Baltimore Skyline

Exelon Chooses Harbor Point

2012-02-01T15:17:00.001-05:00

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-bz-exelon-hq-site-20120201,0,5161327.story

If all goes according to plan with the Constellation/Exelon merger, their new headquarters building will be constructed at Harbor Point, near Morgan Stanley's building. A major move like this looks to be a blow to the Central Business District, which was hoping to lure Exelon to build along Light Street or Pratt street. Instead this looks like another indication that the area east of the Inner Harbor is becoming the newer "downtown".

All should not be lost on the current downtown. This could serve as a major push for the Downtown Partnership's encouragement to turn some of the older stock office buildings into residential spaces. There will be other opportunities to develop some of the empty lots downtown (maybe some will become hotels, apartments, or other mixed-use buildings), but if we increase the residential population of the CBD then it won't seem so deserted anymore.

Well That Sucked

2012-01-22T19:01:00.001-05:00

A couple observations from the Ravens game.

The Ravens really played a great game, but fell in the end because of a dropped pass and a blown kick. We always like to blame it on the end of the game,but there were many missed opportunities and poor calls by our NFL refs.

For all those Patriots fans out there. You and Tom Brady didn't win the game, the Ravens blew it. You were outplayed on both sides of the football, and Tom Brady has no room to claim he lead the Patriots to victory. he was picked off, even though two were overturned on questionable flags, an the defense made him throw poorly. Like always he got lucky.

NFL officiating was poor...again. Inconsistency killed the Ravens chance to pull away with the lead. A receiver can be on the ground and catch the ball but when a player has both feet on the ground with the ball in the end zone and the ball is knocked out its incomplete because he didn't hold it long enough.

Bad spots and questionable penalties went against the Ravens, yet unsportsmanlike jabs and late out of bounds hits went uncalled.

Hold your heads up high Ravens, you played a good game. And you can walk away into the off season knowing that. Unfortunately the NFL doesn't reward that

Let's Go Ravens!

2012-01-22T16:51:00.001-05:00

The Purple and Black are in Foxborough to introduce the Patriots to Ball So Hard University. Let's go Ravens!

Poe Toaster No Show for Third Year in a Row

2012-01-19T09:19:00.003-05:00

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-poe-0118-20120118,0,3331884.story

Could this be the end of the tradition? Stretching back to the 1940s, a man dressed in black has left roses and a half-bottle of cognac on Poe's grave at Westminster Hall Burying Grounds (the original marked by a cenotaph at the back of the burial ground, not the current site up front) on the anniversary of his birth. This last happened in 2009, and since then no Poe Toaster.

There has been speculation over who the Toaster may have been, and it may have been that the man died. Seeing as the Toaster had been making rounds for 60 years, the original toaster passed along the tradition in 1998, and the second Toaster stopped after 2009.

So it looks like an old tradition has passed in Baltimore, but this is no reason to forget about our good friend Edgar. The Edgar Allen Poe House & Museum is at 203 Amity Street and Poe's Grave can be visited at Westminster Hall Burying Grounds from 8am until Dusk at Fayette and Greene Streets.

Monday Morning Review

2012-01-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

Everything is going Purple: If you haven't taken a look around town you should because it's getting Purple for the Ravens. Baltimore City Hall and the Battle Monument are lit up with Purple and many businesses have put purple filters on their lights to support the Purple & Black. The Ravens logo has been painted on both Federal Hill and War Memorial Plaza.

Heavy Seas Ale House is set to open up on February 15th in the Tack Factory on Bank Street. Only a few more weeks!

In other Brewing news, Charm City Brewing Company could begin brewing this spring at a site at 401 E. 30th Street just easy of JHU in Abell. The new brewery will be a co-op that will allow Baltimore-Washington Brew Works which makes The Raven, and Oliver Breweries which makes beer for The Pratt Street Alehouse expand their capacity and distribution.

Loyola basketball jumps to an 11-4 record while Towson sets the NCAA Division I record for most consecutive losses at 35.

Another construction crane: Work began a few weeks ago on a new parking garage on the JHH campus next to the almost finished housing tower. You can expect to see an addition tower crane go up this month for the new State Public Health Lab.

Moving Right Along: This is the name of a temporary art exhibit at Baltimore Penn Station. Sponsored by the Contemporary Museum and featuring work by MICA students and professors, the three visual art pieces bring some interesting life to the lobby and a vacant store front in the station. Don't be surprised if you see some interesting animations "walking" by.

Happy 2012 Baltimore

2012-01-01T08:12:00.002-05:00

It's January 1, 2012 and we begin a new year in the City of Baltimore. A lot happened back in 2011, and we look forward to what's in line for the upcoming year.

Sounds like last night's Inner Harbor celebration was a fine success. For the first time in a couple years, I was able to catch the fireworks from down near the Harbor (Harbor East to be specific). As much fun it is to watch them from a rooftop deck in Federal Hill, it's a site to catch them up close and personal. For as many people who went down to the Inner Harbor, so many more Baltimoreons watched from their stoops or stood out in the street to ring in the near year with bright flashes of light and the boom of fireworks explosions.

We look forward to spreading the word about goings on in Baltimore for the new year, and we hope you follow along and let us know what's up.

Weird Start to Winter

2011-12-22T22:22:00.002-05:00

The Winter Solstice was this morning (Midwinter and Yule are other names) when we have the longest night and the shortest day of the year, in other words the first day of the winter season. However, it really didn't feel like that today in Charm City. Rather it was mild. Today's high was somewhere in the low 60s, and instead of a potential White Christmas, it's grey and raining. Feels like spring more than anything else.

Honestly, it's tough getting in the Christmas spirit when the weather doesn't cooperate. Sure, it's rather rare that we would get snow at Christmas in Baltimore, but the colder weather still puts you in the right state of mind. This warm streak is just playing with us!

Christmas Shopping Downer

2011-12-19T21:56:00.000-05:00

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-md-co-towsontown-shooting-20111219,0,1535097.story

Yikes, such a terrible thing to happen up in Towson.

When Club One was the House of Welsh

2011-12-04T16:52:00.001-05:00

House of Welsh in 1943. Note the Guilford Elevated streetcar line.

At one time, what was 301 Guilford Avenue (at some point over time the address was switched to 300 E. Saratoga St) was called the House of Welsh a long time Baltimore steakhouse and restaurant. Originally opened in 1900 it occupied the corner buildings for 98 years. A 1998 article in The Baltimore Sun details the history of the House of Welsh on the eve of its closure. With the demolition of these three buildings yesterday marks the end of some of the oldest houses that stood near downtown. The houses were build in the 1830s, some of the only other houses of the same period were on St. Paul Street and were demolished to make way for the new Mercy Medical Center tower.

Inside these buildings make have taken place some of the more little known, but nonetheless interesting stories in Baltimore's history. In 1904, at the height of the Great Baltimore Fire, a telegraph line was hooked up inside the building so news reports and requests for firefighters could be sent, since the city's telegraph office had been destroyed by fire. Later on, it wasn't uncommon to see city council meetings going on in the upstairs dining room.
At one point the buildings were painted black, adorned with advertisements as can be seen by the pictures. Eventually, by the time the restaurant closed it was covered with the dull gray formstone that we were more familiar with.

House of Welsh in 1947, courtesy of The Baltimore Sun

These photos from the 1940s show a side of Baltimore that has faded away in many ways. With the demolition yesterday the last of these buildings are gone, the others in the background have long since been replaced with the massive parking lot. Unfortunately, this has happened all too often in our downtown; buildings knocked down for future development that does not materialize. While we cannot bring back the way these buildings used to look like, let's hope something that adds to the fabric of downtown actually gets built, so we aren't left with an addition to a surface parking lot.

More Club One Demo in Photos

2011-12-04T11:57:00.001-05:00

I was able to continue taking pictures throughout Saturday, December 3rd as what was left of Club One came crashing down. Turns out, I had an excellent vantage point.

Streetview of the demo

Crane gets ready for another wall smacking

Most of the building along Saratoga is gone.

Steel support structure now visible

Tearing off the roof

The pile of rubble on the sidewalk would get much deeper

A Swing, A Hit, and a Shower of Bricks

...And Gone

By the end of Saturday, only one broken wall remained

So Long Club One

2011-12-03T08:58:00.001-05:00

Club One at 300 E. Saratoga Street closed earlier this year after a long notorious life. Billed as Baltimore's "premier night spot" and "upscale club", it was the spot of at least one stabbing and one shooting (plus another incident of gunfire that did not result in any injuries) during it's time. Today brings the end of the actual building.

Work starts right before sunrise

Demolition claw gnawing at the roof.

More roof demolition

Tear down the back wall.

Bringing down the Saratoga Street entrance.

Second floor mostly crushed.

The club originally composed of three older formstoned rowhomes plus a small addition along Saratoga St. These three buildings represent the last remnants of the houses, buildings, and warehouses that lined the eastern side of Guilford Avenue along the Jones Falls and across from the Northern Central Railroad tracks whose remains are now underneath the elevated JFX. Until 1950, the Guilford Avenue Elevated brought streetcars right past these houses as they descended down to street level at the corner of Saratoga. As a last gasp of the onetime impressiveness of these houses, a lone wrought iron handrail and boot scraper are still attached to the long worn marble steps that lead to the street. In time these too while be gone to join the rest of what was on Guilford into the collective memory of Baltimore past.

Unseasonably warm

2011-11-29T16:55:00.001-05:00

It's late November, yet it feels as if it could be springtime in Baltimore. The added rain today makes it more like April than almost December. In any event, it is after Thanksgiving, so now all Christmas and winter season decorations are popping up across the city. Federal Hill looks now like a winter village (albeit sans snow), and lights are up along Pratt and Charles.

The main decorating event kicks off Thursday with the 40th annual lighting of the Washington Monument! Last year debuted new lights for the monument, which are brighter and can be seen more clearly from farther away. This year hopes to be as big an event as ever, so make sure you get out there for this unique Baltimore tradition.

Also an update for this year are the lights in Preston Gardens, our other downtown park. Sponsored by Mercy Medical Center, new LED lights hope to make the Christmas scenes in the gardens brighter. Unless cancelled by the rain the new lights get plugged in tonight.

Need we even mention the Miracle on 34th St lights in Hampden went on last week, so make sure to check those out too.

If we've missed anything or you want to highlight other city spots, let us know!

Another BaltimoreSkyline Food Review: Grilled Cheese & Co.

2011-11-22T13:06:00.001-05:00

Once again we've found ourselves doing a food review here on Baltimore Skyline.

Grilled Cheese & Co. just opened their new location on Light Street in Federal Hill on Friday afternoon. You might remember it as the old location of Dangeriously Delicious Pies, right around the corner from Cross Street, and along a prime walking route (especially for the late night post-bar crowd).

Walking in there is a small counter where orders can be taken or picked up. While you cannot order off their website, you can call in take out orders. The back of the place has about a dozen tables with plenty of room to snack out on grilled cheese, soup, and shoe string fries.

I tried GC&C on Sunday afternoon right right before the Ravens game. For this first time I ordered the BCT: bacon, cheese, and tomato. My wife decided on the same, but added a cup of the cream of tomato basil as an extra. Wait time was about 10 minutes, which was sufficient time to drive down from Federal Hill. Seeing it was a home Ravens game in Federal Hill and all parking in the area was residential only, paid, or get the hell out, I had to make a quick ~~slightly illegal~~ parking job. Luckily our order was ready and waiting. I had enough time to pay, poke around a bit, and head out before the DOT zeroed in on my ~~wife's~~ car.

While a place that only specializes in grilled cheese might not sound that too appealing, the folks at GC&C really prove you wrong. The sandwiches were much bigger than your mom's grilled cheese, and were delicious. In fact, the whole menu is pretty bold. You do have the standard which they call "The Original", but there is an option with crab dip, a cordon bleu, and veggie option to name a few. The soup selection is limited, but they are very tasty.

If you happen to stumble upon their website you will find their underground menu with even more tasty and unique grilled cheese concoctions.

Pricing: Sandwiches range between $4.99 and $7.99, and for what you get it's a pretty solid deal. Soups are $2.99 (small) or $4.99 (large) with salads between $4.99 and $6.49. Sides like shoe string fries and sweet potato fries are also fairly inexpensive.

Staff: Very friendly and accommodating to the first-time patron.

Location: 1036 Light Street in Federal Hill between Cross St. and Poultney St. (also in Catonsville, Sykesville, and the Ravens Walk at M&T Stadium).

Hours: 11am - 9pm Mon-Wed, 11am - 2:30am Thu-Sat, 11am - 8pm Sun

Contact: 410-244-6333, http://www.ilovegrilledcheese.com/, @GrilledCheeseCo

Return of the Cartoon Bird

2011-11-16T19:17:00.001-05:00

The cartoon bird returns for the 2012 Orioles! In a move that harkens back to the glory days of the orioles, the new uniform sports a remake of the cartoon bird that featured on the orioles hat from the 1960s to the 1980s. Along with the new cap logo, the O's home hat will now have a white face, in a new version of the hat that was made famous by Cal Ripken and others. The road hat will remain black and orange, but with the smilin' bird on the front. The road uniform has been tweaked to improve the "Baltimore" script, and the team introduced a new Orangle jersey for select home games to go along with the black jersey. All the uniforms will sport a commemorative patch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of OPACY.

As a huge uni-fan, I'm excited for the retro look. The best uniform move the Orioles made was returning "Baltimore" on the front of the away uniform where it belongs, just like Brooks Robinson wore it (except not in wool kersey). This is just the next best move. Here's to the O's in 2012!

For the full news check out the Orioles website.

Did You Vote Today?

2011-11-08T12:58:00.004-05:00

We hope you did! In light of the dismal voter turnout for the primary election, it should be a shock to the system. Baltimoreans needs to realize they need to do their civic duty. So let's hope you exercised your civic muscles and went to the polling places today!

Big Retail News for East Baltimore

2011-10-31T00:16:00.000-04:00

Lately there has been some big retail news to come to the expanding JHH campus in East Baltimore. It was reported earlier this summer that Teavolve would be opening up a second location in the new research building next to JHH, as well as a Cuban restaurant (Cuban Revolution). Now, the most recent news is that Milk&Honey Market will be opening a second location in the same research building on N. Wolfe Street and a Walgreens is expected to be in the ground floor of a new parking garage that will be constructed next to the new graduate student housing at 929 N Wolfe.

All of these reports were posted lately in the Baltimore Business Journal.

Back from Vacation

2011-10-24T20:30:00.000-04:00

There hasn't been a lot of posting as of late due to some much needed vacation. Having just returned to the United States there will be some good Baltimore Skyline posting coming your way.

In the meantime the Sun has gone to a paywall for it's online content, sheesh. Maybe enough readers will sign up that the Sun might actually have revenue that can go to hiring better writers and editors! Perhaps?

All Hail the Green Route

2011-10-10T16:16:00.003-04:00

http://www.charmcitycirculator.com/

The Green Route of the Charmulator is nearly here. It is scheduled to open on November 1st, the same day the Charmulator goes to winter hours. The much anticipated route for those people who want to get to Fells Point and Johns Hopkins Hospital is only a few short weeks away.

At times it felt that it would never arrive, but here it is. The cat was out of the bag not too long ago, if you noticed CCC buses running along Fallsway or Broadway. To the casual observer it was nothing, but for those of you who knew the route, or anything about running a bus system, those were test runs for drivers to get used to the new route, and get timings down.

The new map that is posted on the Charmulator's website, is a bit different from the original route. There is now a slight deviation down to Morgan Stanley's building at the end of Caroline Street. My guess is it's supposed to encourage people to get down there, but I wonder just how that might mess up the flow on the eastern segment of the route. However, I'd wager that the little side track won't last too long.

A big improvement is accessibility to Fells and JHH. I can see JHH employees ducking out to catch the Charmulator for lunch at Koopers (when the Chowhound isn't there) or students and staff who live in Fells using it to commute up to the medical campus.

Only time will tell when the first news of the route to Fort McHenry will be released.

A Tuesday in Baltimore (Photoessay)

2011-10-05T09:15:00.001-04:00

7:30am - Traffic moving along Saratoga St

7:50am - Walking down Fallsway to the JHH Shuttle. You can see how the Orleans St Viaduct could really use a paint job and new lighting.

8:07am - The JHH Dome

8:08am - Entering JHH

8:45am - Office View...sigh. Oh, look construction in East Baltimore!

12:00pm - Constant Construction at Hopkins

12:15pm - Lunch time on East Monument Street

12:18pm - GrrChe makes an appearance once a week at Wolfe and Monument

5:10pm - Skyline from Orleans St.

5:20pm - Light For All

5:25pm - End of the Day, traffic up Calvert St.

O's go down, but not without a fight

2011-09-27T23:53:00.000-04:00

The O's end up in the Loss column tonight, but can you real consider what the Red Sox did, winning? Sure at the end of the game they had 1 more run than the Orioles, but they nearly squandered a 4-run lead, were kept ahead solely on the long ball by 3 players, and they showed just how tired their pitching staff is. The Red Sox bullpen gave up four late game run, and did not put the Orioles away easily.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, Zack Britton in September is not the same as in April. Only going 4.1 innings he gave up almost all the runs the Red Sox needed to win. Jason Berken, another disappointment this season gave up 2 runs off 2 hits and he was done. The Sox capitalized much on the weakness of the early Orioles pitching, but after the 6th inning were only able to add two more hits in the game. Four of the runs came off of third string catcher Ryan Lavarnway. Not to say that hitting your first two home runs isn't huge after being called up in September, but the only reason he was playing tonight was because Saltalamaccia physically couldn't be behind the plate after getting a foul ball off the collarbone on Monday. And let's be serious for a minute, rookie pitcher vs. rookie hitter, any veteran pitcher would have sent Lavarnway straight back to the bench the way he hacked at the ball (he flew out twice tonight).

The good news is the Tampa Bay Rays won. The Rays have everything to win and nothing to lose, after going on a tear in September they remain tied with the Red Sox. On the other hand the Red Sox are in the midst of an epic fall. The Rays have beat the best team in the AL East twice this week while the Red Sox got embarrassed last night and barely won tonight against the worst team in the AL East. The Rays have been playing their hearts out while the Sox have been rearranging deck chairs on the sinking Titanic.

And so, it brings us to tomorrow's game. The Orioles have one last chance to end the season on a high note. As fans, we would love nothing more than to see the O's ruin the Red Sox season. It's not that we have this massive rivalry, we just like to see them lose. It's hard to be a fan when the Sox come into town like the Massachusetts Militia rallying to Concord. We can't even give our home team an advantage in our own ballpark, so sure we love it when you come down and we send you shipping back to Boston.

The Sox played with their backs against the wall the entire game, and will be playing the same way tomorrow. But they look exhausted after a 3:37 hour slugfest, and have to go back for one more game. The Orioles are looking forward to finishing game 162 and calling it a season, the Red Sox have at least one more game to fight it out, but if you ask me I'd say they look like Custer and the 7th Cavalry on Last Stand Hill.

Pack The Yard!

2011-09-27T09:06:00.000-04:00

The Orioles rallied to beat the Red Sox last night 6-3 after a spectacular inside-the-park homerun by Robert Andino, who is by far the most improved Oriole this season. The win drops the Red Sox to a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League Wild Card with two left to play. The announced crowd last night was 21,786, but from watching on tv and listening on the radio it sounded like there were WAY too many Red Sox fans in our Camden Yards.

Sure the Orioles have been eliminated from the postseason, and our record is less than stellar (68-90), but they've won 6 out of the last 9 games, and finish up the season at home against the Sox.

So start spreading the word in the Baltimore blosphere, go down to Camden Yards and get tickets for tonight and/or tomorrow. Let's pack Camden Yards with as much orange and black, so we can give our O's a real home field advantage these last two games. We can still remind the Red Sox that we're still a dangerous team, because right now their postseason fate is in the Orioles hands! This is Birdland, let's fill it. You know I'll be there!

Happy 100th Birthday Baltimore Pennsylvania Station

2011-09-14T16:07:00.003-04:00

Baltimore Penn Station in 1926, from Maryland Historical Society

On September 14, 1911, the first visitors were allowed into the brand new Baltimore Pennsylvania Station after a year-and-a-half long construction period. At 1:35am on September 15th the first trained pulled into the station.

The current Pennsylvania Station is actually the third to sit on the sight. The first, wooden structure, having served Baltimore between 1873 and 1886 and the second until 1910. The third station had many improvements over the previous two. The new station had an elevated concourse above the train tracks with stairways that went down to the platforms between the tracks. Previously, passengers had to cross the tracks at ground level, which could be dangerous. There were waiting rooms, lounges, baggage checking areas, a lunch counter, plus offices for the Pennsylvania Railroad on the upper floors.

At one point trains stopped at Penn Station that were travelling along the Pennsy's main line between Boston and Washington, D.C. as well as those that ran along the Northern Central Railway to Harrisburg. The Western Maryland Railway also served Penn Station until the late 1950s.

Today, Baltimore is still a busy passenger station for both Amtrak and MARC. Over 925,000 passengers went through Baltimore on Amtrak in 2010, making it the 8th busiest train station in the US. Roughly 2,600 MARC passengers board at Penn Station every weekday. Together about 150 trains pass through Penn Station every day in both directions.

Penn Station also serves as a major hub with the Midtown-Belvedere neighborhood to the south and Station North to its north. With MICA and the University of Baltimore adjacent to the west and south, there is a lot of activity during here. BoltBus makes its runs to and from New York and Newark, NJ at a stop on St. Paul Street while the Purple Route of the Charm City Circulator makes its northern loop around the station picking up visitors and residents on its way back downtown and into Federal Hill. The MTA runs its Penn-Camden shuttle from Penn Station as well, although this is an underutilized service with 30-minute headways, and could be drastically improved if light rail trains could service directly BWI (or made to serve the northern end of the line).

Although not as large, or famous as some of the other landmarks of the old Pennsylvania Railroad, our Penn Station still makes a large mark on Baltimore and is daily utilized by thousands of riders. There will be an exhibition of the station history through the next couple of weeks.

Baltimore Sun article

Primary Election Day

2011-09-13T11:55:00.003-04:00

Today is the Primary Election for the Mayoral and City Council races across the city of Baltimore. Since Democrats hold a nearly 9-to-1 advantage over Republicans in the city, the primary effectively is the general election.

Campaign fliers, posters, and TV ads have been out in force for the five Democratic candidates for Mayor. By far Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has shelled out the most for her campaign and is the perceived front-runner, but who knows.

Make sure you take the time today to go out and vote because who ever wins today will help to shape the future of Baltimore.

Hurricane Irene in Baltimore (Post #5)

2011-08-28T10:55:00.000-04:00

10:30am: Still getting some good wind and gusts from the NW. Walked around downtown earlier this morning and the wind is still whipping between the buildings. Rain is over but it's still overcast. Lots of pictures posted of down trees in the city, some good ones at the Baltimore Sun. A couple of big ones are down by the Homewood campus of JHU. A tree fell across the Falls Road on ramp to the JFX earlier this morning.

The metro is back up and running at least to Rogers Avenue. The Light Rail will be back up at noon, but you can probably expect delays due to the wind and debris. Good news is the Yankees and Orioles will be playing a doubleheader today, and while it's windy the weather is nice right now.

Downtown this morning, everything looks clear.

Irene casualty in Preston Gardens

Hurricane Irene in Baltimore (Post #4)

2011-08-28T07:53:00.000-04:00

7:30am (Sunday): Baltimore Skyline headquarters survived the night with no loss of power. The rain really picked up after 11pm and the wind began to give that telltale howl. The rain came down horizontally and at time it felt like the HQ was running through a carwash. The street signs and light poles were swaying and rattling and trash was blowing and flowing down the streets (although that last one is no different than any other rainy Baltimore day). There is a billboard that we can see from here, and the rain blowing into it was streaming around the sides like a waterfall.

The wind has now shifted to the NW as the storm passes by. Irene is heading toward NYC as we speak and the eye is now sitting off the Jersey coast. In Baltimore, we are now experiencing the back end of the hurricane, but the winds are still nasty. Weather.com is reporting 28MPH winds with gusts up to 40MPH in Baltimore. Irene dumped somewhere over 3 inches of rain on us, and knocked out power to over 60,000 residents in the city. WBAL is reporting downed trees around the city, but not too much flooding.

Hurricane Irene in Baltimore (Post #3)

2011-08-27T18:50:00.001-04:00

6:45pm: Wind and rain has picked up considerably. According to Weather.com there are 20 MPH winds and gusts up to 33 MPH in the Baltimore area. A heavy, steady rain is now falling downtown, but still a lot of people are out on the roads. Took the dog out not too long ago, and he did not like that at all. The eye of Irene is right along the NC/VA border moving to the NNE. WBAL is reporting just about an inch of rain has fallen in Baltimore, but the brunt of the storm is on the way and will continue overnight.

At Baltimore Skyline Headquarters we're stocked up for the storm. Cellphones are charged up, bottled water aplenty, and candles at the ready in case the power in downtown Baltimore goes out. There was cookie baking earlier, and as you can see by the picture below the beer supplies are plentiful. Keep dry out there!

Stocked fridge at Baltimore Skyline Headquarters

Hurricane Irene in Baltimore (Post #2)

2011-08-27T15:09:00.000-04:00

2:45pm: Three hours later and the rain and wind are more steady now. There was a period for a while where the rain stopped as a band passed by. Currently Irene is sitting north of the Outer Banks and by this evening will be right off the Virginia Capes, but its leading edge is soaking much of Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and now Maryland. The rain and wind is expected to get heavier as Irene approaches throughout the day. Irene will be getting closer to our area right when high tide is expected in the Upper Patapsco around 6pm. This could be bad news for the folks in Fells Point and other areas right along the Harbor.

Hurricane Irene in Baltimore (Post #1)

2011-08-27T12:30:00.000-04:00

11:45am: The first bands of rain started to come through Baltimore. Nothing more than a steady drizzle, but the skies looked ominous. The wind has picked up and there are frequent gusts. In downtown there is still a decent amount of traffic on the roads, but the smart folks have removed their cars from being parked on the street. There are still a lot of people walking around. The Charmulator is shutting down at 4pm, Light Rail at 6pm and Metro subway and bus at 9pm.

Dark clouds over N Charles Street

Windy in Preston Gardens

Obligatory Earthquake Post

2011-08-23T19:47:00.000-04:00

So that was odd huh? Sure earthquakes in the Mid-Atlantic aren't rare, but the ones we're used to are the hardly noticeable earthly tremors, but not today. Right before 2pm an earthquake centered near Richmond at a deep of nearly 4 miles hit the Richter scale at 5.8. The rippling effect was felt in Baltimore and as far north as New York and far south as South Carolina.

Sitting in my office today, I felt the odd sensation that the room was trembling like a truck was rolling down the street, although there was no truck. Then my office began to rattle, as I stood up I noticed the unnerving feeling of the ground under foot moving. Next thing I knew our whole building was out the door and into the streets on the Hopkins Medical Campus. Street signs were still waving for moments after the 15 seconds or so of earth quaking. It was nearly an hour before we were allowed back inside our offices, after who I can only assume was Johns Hopkins maintenance's crack Earthquake Squad checked out all of our buildings.

Having watched the news, there doesn't seem to be much damage, other than some buildings losing some bricks and roof ornamentation. Cornice work at a Fells Point church came crashing to the street, and some derelict buildings saw some partial collapse, but nothing worse.

Unfortunately MARC and Amtrak travel was haywire this afternoon with major delays, and even well after rush hour things have not returned to normal.

Now that we've survived the first noticeable earthquake in a long time, what next? Oh wait, Hurricane Irene seems to be bearing right towards us...great.

Construction Updates in Midtown

2011-08-16T08:50:00.000-04:00

UB School of Law is getting tall, and still has 4 more floors to go before it's topped off.

The new School of Law redefines the view toward Penn Station. From the south the station is almost completely blocked from view, but the approach no longer looks barren.

Lyric additions coming along nicely, performances that will utilize the new space have already been set for the new season at the Lyric.

The Varsity, UB's new apartment tower is growing fast

The 11-story building will be hard to miss surrounded by 3.5 story townhouses.

The Water is Back On

2011-08-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

photo by me

I snapped this photo yesterday on the way home for work. After much time and effort, the two fountains in Preston Gardens are now flowing again. According to the Downtown Partnership, these fountains have not worked in over 30 years. The return of the fountains is a part of an ongoing effort to turn Preston Gardens from the once underutilized - and often thought overgrown median - into a revitalized park in the center of downtown. New tables and chairs, plants, and flower baskets have been added over the last few months. The grass is often mowed and the landscaping is taken care of by a full time groundskeepers.

Free poetry on Tuesday afternoons has brought more atmosphere to Preston Gardens, which is now a destination lunch spot for many in the surrounding buildings. The sloshing of the fountain waters now adds to the ambiance, and helps to drown out some of the other city sounds.

The Downtown Partnership still has more plans for Preston Gardens, but more concrete details have not been made available other than the Master Plan that was released in the spring. What has been mentioned here before is the need for better traffic mitigation surrounding the park to make it easily accessible from both the western and eastern approaches. Traffic continues to zoom down lower St Paul Place (except when it comes to a standstill at rush hour), and the approach (and look of the park) from upper St Paul Place is still less than ideal. A redo of the upper side median, and better crosswalks all around would do much to improve this access. Other than that, things are looking good!

Baltimore 9/11 Memorial - I think we can do better

2011-07-28T16:19:00.000-04:00

Rendering of the new Baltimore 9/11 Memorial

Under construction right now at the foot of the Baltimore World Trade Center is the spot where Baltimore's memorial to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks will stand. As can be veiwed above it will consist of mangled steel from the Twin Towers atop marble blocks on which will be inscribed the 63 names of the Marylanders who died that die. Designed by Zigler/Snead it will be unveiled on the 10th anniversary this September.

As much as it will be a powerful reminder, I cannot help but think that the contemporary designs for memorials and landmarks have strayed too far to the abstract and honestly, the bland. I think our memoral could look much better than what will be built.

We used to make and dedicate great memorials in this country to epic events in our history. Take a look at the Battle Monument which was built between 1815 and 1829, and dedicated to the defenders of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Or the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, The International Peace Memorial, or any of the monuments dedicated to our presidents. These are grand structures

Battle Monument

However, one of my favorite, isn't a massive memorial, but rather it's small, but powerful and meaningful nonetheless. It sits in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and itd dedicated to the 1,300 plus employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad who died in the Second World War. It depicts an archangel pulling the body of a soldier out of the flames of war. It is powerful in its simplicity, but the symbolic representation is easily understood. Moreover it is strinking to look at. This is one aspect of conteporary memorials that is lost, and it's the same drab abstraction that the new 9/11 Memorial will have. Those 63 Marylanders deserve so much more. Memorials like the new Baltimore 9/11 Memorial show broken and twisted metal, remnants of what happened. These are powerful reminders, but great memorials show us not the broken remains of something that used to be there, but stand as a new reminder of how we have grown.

Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, Philadelphia

Seriously SRB?

2011-07-19T22:50:00.000-04:00

Mayor Rawlings-Blake's proposal to lower property taxes is the subject of a recent Baltimore Sun article. Her "realistic and feasible" plan is to drop the rate 9% over the next 9 years, dropping the rate from $2.268 per $100 of assessed value to $2.068.

Is this a serious solution to the problem? 9% over 9 years is not going to stop of flood of people leaving the city of Baltimore, nor is it going to help to build the residential and business tax break in this city. Even if slashing the tax rate by 50% sounds unreasonable, when two leading university economists in Baltimore said it could actually work if done correctly, 9% is a drop in the bucket. Maybe if she said 20% we could take this as a serious proposal.

The City of Baltimore needs to get serious on these proposals if they are to help turn around this city into a place it could truly be. Look at the development that is going on here, and imagine what it could be like if more residents and business were entering the city instead of fleeing for the counties or development friendlier cities.

Taller and Taller

2011-07-14T12:08:00.000-04:00

http://www.ubalt.edu/template.cfm?page=4007&masterview=bc_camera

The new law school at UB has reached up to about the 7th floor of 12. No doubt this will be a striking building when traveling down 83. It already blocks the view of Penn Station from down Charles Street. Slowly, block by block, UB and MICA are changing the way the neighborhoods around Penn Station are looking and feeling like. With a proposal for high density development on the Amtrak owned parking lot north of Penn Station, who knows what this part of Baltimore will be like 5 years from now.

Follow Up on 1 Light Street Proposal

2011-07-01T10:04:00.000-04:00

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2011/06/30/1-light-st-apartment-tower-gets-warm.html

The Baltimore Business Journal has some proposed renderings of the apartment tower for 1 Light Street. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht the building would reach up to 15 stories. The proposal would keep the old Thomas Building on the corner, but would tear down the three buildings that front Baltimore Street. With all the hoopla on the west side about tearing down historically significant downtown structures, will the same thing happen here?

I've never agreed with knocking down what is left of our downtown 19th and early 20th century structures in favor of what is new and in my opinion bland. Instead the architects and planners should make a concerted effort to incorporate these older structures into the new design. The plan calls for retail to front Baltimore St, so why not gut out and rehab the current buildings as apart of this new idea.

It's ok for old and new to coexist in our city, especially downtown. Take a look around, and you'll see it all over.

Lots of Development News Out There

2011-06-28T10:17:00.000-04:00

Red Line gets Federal permission to move to Preliminary Engineering. This process will take about 2 years.

16-story apartment tower pitched for the empty lot which at 1 Light Street.

114 E. Lexington Street, the former Provident Bank building and before that the Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve is sought to be redeveloped into apartments.

Meanwhile the new UB Law School is growing up. The new JHU Grad Student Tower in East Baltimore is completely topped off, and work has begun on the new Varsity at UB.

Yikes!

2011-06-21T10:54:00.002-04:00

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-officer-crash-83-20110621,0,6456812.story

This is why the job of a police officer, anywhere, is always tough. Hope this story ends well.

That's About Right

2011-06-16T22:43:00.000-04:00

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-dirtiest-cities/7

So, we're not at the top of the list, but still pretty close. I believe it, so what do we do about it? We sometimes forget that Baltimore is more than just the neighborhoods that surround the Harbor, and that there are swaths of this city covered in blowing litter. Maybe this should be a priority of the city? That, and putting recycling bins next to each and every trash can in the downtown area. It's 2011, how can this city not do that?

MTA Gripe #(Insert Obnoxiously High Number Here)

2011-06-08T08:57:00.001-04:00

Has anyone else noticed that the Metro Subway signs are being replaced? The new triangular signs are taller, more visible, and have two illuminated "M"s on two sides and the station name in large letters on the 3rd. I noticed the first at Shot Tower (they omit Market-Place on the new sign) and then a couple weeks later at Charles Center.

The Maryland Daily Record had a piece yesterday describing how the MTA is spending $500k to replace all of the signs along the entire route to make the system more "user-friendly". If you have been down in many of the stations you will also notice that platforms are being updated with new AV displays. Many stations already have smaller signs that denote the time and announce when the next train will arrive.

All of this sounds really good, so why am I complaining? You see readers, all of this news has come from observations and from other news sources. Not one thing has been posted or released by the Maryland Transit Administration on their website, email, or posted on their social media pages. What gives? How about photos, maybe a press release on the timeline for the project, or details about what to expect?

How is the MTA supposed to make their system more user-friendly, when they don't let their users know about changes or updates to the physical or aesthetics of the system? As a frequent rider of the metro, I've noticed these changes, but what about occasional riders or potential riders? Seriously, MTA, if you're going to have a Facebook page, use it to its furthest extent.

Great News for the West Side

2011-06-07T15:28:00.000-04:00

Everyman Theatre starts its construction. The Baltimore Sun has a small piece on the groundbreaking ceremony, while the Baltimore Business Journal has some pictures of the groundbreaking.

Construction and renovation is expected to last through next summer with Everyman Theatre opening their 2012-2013 season in their new space.

Even with the stagnant Superblock, this is a big addition to the West Side of downtown.

Hey, How about Cleaning Up After Deathfest?

2011-05-31T20:28:00.000-04:00

Overflowing Dumpter Across from Sonar

This is only a small part of the trash that is leftover from Death Fest at Sonar this past weekend. Sure, yesterday was Memorial Day, but today wasn't, so how about cleaning it up, huh?

Oh, and all the the portajohns are still sitting along Saratoga Street too, in the 90+ degree heat, it sure doesn't smell too pretty by the Hollywood Diner. Anyway, the portajohns are from Gotugo based in Glen Burnie. Feel free to call them at 410-360-1215 or http://www.gotugo.com/ to complain!

More on Linthicum...

2011-05-20T09:05:00.000-04:00

Shut Linthicum station, most tell MTA at hearing

This is crazy. They want to take away a walkable station! Many people don't drive, so they don't have the ability to go to other stations. This is what many people were saying at the hearing. People who utilize Linthicum to get back and forth from work, and don't drive. Instead Citizens Against the Linthicum Light Rail, are calling foul, and demanding the hours of the station be cut, or the full station closed.

Linthicum has the potential to be a great walkable station. It is close to neighborhoods and the main drag in Linthicum, but there are definite improvements that need to be made. First, MTA needs to beef up security to ward would be criminals. Second, MTA needs to make sure this and all stations are clean everyday. Third, have fare inspectors and MTA Police ride trains more frequently to enforce fare collection. Fourth, add better lighting and directions signage that let potential riders know where the station is. Light rail signs for the most part are not light up at night, and at Linthicum there are no signs on the western approach to the station. Lastly, add bike racks or lockers at this station, and others, and advertise this as an option. Just because it doesn't have a parking lot doesn't make it useless.

Most of all this is also clearly a case of NIMBYism. Neighbors are worried about one crime from kids from Halethorpe? First of all, the light rail doesn't go to Halethorpe and there aren't any bus connections at Linthicum, but I'm sure they didn't know that because they never ride the light rail. So, how do you think the kids got there then?

The real issue here is with the MTA, in my opinion. MTA does not do a great job in maintaining its stations, especially on the light rail. When new signs and route maps were added downtown, this was not done at other place. (Note: most station still have rail maps that show how the line was previous to 2006). Stations rarely have updated schedules posted, nor are they replaced when they are not there. The P.A. system is in shambles, although there are plans to have this all replaced (but then again will MTA decide to use them?).

MTA also does not do a great job in letting people know about the system or its stations. Have you ever read the General Information on the website? It's two short paragraphs. Stations do not have maps or information that tells riders what is near the station, nor do they have bus or rail connection maps to tell you how to say transfer to the Metro or MARC.

This should be a wake up call to the MTA. They need to improve their system, and the custom information process. And they wonder why the Light Rail has never met is daily ridership expectations even after 20 years!

Club One Closes, Sonar Stays Open

2011-05-17T20:50:00.000-04:00

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/midnight_sun/blog/2011/05/club_one_has_closed_club_was_s.html

Club One has officially closed, and Sonar has reopened in downtown. The block of land that Club One sits on has recently been sold, so what happens next? Maybe some good downtown development that we need!

In Defense of the Linthicum Station

2011-05-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

I have to disagree with the service adjustment at the Linthicum Station. The Light Rail already has too few walkable stations along the line. The better solution would be to improve the visibility at the station and allow for better signage. There are no signs along Oakdale Road or Hammonds Ferry Road that alert residents that the station is down the street. The signs along North Camp Meade Road are also poorly visible. The Linthicum Station doesn't have a working PA system, which should be fixed immediately. That and a next-train arrival system which most transit systems in the US already have in operation, would be beneficial to this station and the whole system.

Light Rail stations do not have to be all Park-and-Ride to warrant ridership or access. People who live in Linthicum should not have to drive the extra 1.5 miles to get to the North Linthicum Station. The MTA already does a horrible job in encouraging local riders who have walkable access to the Light Rail to ride. Station upkeep is minimal, signage is limited, and the public information at each station is limited as well. The maps at each station have not been updated in years, and provide little information about what is nearby each station or connections to other modes of transportation. At many stations the posted schedules have not been updated in over 2 years. Light Rail Stations do not have bike racks for the most part, which would also encourage access at more stations.

Limiting access at Linthicum is the wrong solution. There is no proven evidence that transit stations encourage crime, so the community's arguments are debunked easily. Moreover, this action is a stark example of the MTA's own faults in promoting and maintaining its transit system. Fix the problems, and the riders will come. It works for every other city.

Disturbance in the Inner Harbor?

2011-04-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Well something triggered a mass juvenile disturbance in downtown near the Inner Harbor tonight that the police are still trying to clear up. Following @Justin_Fenton to see what's going on, but apparently there were masses of young people out causing a mess downtown.

While this is going on a few blocks away the man who spearheaded the revitilization of the harbor, and was mourned by thousands today, William Donald Schaefer, lies in state beneath the Baltimore City Hall dome. One must wonder what he would think (or do) about this.

Transit Systems on Facebook

2011-04-13T16:32:00.000-04:00

In the next move in social networking, many transit systems have begun Facebook pages to post information, news, comments, etc direct to anyone on Facebook. The Maryland Transit Administration is no different. They have had a page for sometime now, and having viewed the posts and especially the comments you can see the good and the bad of utilizing this technology.

It's definitely a plus because the information is very accessible. MTA does not have a mobile version of its website, so it's difficult to access it from a smartphone when you need to know if your bus is detoured or the light rail is running late. Facebook on the other hand is mobile, so riders can see the information if it's updated. So far, MTA has been on top of reliably adding information on delays and changes to its Facebook page. Facebook also lets the MTA cross list events or posts from other pages that may relate to information they are sharing.

Being on Facebook also lends itself to serving as a public record for how well (or not so well) MTA does its job. Comments on the page are both positive and negative. Riders do not hesitate to make a comment when their bus is late, or why there were no updates on service changes. They've also commented about great or poor customer service while riding the system. It forces some transparency on MTA to respond to the comments that are added to their page. Moreover, it forces accountability on MTA especially when negative comments are posted.

Opening Day!

2011-04-04T15:44:00.001-04:00

Welcome Back to the Yard!

Orioles enter opening day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards with a 3-0 record , their best since 1997, and the only team to sweep the first series of the year on the road. Here's to another season!

Charmulator Posts Highest Monthly Ridership

2011-04-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

The Month of March ridership figures were released today and wow. The total ridership for the Charmulator in March was 188,409 or a 54% increase in ridership over February. This also exceeds the highest ridership set during the peak of last summer. The second news is that the average headways for March are the closest they have been to the 10 minute mark that is advertised. The average for the Orange Route was 11:16 and the Purple Route was 10:49.

With the addition of 5 VanHool buses in mid February, service has been a lot more reliable across the route. Additionally, much of the downtown construction that plagued the buses over the course of the past months has mostly ended.

If ridership continues at this level throughout the height of the summer tourist and vacation season, I would say that the Charm City Circulator was a successful plan by Baltimore.

http://charmcitycirculator.com/news/2011/apr/month-march-ridership-stats

In related news: have you heard of the "new" MTA buses?

Hollywood Diner Reborn...Again

2011-03-24T13:03:00.000-04:00

Sweat Equity: Hollywood Diner gets new owner, vision from Maryland Daily Record on Vimeo.

If you hadn't noticed, the Hollywood Diner at 400 E Saratoga St. reopened this month, and not a moment too soon since the Baltimore Farmer's Market returns on Sunday April 3rd. I've always thought this was a prime location with residents and workers nearby, and market traffic on the weekends. Their angle is good, affordable, comfort-style food. Best of luck to new Hollywood Diner presents: Red Springs Cafe.

Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8am to 5pm
Friday: 8am to 7pm
Saturday and Sunday: (during Farmer's Market Season)

Where:
400 E. Saratoga Street

One More Ranking...Social Networking

2011-03-16T10:55:00.000-04:00

Men's Health has now ranked Baltimore the 58th most socially networked town in the US. I'm starting to think Men's Health has a vendetta on Charm City. Men's Health based their rankings on each city's users of Facebook and LinkedIn per capita, amount of Twitter traffic from members in the city, and other networking sites and blogs (are we not writing enough here?) to get the final tally.

With all the calculations that puts us at 58 out of 100, and a C letter grade. Well below Washington, DC (1), Boston (9), Wilmington, DE (22), and Los Angeles (33), but closer to Philadelphia (49), and New York City (53).

In our contemporary times when tweets, likes, and status updates lets us know everything that is going on in the world, and judges popularity from everything to celebrities, retail items, and what makes national news, is it that bad to be disconnected? Rather, do we here in Baltimore still just favor the original social network, face-to-face verbal conversations. You make the call.

Where Do All These Rankings Come From?

2011-03-15T12:19:00.000-04:00

Apparently, Baltimore is the 2nd Angriest City in the US, who knew! Well, this is according to Men's Health Magazine, which isn't exactly filled with empirical data and peer-reviewed articles. Weren't we listed recently as one of the top least-friendly places, ugliest, dirtiest, and rudest over the past few years? Is there any truth behind these claims, or does the rest of the country just not like us all that much.

IMO, I think the people that write these articles and make these surveys haven't spent enough time living in the areas they rank. They base their models off of national statistics, but don't understand the local culture because they haven't been immersed in it. Sure we have a lot of aggravated assaults, but that isn't indicative of the major of the population of Baltimore, so are we all really that angry? No.

So next time you magazine writers want to rank Baltimore, how about you actually take some time to get to know us. Then you can pass judgment on us, and maybe we'll believe you, but we probably won't, because you aren't one of us.

New MARC service begins Monday

2011-03-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Love it or wish it was better, the new MARC Penn Line schedule goes into effect on Monday morning. MTA Maryland, finally getting into the social network age has posted a video link on their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1896043403490#!/video/video.php?v=1896043403490&oid=110997865589755&comments

Downtown Open Space Plan:Some Good, Some Bad

2011-03-01T00:03:00.000-05:00

At first glance, the Downtown Partnerships new Open Space Plan looks good. While the downtown district has many smaller parks, it lacks large open, green space that can be utilized by workers, residents, visitors, etc. While, I haven't had the chance to dive into everything, a few things already have come to mind.

The plan for existing parks like Preston Gardens, Hopkins Place, and Liberty Place are excellent. They are underutilized, and could be much improved. The alterations and additions to Preston Gardens are extremely positive.
The idea of turning the whole Arena site into a large park is misguided. I don't see the point, and I think it's waster real estate. The full plan gives four alternatives that turn some of the space into smaller parcels to develop, along with a park. This is the alternative I would select.
I don't fully agree with turning over undeveloped land to park space. In the case of 1 Light St, it's tantamount to throwing in the towel. It's already an outrage that the old Southern Hotel was torn down for the sake of progress when it could have been repurposed (where was CHAP then?), and now we're stuck with a parking lot. Something should be build on that property, so we can at least saw it wasn't torn down for nothing (although it really was).
The Downtown Partnership should really focus on improving what is already there, making them more useful, multi-purpose, and attractive. People should know where they are, how to get there, which green spaces and parks are near what, and what can they do when they get there.

I look forward to diving into the details in the next couple days. In the meantime, tell us what you think!

Baltimore Could Use Some of These

2011-02-28T23:47:00.000-05:00

This is an oldie, but a goodie from Streetfilms that showcases pedestrian controlled crosswalks in Seattle. These have foot activated pads on the street corner that turn the yellow warning lights in the street on. This is meant to give drivers a better warning to stop for pedestrians, especially at night. It's also deterrent against the "I swear I didn't see him/her, officer" defense.

Shopping around for potential sites in Baltimore is easier. There are many pedestrian crossings in downtown that would benefit from this technology. One spot would be on Key Highway across from the Science Center at William Street. Another would be at N. Charles Street at Oliver Street next to Penn Station. Although plans are to put in a pedestrian activated red light, I think this option is better.

If anyone else out there can think of other places, let us know! More importantly let the city know!

President in Baltimore Today

2011-02-23T09:15:00.002-05:00

"Passage Through Baltimore" Adalbert J. Volck, 1863

No, President Obama is not in Baltimore today, you can stop panicking about closed off streets and traffic tie-ups. The 16th President, Abraham Lincoln is in Baltimore today, or rather, someone who looks a lot like him.

Fritz Klein, looks a lot like President Lincoln, and that's the point, he's been playing the role for decades. As a commemoration of the 150% anniversary of his inauguration, Klein (I mean Lincoln) with the help of the National Park Service is retracing the route the Lincoln took from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, DC. Historically, Lincoln took most of the journey by train visiting 16 cities along the way. Today, some of the train routes he took no longer exist, so most of the trip was done by car with the last leg, Baltimore to Washington to be done via Amtrak.

Klein, like Lincoln, left Springfield on February 11th, and this morning he arrived in Baltimore at Camden Station to much fanfare. However, this is where reenactment deviates from history. On February 23, 1861, President-elect Lincoln was to pass through a divided state. At that time, seven states had already succeeded from the Union, civil war was a potential reality, and lastly Lincoln had not carried Maryland in the 1860 election, and the state especially Baltimore had sympathies with the Southern cause. While sessession had not been addressed in Maryland, it was a still hot topic.

More alarmingly, an assassination plot that was to have coincided Lincoln's arrival in Baltimore had been uncovered. Instead of coming in on his scheduled afternoon train, Lincoln, along with his Pinkerton detectives arrived early. Secretly, Lincoln's train arrived at President Street Station, his car was pushed along Pratt Street to Camden Station, and continued down to Washington. When his scheduled train arrived at Baltimore that afternoon, Lincoln was already in Washington. In the aftermath, the reality of an assassination plot was never proven.

Today, in 2011, Lincoln's arrival is the kickoff of the city's 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. A new exhibit on Lincoln, the railroads, and the civil war is now open at the Sports Legends Museum in what used to be Camden Station. Other events will be highlighted through out the rest of the year. The weekend of April 15-17th marks the anniversary of the Pratt Street Riots, the first blood-shed of the Civil War. More events will occur at the harbor and Fort McHenry. More information about these can be found at http://www.civilwarbaltimore.com/

*cross-posted at FortMcHenryGuard

New MARC Schedule

2011-02-14T19:48:00.000-05:00

There's a new MARC schedule for the Penn Line in town, or at least there will be on March 14th. The changes that the MTA made are in an attempt to ease crowding and give riders more options on their commute. I haven't had the chance to dive into it yet, but I will be soon, and will report back. At first glance though, it doesn't seem that it's improved the ability to commute more easily into Baltimore, since the MARC train is still DC centric in its thinking.

If anyone out there who reads this rides the MARC Penn Line, we'd like to hear what you think about this new schedule.

Baltimore Snapshot - Charmulator Kiosk

2011-02-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

photo by me: Pleasant Street at N. Charles St.

This was taken Monday at around 5:20pm when most people are on their way out of downtown to head home after the work day. The Charmulator NextBus shows the next arrival times of 20 mins and 71 mins! The poor schlubs who missed the first bus would have to wait nearly an hour for the next to arrive. How can this happen during rush hour, there should be more buses on the route, that's no excuse.

A Good Argument for Lowering Property Taxes

2011-02-04T09:46:00.001-05:00

If anyone caught the Baltimore Sun on January 23rd there was an article on the argument for Baltimore City to lower it's property taxes. Jamie Hopkins from the Sun interviewed Loyola University Maryland (nee Loyola College) economics professor Dr. Steve Walters about his plan. I won't go into too much detail, because it's best to read what is said, but the basis of the plan is for the city to slash its property tax over the next 4 years. The result, Walters says, would encourage residents and businesses to move into the city, because the surrounding counties wouldn't be as cheap to live/work in as they once were. Additionally, the added population and commerce would offset (over time), any loss in revenue from dropping the tax rate.

Currently, Baltimore City has the highest property tax rate in the state of Maryland, at 2.268%. No other county in the state has a rate higher than 2% with the next highest in Baltimore County at 1.1%. With the upcoming Mayoral election this should be a hot topic.

The question remains though, which mayoral candidate (or current mayor) has the guts to do this, for the future of the city?

Comment from a Reader

2011-02-03T11:37:00.000-05:00

I received this email from a reader the other day:

Hello,
I read your blog! I love the skyline painting. Where is that from? I'd love to use it as my computer desktop-wallpaper.
Thanks,
Lauren

Thanks for reading, Lauren! I found this picture a while back when the blog began in 2007. I was searching through google images for a wallpaper and I stumbled across this one and instantly loved it. It shows an early picture of Baltimore from Federal Hill, sometime after the Baltimore Trust Building was built (1929), but before Federal Hill was terraced by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It shows a realistic view of a Baltimore that doesn't really exist anymore. For as much as Baltimore has stayed the same, so much has changed and is gone that cannot be replicated or replaced. The harbor today looks much different; gone are the warehouses and wharfs. The sounds of the harbor as much different, and less lively. Even though it's a view that isn't here anymore, maybe it's an aspiration of what this city can be in the future.

Turns out it's a painting by Paul Magehee called "Old Baltimore Harbor, 1930".
You can check it out here: http://www.paulmcgeheeart.com/pages/OldBaltimoreHarbor.htm

Whats Up With the Charmulator?

2011-02-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

For the past few days the Charmulator website has been listing "major delays" along both routes, even after most of the snow and ice has gone away. Nextbus is reporting 20-30 minute headways between buses for the past few days as well. Are they having bus issues, or has Veolia told their drivers to take it easy in the winter weather. Their alerts and news releases have not been very descriptive.

Another incident, which I got straight from a colleague of mine who takes the Charmulator everyday, involves drivers. On Tuesday, my colleague reported that she had hit the "stop request" button which triggered the sign and announcement, only to see the driver blow past the Hamilton Street stop. Other riders were confused as well, but said nothing. On approach to the Mt Vernon stop, my colleague hit the button, as well as another rider with the same result. As the driver began to drive past the monument another rider asked "are you going to stop?" The response from the driver could not have been more unpleasant and condescending, as if the riders were ruining the morning drive up Charles Street.

Now, I've never had this experience with a driver on the Charmulator, but this isn't the first story I've heard of rude or unhelpful drivers. If this is supposed to be a free service, which is supposed to attract residents and visitors alike, shouldn't the drivers be more polite and helpful? There isn't an excuse for that, or missing stops when the request button has been pressed.

Has anyone else out there had any experiences like this (or worse)? Let us know, we'd love to hear and share your stories. We'd also like to hear your positive stories as well!

Ice and Freezing Rain For Tomorrow

2011-01-31T22:14:00.000-05:00

This time around it's sleet and freezing rain. Instead of the afternoon commute, it's the morning. Who knows how messy it will get, but anything can happen. Unfortunately, for a lot of the highways and major roads, the shoulders and parking lanes are still clogged with snow. This means, any small road incident can mean big troubles during the commute.

This is one of those "take transit" type of days. Unless of course the ice takes down wires, then you might as well take a sick day.

Early Snow

2011-01-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

The snow and wintry mix is falling from the sky. There was already 2 inches of heavy wet snow on the ground before the morning rush, which by all accounts, was totally unexpected. The storm is expected to change back to snow in the early afternoon when the temperature drops, and we're expected to get 3-6 more inches in Baltimore overnight.

Looks like our luck has run out with missing snow storms! Who's looking forward to the messy evening commute?

Another Officer Shot

2011-01-18T22:40:00.000-05:00

A city police officer was shot in the leg at a downtown parking garage a block away from the Central District police station. The officer was taken to Shock Trauma with non-life threatening injuries. I honestly wonder what is wrong with this city after events like this. Seriously, a block from the main police station in Baltimore? I'm sure more details will be availble by the morning, and we'll see what the problem is now.

Good Job Ravens

2011-01-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks for a great season to all the guys wearing the purple and black. Not the way we wanted to end the season, but great ride while it lasted. Now it's time to go into the off season and get ready to hit the gridiron in August. Meanwhile, only a short few weeks until Orioles spring training, if you can believe it!

It's Cold Out There

2011-01-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

The temps have been unusually cold in the Baltimore area according to both local and national meteorologists, or as they called them in ancient times, augurs. So much so, that the Chesapeake Bay could freeze over, which hasn't had a full covering of ice in more than 30 years. Currently, the big threat is another snow storm.

The last two "winter storm warnings" were duds, gradually being downgraded to "chance of flurries" while the rest of the northeast was slammered. If they have read the auspices correctly this time, the weather folks are calling for 3-5 inches overnight or tornadoes, I'm not too sure. In any event it's going to be another cold one.

Meanwhile, there are still plenty of bikers out braving the cold to get back and forth from work and school. I noticed three this morning on my way to work. The DOT is out today counting bikes, to see how many brave people duke it out with Mother Nature in the winter time.

Let's see how this storm pans out, I could really use some measurable snow.

Superblock Project Held Up....Again

2011-01-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-reads-drugstore-20110106,0,4171388.story

Unhappy with the buildings that will not be saved as apart of Lexington Square's proposed development of the Superblock, the project looks like it's going to be held up once again. The go ahead was given in 2004 for the redevelopment of the superblock, but now, 7 years later, not a single shovel of dirt has been moved.

Last Day of the Year

2010-12-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

December 31, 2010. Today is the last day of 2010 for tomorrow begins a new year: 2011.

2010 has been an interesting year for Baltimore, and honestly a lot has happened. The Charm City Circulator began running and the Poe Toaster never showed up. Mayor Dixon resigned and Stephanie Rawlings-Blake took over the reigns. The city was dumped on by the Snowpocalypse. The Orioles got a new lively manager in the form of Buck Showalter. The summer brought us one of the worst heat waves with record days above 90 and 100. Downtown streets became a mess with first broken water mains, and then reconstruction for the Grand Prix. The CharmCard went into operation, finally. Someone crashed into the fencing at the Washington Monument. Four hotels opened this year including the complete restoration of the Hotel Brexton. A few major construction projects began, housing at Johns Hopkins East Baltimore Campus, the new Law School building at UB, and the new Shock Trauma expansion to name a few. Mercy Hospital opened its new building on St. Paul Street. A massive fire endangered The Block, and the next day another severely damaged buildings in Mt Vernon. Maryland's population is trending up, but Baltimore's seems to be still trending down. Yet, all major crimes have hit the lowest in decades.

There was plenty more news this year in Baltimore, but we just pulled some of the top stories that Baltimore Skyline covered this year to just look back and remember all that happened in the last 365 days. How will 2010 wrap up? There is still plenty of hours left in the day. The Inner Harbor fireworks are always a blast, many bars will be open past 2am, the CCC is running until 1pm, and Bus, Light Rail, and Metro will be free from 8pm-2am thanks to Miller Lite.

Thanks again for another great year for all of you who read this blog, and we'll be seeing you in 2011.

Merry Christmas Baltimore!

2010-12-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

While we didn't get exactly a White Christmas this year, it looks like we're going to get socked with 6-10 inches of snow tomorrow! A storm is brewing up the northeast corridor with Winter Storm Warnings from DC to Boston. Snow is expected to start overnight and continue all day tomorrow,just in time for all the people wanting to get on the road.

Anyway, Merry Christmas, Baltimore we hope you got everything you wanted!

Maybe Some Snow on Christmas?

2010-12-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

While we wont be getting a lot of the white stuff on Christmas day, there is still a chance for some afternoon snow showers tomorrow, and through the weekend. This is a best case scenerio - the kids are happy because they get the White Christmas, and the parents (and everyone else) are happy that we don't have to drive in it.

Up Goes Another Crane

2010-12-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

screen shot from ubalt.edu

The construction crane for the new Law Center at the University of Baltimore went up at the corner of N. Charles St and Mt Royal Ave today. This is the second crane to go up in recent months in the city, which can only be great news. Feel free to follow the link in the caption to the construction camera on UB's website.

The Block Fire: Arson?

2010-12-15T12:04:00.000-05:00

The latest news swirling around is that the fire on the Block was reportedly arson. While no official word has been given, the ATF and Fire Marshal will have a news conference at 3pm today to deliver their findings.

What does this mean for the future of the block? If the buildings are losses, do we wind up with a third of a block that remains an empty lot? Would anyone even want to develop that property anyway?

Welcome to Another Week

2010-12-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

Another work week in Baltimore starts tomorrow after a rainy Sunday with the potential of snow showers during the morning commute, albeit very slight. We could be looking at some snow for next Sunday, so watch out.

The Terps lost to BC tonight in men's basketball, but Loyola stomped Mount St. Mary's by 23 points yesterday on the Evergreen campus.

The Holiday Festival of trains is steaming along at the B&O Railroad Museum as they contemplate purchasing one of their old buildings back on Pratt Street from Baltimore Behavioral Health.

At UB the foundations for the construction crane are set, and it is expected that the crane will go up sometime this week. It's only a matter of time until the concrete starts rising. Meanwhile in East Baltimore, the JHU grad tower has two floors of concrete up, and is moving skyward.

Downtown, the 400 block of E. Baltimore Street is still closed, but up in Mount Vernon scaffolding has already gone up around the burned out building where Donna's, My Thai, and Indigma hope to be back up and running in the next few months.

Welcome to a new week...

MTA Maryland Needs a New Website

2010-12-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

The MTA Maryland website was redesigned a couple years ago in order for it to be more user friendly and accessible, but even with the newer site it neither more user friendly, nor accessible. Below are just a few other city transit agencies, and their much better sites. MTA Maryland should take some good notes from these other agencies and do a total restructuring of their own site.

SEPTA - Philadelphia, PA
PATCO - New Jersey/Philadelphia
TriMet - Portland, OR
WMATA - Washington, DC
Metro Transit - Minneapolis, MN
MBTA - Boston, MA

Information on each page is very limiting, and some is wrong, or doesnt look like it's been updated in a while.
For instance the pages for the Light Rail and Subway tell a potential rider nothing regarding how frequently trains run unless one digs into the schedule. The "General Information" for the Light Rail doesn't give you much at all, it doesn't even tell riders where it goes.

The website has to be more useful, if the MTA wants to draw new and more frequent riders. A mobile site is also a must, for riders to check in when they are already at the stop.

Second Big Fire in Less Than 9 Hours in Mt Vernon

2010-12-07T07:33:00.000-05:00

Another 5-alarm fire started in Mt Vernon Place around 1:30am in the buildings that house Donna's, My Thai, and Indigma. Many of the same firefighters who had battled the fire on the Block just hours before were called out again to tackle the blaze on N. Charles Street.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-mount-vernon-fire,0,6793282.story

Massive Fire on the Block

2010-12-06T16:23:00.001-05:00

There is currently a multi-alarm fire in the 400 block of E. Baltimore Street, aka "The Block". This is a terrible time for this to happen, right before rush hour.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-city-fire1206,0,3043698.story

http://www.wbaltv.com/slideshow/news/26037691/detail.html

UPDATE:
Fire now at 5 alarms. Shot Tower-Market Place Metro station is temporarily closed, and city buses are on detour, see http://www.mta.maryland.gov/.

Another Hotel Opens in Bmore

2010-12-05T00:22:00.000-05:00

Looks like the new Sleep Inn next to the Holiday Inn Express on Fallsway is finally open. Saw the lights on, sign lit up, and cars in the parking lot while driving past today. This is another great addition to downtown, especially along Fallsway where any new development is a positive.

The far side of I-83 has its troubles since the highway cuts it off from the rest of downtown and the Harbor. At the lower end, there seems to be better success where the separation isn't as complete. The hotels make that stretch a lot less lonely and barren, and the addition of foot traffic is an improvement. This also shows a willingness to develop properties that are adjacent to I-83. On the west side there are a few vacant properties next to the highway, especially on Guilford. If the hotels are successful, it could be an incentive to build on lots and redevelop properties along Guilford, Holliday, and Gay. Let's see what happens.

Almost Time for Monument Lighting

2010-11-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

It's almost that time of year! When the Washington Monument is lit up in Mount Vernon, you know it's Christmas season in Baltimore. The Monument was recently voted as the most recognizable landmark in the city by the Baltimore Sun, and the holiday lights make it much more the centerpiece!

If you're free Thursday night at 5:30pm, make your way to Mt Vernon Place for the show!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone out there a Happy Thanksgiving and a long weekend!

Tremont Grand is Getting Ready for Christmas

2010-11-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

photo by me

The Christmas lights are going up at the Tremont Grand, and the rest of downtown Baltimore. The lights are up on Pratt Street and Charles St already, and Santa's palace has arrived at the Inner Harbor. A newer addition I noticed this year, are lights strung in the trees along Pratt Street, but I have yet to snap a good picture of that.

The day after tomorrow marks the beginning of the Christmas Season, despite what retailers say its not November 1st, so you'll be seeing more lights going up. Honestly, this is my favorite time of the year in Baltimore.

Why Baltimore Needs to Save the USF&G Annex and Others

2010-11-21T23:30:00.002-05:00

USF&G Annex at Left, old USF&G Building (now Hampton Inn) at Right

Sitting silent and abandoned at 26 S. Calvert Street is the old USF&G Annex building. The original home for USF&G is right next door on the corner of Redwood, but it was preserved as a Hampton Inn in recent years. However, the 12-story Annex built in 1920 has a delayed date with the wrecking ball.

In 2008 the city approved the mixed-use redevelopment called CityScape. You may have heard about it in the news, but it was supposed to add two hotels, apartments, and a 200-car garage surrounding the Brookshire Suites on two sides, and topping off at 30 stories. In order to make this happen, eight building on Lombard Street and Calvert Street would have to come down, including the Annex. However, this never happened for two reasons. First, the Recession hit full force the the funding for the project was never finalized, and second, questions were raised over the bid to demolish the buildings and the work abruptly stopped.

In a way the Recession helped to save the Annex, because if they demolition had been complete, you can almost guarantee that not construction would have taken place and Baltimore would be left with another downtown empty lot. Now that the building still stands we should be asking ourselves, should it really be lost? Can't developers find a better purpose for it? Apartments for instance? In Baltimore, we have a knack for knocking down the old in place of the new (when actual development occurs), but when we devalue our older architecture and leave it for the wrecking ball, we are losing some of the character that makes Baltimore what it is. These examples of architecture cannot be replaced. Long gone are the days of embellishments, grandeur of design, and styles that accentuated stone and brick, so why lose more?

The bigger loss is demolishing these buildings, and having nothing to replace them. Baltimore has a problem with tearing down its buildings for new development, but then nothing happens. Look at the old McCormick Spice building, the Tower Building, the Southern Hotel, all razed for new projects that never materialized, and now have sat as surface parking lots for over 15 years.

Instead let's look at the USF&G Annex, and think about adaptive-reuse and not the wrecking ball. Could you imagine if there wasn't the Bromo Selzter Tower, or the Shot Tower, or the Hutzler Department Store? We need to let an old part of Baltimore live on in a new way.

Progress at JHU Grad Tower

2010-11-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

Photo by me

So, barely a floor of concrete and rebar isn't really progress, but it's a start! The construction at the new JHU Graduate Student Tower now named "929" for its address at 929 N. Wolfe Street, is underway. This is the first floor of what will be a 20-floor residence hall for students on the JHU Medical Campus. It is only two blocks south of the main hospital, across the street from the newest building in the Biotech Park, and on the southern end of the EBDI redevelopment site.

On a blustery day like today, it appears that the construction crews are keeping to ground work. With the wind whipping around in the wake of last night's storms (and possible tornado), I can't imagine it would be fun to try to send heavy equipment through the air.

Pros/Cons of New Arena at the Inner Harbor

2010-11-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

photo credit, The Baltimore Sun

Recently this past week the GBC proposed a plan to build a new arena on the site of the oldest section of the Convention Center at Pratt and Charles Streets. Now the city is seeking proposals, again, for a new arena to replace 1st Mariner Arena, but prefers this time to use an alternative site. The original proposals in 2008 sought to replace the arena on site, but it would leave Baltimore without a major indoor venue for concerts, sports, and other events for at least two years. By building the new arena at a different spot in the city, this will allow 1st Mariner to remain open during the construction of the new space. This leads to a few pros and cons that I can think of.

Pros:

The Inner Harbor site would be closer to Camden Yards and the rest of Harborplace, helping to draw visitors to that area.
Will at the same time replace a portion of the convention center with new exhibiting and meeting space, which can encourage more conventions per year.
Allow for new development at the 1st Marina site.

Cons:

Potentially won't help to break up the 4-block wall that is devoid of retail space or any other life on the south side of Pratt, unless the developers add some type of retail on the Pratt and Charles street front.
A long timeline for replacement for the 1st Marina site could leave a block-sized undeveloped plot for who knows how long. When we consider the stalled Superblock site, and the already slow development on the Westside, it could be a very long time.
Takes away from encouraging development to the Westside, when the city should be looking at expanding downtown redevelopment instead of concentrating everything around the harbor.

Skyline Roadtrip - Cincinnati

2010-11-08T16:27:00.000-05:00

View from Carew Tower, new Great American Tower at left

Cincinnati boasts a population around 333,000, making it the 3rd largest city in the state of Ohio. Sitting just across the Kentucky state line along the Ohio River it was settled in 1788 and named "Cincinnati" by the Arthur St. Clair the governor of the Northwest Territory to honor the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of former officers of the Continental Army.

The city is known for the Cincinnati Bengals and Reds, Fountain Square, the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, an incomplete and abandoned subway, and of course it's architecture.

Up until this year the tallest building in the city was the 49-story art deco Carew Tower which opened in 1931. It was recently surpassed by the 660 ft Great American Tower. The Carew Tower along with the 31-story Hilton Hotel it is connected to take up an entire city block right off Fountain Square. Together they are generally seen as one of the finest examples of French Art Deco. Originally it housed the Mabely & Carew Department store, but today it is a mix of retail and and the upper floors have remained offices.

$2 gets your to the observation deck on the very top of the 49 floor. Believe me this is no Empire State Building deck. You take the elevator to the 25th floor and then a small closet-sized elevator up to the 48th floor, and then the last flight up by metal staircase takes you to a small desk where you pay your two-bucks and then out the door. The views are great, but the railing seems a bit low and there is no protective cage, you really feel a rush. (I took a few pictures and retreated back inside).

From up-top you catch a good glimpse of the city, the Ohio River and its bridges. One in particular is the Roebling Bridge, Cincinnati's finest, built in 1866 as a prototype for its larger and more famous cousin, the Brooklyn Bridge.

View of the Roebling Bridge, the Ohio River, and Kentucky

One part of Cincinnati most people may not know about is it's forgotten, unfinished subway running underneath downtown. 2.2 miles were completed along with three underground stations in the early 1920s until it was abandoned during the great depression. The line was never finished and trains never operated along the line. The good news is, Cincinnati will begin construction on its streetcar line next year which will connect the waterfront with downtown and north.

With more cities proposing and building streetcars, this could be a big push for projects like the one in Baltimore.

Rotunda Cinemas grow to three screens, with more to come - baltimoresun.com

2010-11-04T13:25:00.000-04:00

Rotunda Cinemas grow to three screens, with more to come - baltimoresun.com

UBalt Construction Camera

2010-11-04T10:47:00.000-04:00

Screen Shot from construction cam

On the University of Baltimore's website you can follow along with the construction of the new Angelos Law Center with a construction camera. The camera gives you a view of the site from across Mount Royal Ave. Right now, it is just a big hole in the ground, but soon the construction crane should go up and the new law building will go vertical. The Angelos Law Center will top off at 12 stories and should open in 2012.

Ready for the Light Up

2010-11-03T23:51:00.000-04:00

Photo by me

The holiday lights on the Washington Monument are strung and ready to be lit up on December 2nd. The old lights were replaced last year with new LED strands which are brighter and don't have a tendency to burn out. The monument already is one of the most recognizable structures that dots our city skyline, but when it is all light up for the holidays it is hard to miss. Sure other cities have giant Christmas trees, but we have something we can call uniquely Baltimore. Unfortunately for this year there is a gaping hole in the fence surrounding the monument due to last week's van accident. Nevertheless, old George will still get his lights.

The 39th annual celebration entitled A Monumental Occasion will occur a 5:30pm on December 2nd. For more details visit the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts.

General Election

2010-11-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Today is the Maryland General Election, so go out there and remember to vote. Polling places are open between 7am and 8pm, so you have plenty of time.

While Baltimore Skyline isn't endorsing any candidates, we do endorse the election process, so take the time and flex your civic muscles. One thing's for sure, we're looking forward to Wednesday, November 3rd, when all those stupid campaign commercials are over!

Sunday Chillday

2010-10-31T23:26:00.000-04:00

With the Ravens off this week, this particular Sunday was a little bit more relaxed in town. Since I didn't have to plan my day around watching Baltimore football, I had free range to take in some well need chill time.

First stop...Federal Hill. Met up with some friends for brunch at Metro. Though I don't live in that part of the city anymore, it has still remained a staple for breakfast and brunch, and well worth the out of the way trip down. Now with the Circulator, the trip is so much easier. It's always a crowded spot, but the service is good and the food is great. Self service coffee is a plus, especially when it does get busy.

It was such a great fall day out, I decided to walk back to the old homestead by way of the Inner Harbor. In the early afternoon the first batch of trick-or-treaters were already out on the streets of Federal Hill and Otterbein.

Second stop...downtown. I walked up Charles Street and saw the new landscaping around the Kona Grill addition. It looks like they'll have an outdoor patio for the warmer months, but that isn't finished yet. I saw the new David & Dad's Express at 1 N. Charles. It's open M-F, and will be a nice addition for the office workers.While I haven't been to the original David & Dad's in a long time, I do remember it having a tasty menu, and it's nice to see them expand. I'll have to make a point to stop by the Express stop in the near future.

Overall, a crisp fall day in Baltimore. Gotta love this time of year.

Mobbies 2010: Thanks for the Nomination

2010-10-30T22:36:00.000-04:00

Baltimore Skyline was nominated under two categories for this year's Baltimore Sun Mobbies under the Misfits and Neighborhood sections. Thank you for the nominations, and thank you for reading and commenting on this blog. I've enjoyed writing these posts and looking into many of the topics that effect Charm City, whether that be sports, events, transportation, construction, development, or the news. Though this is something I pursue in my free time, I do try to keep up with as much that is going on. Thanks again, and I hope you continue to follow along!

History Shattered

2010-10-30T21:54:00.000-04:00

(photo credit: abc2 news)

At around 2:30am this morning a van crashed into the decorative cast-iron fence that surrounds the Washington Monument in Mt. Vernon. In one fell swoop a driver took out a large section of the 172 year old fence.

The monument was designed by Robert Mills and built between 1815 and 1829. The iron fence that surrounds the monument and forms the center of the Mt Vernon Place circle was installed in 1838. The four decorative gates in the fence are adorned with motifs of Roman fasces - a symbol of jurisdiction and unity - where not damaged. In the early Republic, George Washington was compared to the Roman general and hero Cincinnatus who after defeating a threat to the Roman Republic resigned his position as Dictator, returned his fasces which were the symbol of his authority, and returned to his farm. Very much in the same way George Washington left the office of the President and retired to Mount Vernon. The fasces became, and remains a symbol in the United States (although mostly overshadowed by others) and Robert Mills added these to the design of the monument. Mills would go on later to design the more famous Washington Monument in D.C.

As of now there are no answers on how the fence will be replaced. Most likely a recreation of the missing section will have to be cast from surviving pieces or other intact parts of the fence. The cost of which has not been determined, nor the timeline. Until then a temporary chain-link fence covers the gap, and leaves the Monument scared. If there is any good news about this, the Washington Monument will be undergoing renovation in the near future to repair structural weaknesses in the observation deck. The fence repair could be added to this renovation.

There is no word on how the van lost control and slammed into the fence, but I think an appropriate fine would be to have the driver (or his insurance) cover the damages. One thing's for sure, our quintessential landmark may be irreplaceably marred. Only time will tell.

Halloween in Baltimore

2010-10-30T01:45:00.000-04:00

Its the last weekend in October, that could mean only one thing...Halloween in Baltimore! Just when you thought the crowd in Fells Point on a Saturday night couldn't get any weirder. Party goers and bar hoppers pull out all the stops on Halloween, and nothing is left to the imagination. If you have never been to a Halloween weekend in Fells Point you're missing out on the sights and sounds.

Creativity abounds among the young and old. You'll the traditional ghosts, goblins, and vampires. There will also be the trendy topics, I'm sure there will be a couple groups of Chilean miners. Some pull ideas out of the past, Legends of the Hidden Temple anyone? While others go nerdy like a complete Obi-Wan Kenobi with working lightsaber. But the most will be the ladies wearing the least amount of clothing the weather will allow and donning a costume entitled "sexy (insert any non-sexy job)"

There you have it. We'll see you in Fells!

Cranes are Going Up in Baltimore

2010-10-25T13:16:00.000-04:00

(photo credit, Marks Thomas Architects)

It's always a good sign when you see construction cranes popping up across the city. The newest crane to go up is on the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus in East Baltimore where a new 20-story housing tower for graduate students is now under construction. The target day for completion is August 2012, just in time for the fall semester.

This has the potential to be a big asset for the this side of town. The tower will have space for over 500 students. It will immediately add to the residential feel to the Hopkins campus, which now is only a small number of Medical students who live on Broadway.

Additionally, this could add to the retail availability next to the EBDI site. Places that will cater to a student resident population would be attracted, e.g. coffee shops, sandwich shops, dry cleaners, etc. The types of retail that are lacking around the Hopkins Hospital, which now mostly serve the 9-5 crowd. This building will also serve as a catalyst to fill empty store front space in the the newly constructed campus buildings, and the storefronts along Monument St.

In the meantime, two other projects will be putting cranes up in the near future. The new 12-story UB School of Law center is moving along on Mt Royal Ave. A crane isn't visible yet, but the foundation work is well underway. By the springtime, another UB project on Biddle St will add an 11-story student apartment building which should open in 2012.

Above is a rendition of the final product at what will be 929 N. Wolfe St (at Ashland Ave). As the floors go up I'll update with more photos.

You're Looking Good Preston Gardens

2010-10-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, the Downtown Partnership took over the maintenance and landscaping for Preston Gardens. For those of you who don't know where that is, it's the park between St. Paul Place between Centre Street and Lexington Street. Since then, the appearance and feel of the park has significantly improved.

Daily, there are Downtown Partnership workers cleaning away trash along the pathways and the grass. A park steward has been hired to oversee the park, along with Center Plaza. Every morning park tables with umbrellas are put out on the grass, and at lunch time these are generally filled with downtown workers on their breaks.

For once, the landscaping has been more than just mowing the grass. The gardens across from the entrance to Mercy hospital were recently replaced and improved. New planters have been added around the center fountain, but nothing has been planted as of yet. Trees were pruned back to keep the branches from hanging low over the pathways. Finally the yew bushes that line the northern end of the garden and surround the statue of John Mifflin Hood have been manicured.

Along with the lampposts and illumination of the walls, Preston Gardens is looking better than ever, but there is still more to be done. The long marble and brick walls will need to be restored and cleaned, which will take both time and money. Lastly, the fountains that have not worked in decades, will be restored to their former glory, although the timeline for that is in the air.

Further Suggestions:

Make pedestrian improvements at crosswalks to encourage access to the park, especially mid block on St. Paul Place.
Add traffic mitigation techniques such as a sidewalk and bike lane on the lower route of St Paul Place, and narrowing the northbound lanes that allow access to Oreleans Street to better improve pedestrian flow.
Pedestrian improvements on the upper park at the beginning of the Orleans Street viaduct.

Over and Out

2010-10-04T12:51:00.001-04:00

(photo credit, The Baltimore Sun)

Yesterday wrapped up the 2010 season for our Baltimore Orioles, and what a roller coaster of a season it's been. After starting 2-16, the Orioles finished up at 66-96, at the bottom of the AL East but not the worst in the American League.

Dave Trembley didn't make it through the season, Juan Samuel picked up the reigns on an interim basis, and then things actually changed when Buck Showalter was hired as the new O's skipper. Under Buck's lead, the Orioles went 34-23 for the rest of the season, a .596 winning percentage. For a team that started off so poorly, that is a remarkable turn around for the end of the season. However, the abysmal performance in the first half of the season still kept the O's 30 games out of first-place in the AL East.

Eliminated from playoff contention on August 30th, the first team this season to get their Elimination Number to zero, the rest of the season was played just for the sake of the game, and hound better AL teams as much as possible.

The one glaring figure that O's fans cannot ignore this season was attendance; down 9% from the 2009 season. This marked the lowest season attendance at Camden Yards, and the second lowest for the franchise. This is a cause for concern for both team and fans. The Orioles hurt because the home fanbase is low, and likewise the fans feel the pain because many can't justify buying tickets and food to watch the O's lose when they can just as easily do that from the comforts of their own homes (MASN viewership was way up for the Orioles this season).

The solution needs to come from both parties. We'll promise to come to the stadium and fill Camden Yards, but you need to give us something to cheer about more consistently. Under Buck Showalter's guidance, we have a good chance of this happening!

Here's to the Postseason and we'll see you in February at Sarasota.

Why is the Circulator so Slow?

2010-10-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

Now there is probably a reason for this that I don't understand, but why is the Circulator so slow? Every time I have been on it, the circulator seems to put along at a few MPH below the speed limit. I would think that the buses would drive along at the same speed as traffic to get between the stops a bit quicker. I have noticed that when driving slower than the speed limit, it can make the trip agonizing when you take into account all the red lights the circulator gets stuck at.

Sure, it's a free shuttle, and its very convenient, but what's the need for going so slow? Is it to ensure a more comfortable ride? I don't see how going 25mph vs. 30mph makes a whole lot of difference in the feel of the ride.

Maybe it has to do with spacing the buses, or maintaining the schedule? If anyone out there has an answer please let me know, because I don't have one.

Downtown Target in the Future?

2010-09-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

A linked story at Baltimore Business Journal from St. Paul, MN, mentions some potential good news for Baltimore in the future. Target is experimenting with a smaller store front, and plans to unveil this new concept in St. Paul sometime in 2012.

Target is also shopping around for other sites in urban areas around the country, one of those is Baltimore. It's anyone's guess where a potential downtown Target could go - Inner Harbor, Harbor East, Canton, Westside - but anywhere would be great.

The only other city location is a full-sized Target at the Mondawmin Mall. A downtown or harbor location would benefit the residential population in the urban core, which now is devoid of any "department store" style retail.

While this is at best a few years away, it's never too early to start thinking about where Baltimore could put one.

Lost Baltimore - Saint Paul Place Houses

2010-09-23T10:29:00.000-04:00

(Photo Credit, Baltimore Heritage)

Now that the new Mercy Medical Center tower is almost finished, and scheduled to be opened on December 19th, let's look back at what was lost in order to make room for construction.

Back in 2007 some of the last intact houses from the 1820s sat at the corner of Pleasant St and Saint Paul Place. The were unique in that, with the exception of one, their exterior appearance had not changed much since when they were built. They were also some of the few examples of late Federal townhouses that remained in downtown Baltimore, and the last intact block. Five three-storey houses sat along St Paul Place, and served as fine examples of the many stately downtown homes that began to be constructed north of the harbor in the 1820s and 1830s. Much larger than their working class and storefront cousins (examples of which flanked these houses on Pleasant Street) many of the houses stretched back to Hargrove Alley with later additions - the original alley gardens long gone.

Their death sentence came as they stood in the way of Mercy Medical Center's expansion of their facilities with a new parking garage and 18 story hospital tower. Even with a hard fight by Baltimore preservationists, the houses met the wrecking ball in 2007.

Crisis Over

2010-09-16T14:38:00.002-04:00

The shooter situation at JHH is over. The lock down has been called off on the Medical Campus, and operations seem to be returning to normal. The floor where the standoff took place is still closed according to the latest news.

The latest word is that the Doctor who was shot is in surgery with non-life threatening injuries. The gunmen is dead, but apparently so is his mother, who was the patient over which the shooting and standoff took place.

More details can be found at the Baltimore Sun. Justin Fenton with the Sun has been following the action on his twitter feed, as he was stuck near the campus during the lockdown: @justin_fenton.

Shooting at JHH

2010-09-16T13:33:00.001-04:00

http://twitter.com/justin_fenton

This is the big news floating around Baltimore.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-shooting-hopkins-20100916,0,1885569.story

The gunman apparently shot a Doctor on the 8th floor of the Nelson Building shortly after 11:15am. Afterwards the Hospital and Medical Campus were immediately put on lock down. The shooter has barricaded himself on the 8th floor and the BCPD Quick Response Team is on the scene.

Baltimore Streetcar Article

2010-09-16T11:41:00.000-04:00

There is a quick piece about Baltimore Streetcars and their hopeful revival on Streetsblog today. If you have a minute check it out.

http://streetsblog.net/2010/09/16/the-unnatural-demise-and-possible-revival-of-the-baltimore-streetcar/

BTW, still no new info on the Charles Street Trolley in a long time, so no idea what the status is on that. With the success of the CCC, maybe this will be a boost.