm City Circulator. Anyways, enjoy the long weekend Baltimoreans, hope you don't sit on the Bay Bridge for too ...

http://www.baltimoreredline.com/ Check out the new Red Line video on the project website. It's a nice 3-d visualization of the line from Poppleton to Canton. Things I've noticed: - The Howard Street stop will have an entrance right at the Light Rail station. - The pedestrian connector at Charles Center to the metro subway will have a moving walkway. I am disappointed that they only have 1 station entrance planned here, and not an additional one on Redwood Street halfway along the pedestrian connector. - The light rail tunnel comes back to the surface at Hudson Street in Canton. I'd be interested to see how this plays out. Let me know what you think. It's September folks, enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Damn you economy! Damn you! Now you're taking restaurants away from me! This current recession has been hard on all aspects of the economy, but the restaurant business has been hit especially hard. Instead of heading out to eat dinner, many customers are cutting back; going out less, eating less when out, going to cheaper places, etc. In Baltimore we've lost a number of places that just couldn't weather the storm. Just today news that Babalu Grill and Blue Sea Grill in Powerplant would be closing. Last week, the popular Mt. Vernon spot the Brass Elephant shut its doors, potentially for good. It joins a list of other places that have closed recently: Ixia , Bicycle, Fin, The Spice Company, and a few others. If you don't want to see more of your favorite places turn their lights off and lock the doors for the last time, do them a favor and patronize these places. Now I'm not suggesting eating out everywhere, every night , but go out there and give them some busi...

(image credit, baltimore orioles ) Probably the greatest idea the Baltimore Orioles have ever done. In addition to $6 College Night Fridays and $8 Bargain Tuesdays, $1 tickets in September and October are an excellent promotion. Now the catch: These only counts for non-prime games, so no Yankees or Red Sox for a buck. There are also only 500 tickets per game for this price, so you need to be quick about it. Lastly, you can only get them online. You can't walk up to the Ticket Booth for these. Plus, there is a $.50 internet fee, so really it's the Buck-Fifty promotion, but that just doesn't sound as good. Only a few more home series: Yanks, Texas (just in case you couldn't tell by the uniforms the Rangers are from Texas), Rays, and BoSox. So go out and see the Rangers and Rays with the family or your friends, for a hell of a lot less. Make it a whole lot cheaper by getting your dogs and sodas out at the vendors on Conway Street or Paca Street. Now if only there was the ...

(image credit, www.mtamaryland.com ) Baltimore's smart card has a name, the CharmCard! Riders can sign up to participate in a 60-day field test of the CharmCard on the Metro Subway between October 1st and November 30th to test the new system. Eventually riders can use this on the Light Rail and the Bus in Baltimore, as well as the WMATA system in DC. This is a long time coming, but it is finally here! Riders will be able to load cash value onto the card or passes; day, weekly, monthly. Enabling for a smoother and quicker fare paying process. Having thought about this for a while, there are a few issues that I am wondering how the CharmCard will address. - How will this work on the Light Rail? There aren't fare gates at the stations, and the Light Rail works as a proof-of-payment system. Will the fare inspectors carry portable card readers? Maybe they could add card readers onto the trains so that CharmCard uses can tap-in and tap-out when they get on and off. - Will this event...

MTA Maryland is going to add a new QuickBus Route, the 48, to it's schedule starting this Fall. The Limited Service bus line, like the QB40, will make the trip between Towson and UMB a whole lot quicker. The service will run Monday-Saturday, with Evening and Sunday service covered by the No. 8 bus route. I'm wondering if MTA will improve signage along this corridor to make this line more visible. Many QB 40 stations have tall yellow kiosks denoting it as a QuickBus stop. Ideally these should be placed at all of the stops along the route, and on the new QB 48. Originally when planned, the QuickBus stops were all supposed to have Next Vehicle Arrival technology and monitors. These were added to stations back in 2006, but I've never seen them work. What ever happened to that? Any ideas out there? Anyways, here is a good article in the Sun from Michael Dresser. MTA to add Towson - UMAB express route -- baltimoresun .com Posted using ShareThis

Interesting apartment design for an empty lot at N. Howard and W. Madison Streets. Only a few blocks from Mt. Vernon Square and directly across the street from Maryland General Hospital. The smartest aspect of this project is the first floor office/retail space. This adds more to the that strong section of Howard Street, and a bonus for residents and hospital employees. The location places it right between the Centre St and and Cultural Center Light Rail stations, with a short walk to either. Baltimore preservation panel OKs apartment concept -- baltimoresun .com Posted using ShareThis

(photo credit, http://www.yournameyourride.com/ ) It's the summer now, some may even call this the "late summer". It is around this time that Baltimore is supposed to roll out the brand spanking new Charm City Circulator , but where is this free bus service. The one thing I've learned about Baltimore is that press releases, news updates, and service reminders come few and far between in this town. It's mid-August. We got the new name back in June, but no official route map, no official stops, nor schedule. I haven't seen any signs around the downtown area. I live down here now, I haven't seen anything. How do you expect anyone to use this services if it's not being advertised? There were rumors floating back earlier this summer that dedicated bus lanes were going to be painted on Lombard and Pratt Street for not only this service, but the MTA buses that use the same roads, but it doesn't look like that has happened yet. Seems like this thing will ...

The news from Gov. O'Malley is that Alternative 4-C is the right choice for the Red Line, and that will be the Locally Preferred Alternative that will go to the Federal Government for approval. This is a huge step for this project, and hopefully with approval, will move this along to construction by 2012. There were two big modifications to the project. One includes moving the portal down Boston Street, closer to the American Can Company. This should appease some of the detractors in Canton. The other is single tracking the Cooks Lane tunnel. I don't know how I feel about that second choice, but if it gets the Red Line built, and there is a promise that it will be double tracked then it is a good compromise. It will be a mile long single track, but the good news it the aren't any stations planned for that tunnel. I'm sure more news will come out later today, and in the next few days and weeks. we here at Baltimore Skyline will do our best to keep you posted!

Thanks to Michael Dresser for keeping us in the loop on the Red Line news. Tuesday is 'Red Line, Purple Line Day'

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last few days, but I'm in the process of moving, and haven't had the time to check in on the Baltimore scene. No worries, I'm not leaving the area, and Baltimore Skyline will continue, just from a new view. So long Fells Point, hello Downtown. I will be back up and running in the next few days with new highlights, news, and thoughts when I'm settled in my new digs. Until then, enjoy it out there Baltimore.

Chelsea vs AC Milan tonight at M&T Bank Stadium. See you at the bars! For your viewing enjoyment:

The bidding started at $750,000 with the city only planning on accepting bids of $1 million or higher. There was only one bid for $800,000, which the city refused, and so bought back the Senator for $810,000. Now who knows what will happen to it now!

Senator Theatre: Loyola might bid on Senator when theater goes to auction - baltimoresun .com Posted using ShareThis This isn't the first time a college has sought interest in managing an old movie house. Gettysburg College bought the 1925 movie theater just off the town square and renovated it between 2003 and 2004. It now functions as a space for performing arts, and still shows older movies, independent films, documentaries, and other features throughout the year. It no longer shows first-run movies though. Loyola College is looking to be a bidder for the Senator when it does go to auction. What the university plans to do with the Senator is yet to be seen, but if they take a page from Gettysburg College, there is a lot of potential. Loyola would be able to draw a wide variety of talent to a performance center like the Senator. It's close proximity to Belvedere Square, where Loyola has it's Clinical Center, would be another strengthening point of the York Road corri...

I've said this once, and I'll say it again. The MTA needs to consider building the Red Line in phases, instead of trying to build all 14 miles at once. If you build the West Baltimore to Bayview section first, and then the Woodbury to West Baltimore section second, this will save money, and the MTA will build what they want. It makes sense to do it this way, there is a planned maintenance facility near the West Baltimore Station, so a temporary turn around could be built there, and Bayview is the East terminus anyway. Hopefully someone from MTA actually reads this blog! MTA considers single track for part of Red Line - baltimoresun .com Posted using ShareThis

(image credit, artscape ) Artscape is here! The largest free arts festival in the US! Today through Sunday the are around UB, MICA, and Station North will be full of performances, visual arts displays, and a whole lot of family fun activities. That, and artsy people, lots and lots of them. This is the 28th year for Artscape, an event that regularly attracts 300,000+ people. Here are some things to expect: 1.) Crowded conditions if the weather is nice, which it surely will be. 2.) Street Closures 3.) Bands you've probably never heard of, but play some great music. 4.) Free concert at the BSO, 3pm Saturday. 5.) Arts and craft tents for the kids, so bring the little ones! 6.) Lots of people riding the Light Rail. It may get crowded, but it' seriously the only way to go. 7.) People with an eclectic sense of style and dress. Streetclosures: Monday, July 13 at 7am through Tuesday, July 21 at 4pm - Unit block of East & West Mt. Royal Avenue and 1100 – 1600 blocks of Mt. Royal A...

Interesting article from Gerald Neilly over at Baltimore Brew about how to reinvent downtown to make it work in the post modern world. Basically, the "walled in" Downtown, MLK to the West, Franklin-Mulberry to the North, and the JFX to the East act as barriers to the livibility and growth potential of the downtown. If these can be readjusted or in some cases, removed, majore strides can be made. I like the point he makes about don't just replicate suburbia in the urban area. Anyways it's a good read. Downtown doesn’t need to recover – it’s got to reincarnate. Posted using ShareThis

(image credit, lombardproject ) You have been forewarned! Don't blame me, I'm letting all of you know on this blog. If you don't read it, well that's your fault. Resurfacing and partial reconstruction of the downtown portions of Lombard Street begins today! My suggestion, don't drive down there for the foreseeable future! I wouldn't even recommend taking Fayette St to get across the CBD . The light sequence is even worse than Lombard, and it's a narrower street. Complicating things this week is ArtScape , which will be sure to snarl traffic in the MICA/ UB /Station North area of the city. Suggestions: Use the Metro, Light Rail, or Buses. Take the Fort McHenry Tunnel around the downtown area. Take Streets north of Lombard to get across the CBD. From the East, use Baltimore St. or Fayette St. to get to the JFX. (Lombard generally backs up into Little Italy on normal rush hours anyway) If you find a better way to get around, by all means, let us know, and ...

MTA Maryland adopts a no cell or texting policy for it's operators. This follows a similar press release by WMATA this morning. Though this comes in light of Sunday's accident, there is no word if an inattentive operator was at fault. Blog post from Michael Dresser at the Baltimore Sun. MTA falls in line with WMATA cell/text policy SUN EXCLUSIVE: The Maryland Transit Administration has adopted a zero-tolerance policy under which any bus, light rail or Metro subway operator found to have been using a cell phone or text-messaging device on the job will be fired even if its is a first offense. The MTA took the action about an hour after the Washington Metro system announced a similar change in which it scrapped a three-strikes-and-you’re-out policy and said it would fire violators outright. The decision by Administrator Paul J. Wiedefeld came just minutes after The Sun inquired about the MTA's policy in light of WMATA's announcement. MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene said the...

(flickr photo credit, Amber Rhea ) It's been over a day since two teens were found in the middle of the southbound tracks of the Light Rail near the Lutherville Station. One died yesterday, the other died today, but why does MTA Maryland not update its riders of the situation? Within minutes of the accident on the DC Metro, Metro's website had information regarding the situation, delays, and news updates. I would question the immediacy of a response with our counterparts. Why is it that every time I hear news from MTA Maryland, I get it from the Sun, or WBAL or WJZ or somebody else besides MTA Maryland? This incident is just another one of those non-stories from our Public Transit folks. No press release on the website, nothing. Press Releases are few and far between on mtamaryland.com, yet you can find almost daily news updates from transportation departments in other cities (MTA, MBTA, WMATA, SEPTA, etc). Why, then, do we get nothing? It's not to say that there isn't ...

1 Boy Dead, 1 Hurt After Light Rail Incident - WBAL Radio - wbal .com Shared via AddThis MTA Maryland is still trying to figure this one out. A northbound train Fare Inspector saw two bodies lying in the southbound tracks, Sunday afternoon, so the train stopped and medical personnel were called. Jawauna Greene, spokeswoman for MTA Maryland said an investigation is going on, but no train operator reported hitting anything. This is really odd.

I enjoy my walk to work. I really like not having to sit in traffic during rush-hour. Seriously, if you can walk to work, or anywhere basically, it is highly recommended. Sure it's not "heavy cardio", but it's exercise, and it's refreshing. Until, that is, I reach crosswalks. The intersections with lights or stop signs aren't bad in Baltimore. For the most part, I don't cross against the light, and only when there is a lot (and I stress a lot ) of room; I'm saying cannot see any cars a lot. The problem places are the crosswalks where there aren't any lights or stop signs at. These are the accidents waiting to happen. I can't tell you how many times I have stepped up to a crosswalk and looked down the street to see cars zooming my way with no intention to stop. Maybe I think it's just common courtesy for drivers to look and stop, is that asking a lot? Well guess what drivers, it's more than common courtesy, it's Maryland State Law! Y...

(image credit, The Baltimore Sun ) The country's first all-electric car sharing fleet debuted yesterday in our city! How about that? Altcar's Maya 300s can go 120 miles on a single charge and 10 are available starting today at the Maryland Science Center. These first cars are designed for city driving only. The cars are only capable of going up to 35 MPH, which will be fine for most of the city streets in Baltimore, unless you feel like you want to speed down Northern Parkway or Orleans St. According to their website, Altcar hopes to add more cars to its fleet including highway capable hybrids in the near future. In addition to more cars, other locations with more cars will be operational around the city too. If you want to check one of these little green eco cars the Maryland Science Center will be giving free rides with admission through July. Check it out, let us know how it works! www.altcar.org A questions still remains. The Baltimore City Parking Authority put out a RFP ...

Washington Metro train crash: 9 fatalities confirmed in D.C. Metro train crash - baltimoresun.com Posted using ShareThis

(image credit, wikipedia ) If you haven't lived in Baltimore for a long time, you might not realize how most drivers take to the colors of the traffic lights and their meanings. In most places, Red means STOP, Yellow means SLOW DOWN, and Green means GO. Hold it right there feller! Baltimore isn't the real world, if you didn't know. Here, every color means "GO"! Even after living here for as long as I have, I am still surprised at how brazen some drivers can be when it comes to traffic lights. Sure, you can sympathize with the going through the light on yellow. We all know how difficult (and sometimes unsafe) to come to a screeching halt while going the speed limit to stop when it turns red. Blowing throw the stone cold red light is another thing. What would be a simple trek across the street with the friendly white Walk Man in most places becomes a dangerously realistic version of George Costanza pushing the Frogger arcade across the street. The unwritten rule fo...

Honfest is Upon Us: b the paper gives us a highlight of this weekend's Honfest , with some favorite moments from past years. Brush off your Bawlmerese, and head up to Hampden this Saturday and Sunday. Bike Baltimore Newsletter: from Baltimore Spokes we get updates on new bike racks (and how to request them from the city) and recaps from some recent city biking events. Get a Jump on the Weekend: the Weekend Hit List from metromix baltimore gives you heads up on what's going on intown this weekend. Fixing the JFX: From Baltimore Brew, Gerald Neily tweeks the city's proposal on demolishing the lower end of the JFX. Congressman Pushing Stimulus Cash for Transit Operations: Elana Schor with DC Streetsblog talks about one Congressman's proposal to allow stimulus cash to be used for transit agencies for their operations costs.

(image credit, www.ci.baltimore.md.us ) the Charm City Circulator. The new name was revealed yesterday, along with one of the new buses, at City Hall. 18 of these buses, which are clean-energy hybrids, will be on the road later this summer. The free shuttle will operate on three routes around downtown. One will go between City Hall and Johns Hopkins Hospital, the second will go from UMB to Harbor East, and the third will go from Penn Station to Cross Street Market. For all of you that remember DASH, this is a huge improvement over that original service that died when the funding went dry a few years back. The Charm City Circulator will be funded through the increase in the downtown parking tax. The hope is this shuttle will be appealing to not only tourists, but commuters, students, and residents, who need to get around the downtown area. Now, Fells Point residents can easily get downtown, UMB students can get to the Harbor, commuters coming into Penn Station can access the Charles Str...

(image credit, the Baltimore Sun ) I was talking with the Park Rangers down at Fort McHenry recently about why there hasn't been any construction on the new Visitors Center yet. Work was supposed to begin by May 1st, but besides the Groundbreaking on April 27th, no other dirt has been moved. Turns out the National Park Service made a goof, and forgot to get a Floodplain Permit. Now in all fairness, this wasn't Fort McHenry's problem. Rather, all Park Service construction is taken care of by a central office in Denver (why there, who knows). Anyways, it looks like the Denver office neglected to request this permit, and apparently also forgot that Fort McHenry is on the water. This setback pushed construction off until at least August when the paperwork gets finished. Now, instead of the Visitors Center being opened in Fall 2010, it's looking more like Spring 2011. This is why you need cross all of your 'T's and dot all the 'I's before you send it your w...

Interchangeable MTA and Metro Smart Cards: Michael Dresser from the Baltimore Sun reports in his blog "Getting There" about MTA and WMATA reaching an agreement on their Smart Card Systems. 36 Reasons Why Streetcars are Better Than Buses: The Infrastructurist gives us a lot of good reasons for why streetcars beat out buses any day. More proof that the Charles Street Trolley is a good idea. Artscape is coming up next month: Baltimore Spokes reminds Baltimoreans ; if you're going to Artscape in July, ride your bike! Expanding the Harbor Promenade: Gerald Neily with Baltimore Brew explains why the Inner Harbor Promenade should be extended down to Fort McHenry . As always, he has Google Maps to help us visualize. Another First Thursday Concert Cancelled: This would make two cancellations on the year for First Thursdays. This time, as Sam Sessa blogs in "Midnight Sun" with the Baltimore Sun, it's the weather.

(photo credit, The Baltimore Sun ) Recently, there has been talk among city officials to reorient some of the most tricky Baltimore intersections, and replacing them with roundabouts. This seems like something one would see in DC, the counties, or New Jersey, but not Baltimore. For many of us in the city, the closest one we know if is the famed Towson Circle. Now, in all fairest, this example isn't the best when it comes to "properly designed traffic circles"; but generally speaking, this is the only one most people encounter, so you can understand the hesitance. I, for one, understand the core principles of a roundabout. Yield to the traffic already in the circle, then proceed, and most importantly remember to use your directionals. Not that difficult. However, I do see a potential drawback to the one proposed at the intersection of Light Street and Key Highway. I just can't visualize how this will be accomplished. First off, there are a lot of lanes there. Three com...

(image credit, wikipedia ) A news story in the Baltimore Sun mentioned that a 77 room boutique hotel will be going into the three top floors of Baltimore Penn Station sometime by late 2010. This will be the first major project in the Station North Redevelopment Plan. The upper offices of Penn Station have been vacant for a long time, and turning them into a hotel is a great idea. Penn Station is the center of what could be a great redevelopment for a gap that exists between Mt Vernon/ CBD and the JHU /Charles Village area of the city. Many commuters come in and out of Penn Station daily, and most make their way downtown to work, or they are heading out of town to jobs in D.C. There are those that work at UB or MICA, which while located close nearby, are really only so much. With the work going on along Oliver Street with the Fitzgerald and new Barnes and Noble, a hotel at Penn Station, and the eventual new UB Law School at the corner of Charles and Mt. Royal, things could be looki...