Baltimore Skyline

New sign along S. Calvert Street. New sign is up at the future home of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company at 7 S. Calvert Street (historically 202 E. Redwood Street) originally built in 1885 for the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company.  as the home of the  Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company, ca. 1958

2002 Baltimore Rail Plan The 2002 Baltimore Rail Plan, besides planning for brand new routes, also envisioned expansion and reimagining of current routes. One of which was the Camden Line. The 2002 plan proposed expanding service to include local, more frequent service between Dorsey and Camden Station, in addition to the current commuter service to Union Station. While the plan did not go into very much detail it did include infill stations, and presumably "light rail" style frequencies. As things go, this never made it past the drawing board as the Red Line got the priority and maybe the Green Line extension next. This doesn't mean we shouldn't think about how to better use the Camden Line. In fact, with the infrastructure already there it really is a good option to provide better transit service to Baltimore. So let's say there is both funding and the full cooperation of CSX, with that in mind let me propose that we do exactly what the 2002 plan recommen...

photo by Baltimore Business Journal Collapse of section of 26th Street between St. Paul and N. Charles spilling mud, debris, and cars down on to the CSX (old B&O Belt Line) tracks in Charles Village. The Jones Falls has also flooded in Mt Washington and along Falls Rd near Penn Station and the Streetcar Museum.

S equence lights on Howard Street so trains can move between stations without having to stop at red lights. This would significantly cut down on the travel time between Mt. Royal/UB and Camden Yards. The technology is there, it just needs to be implemented in a more sensible way.  Improve passenger information at each station. This would include updating the maps to reflect the current light rail operation. The maps at most stations outside of downtown are poorly designed and show the light rail configuration when the extensions to Penn Station and BWI first opened in 1997. Way-finding and neighborhood maps showing immediate transit connections and local attractions are a must. Posted schedules should be updated immediately whenever a new version of the timetable is made. Newer Light Rail map at downtown stations. Update signs at all stations. A few years back the downtown stations had new signs that replaced the originals from 1992. In addition the stations feature a sy...

photo by blogger Things are moving along at the apartment renovation at 301 N. Charles Street. The developers even added two new flags to the poles that have stood devoid of ensigns for far too long. Except there is just one little problem, they flags are one the wrong poles! If I remember one thing from the flag etiquette it's that the US flag is always to the left when hanging from a building when there are two poles. It's the same rule the the flag is always to the right of a speaker when on the stage (that is, the left of the stage when viewing from the audience). The other helpful giveaway on this particular building (and we have the state of Maryland to thank for this) is the finial on the right hand flag pole is in the shape of a bottony cross; which denotes that this is the pole that the Maryland state flag is supposed to fly from. Really, it's not that complicated. I will now step down from my soapbox rostrum.

Hopefully this picture will help everyone get over the Winter Blues. Spring Training is in full force down in Sarasota. Baseball will be at Camden Yards in no time!

Loyola University Maryland, for the longest time known as Loyola College, was founded in 1852 and moved to it's present North Baltimore campus in 1921. The view of the corner of N. Charles Street and Cold Spring Lane has changed a lot over 93 years, just take a look at the signage on the corner.  circa 1920s 2006 2009 2014