Baltimore Grows

In case you hadn’t noticed, BaltimoreGrows.com has a new blogger - Jeff.  I pleaded, and he answered the call.  As you can tell his posts have helped revive this blog, as well as inspired me to get some new posts up.

 Jeff was born and raised in Towson, but has lived in Canton for the past 2 years.  He had this to say…“I’ve seen a lot of changes in Baltimore since I was a kid, and seeing so much positive change recently has encouraged me to join the blog.  I’m particularly interested in new development, especially retail, restaurants, and residential that add to the character of our city, and that I hope to contribute for a good long while!”

Welcome and thanks to Jeff.

 Glen

So I received an email from a reader who was concerned because her daughter is considering relocating to Baltimore.  Her daughter is looking into working at Hopkins Hospital (I assume main campus).

“Everyone in my state warns that it’s not safe to live in Baltimore.”  We’ll they’re right. Haven’t you see The Wire - it’s only the best show on television for the last 5 years.  In this city you’re either a corner boy, stoop boy, junkie, or police.  Okay - it’s not actually that bad.  Actually most of the city is pretty safe.  I explained just like any other city, Baltimore has its good and bad spots.  But in Baltimore those areas tend to intersect more than in some other cities.  Take Federal Hill for example.  One of the “nicest” and most expensive neighborhoods in Baltimore sits only a few block from public housing.  And South Fed. Hill (at least that’s what realtors call it) continues to have its share of robberies and other issues.

She was also concerned about safety in the immediate area around the hospital and getting to and from public parking.  I have only driven by the hospital a couple times, but I assume it’s safe enough with security patrols etc.  Hopefully someone else here can provide some more insightful info.

Her other question - “What area would be best for a 25 year old female commuting to John Hopkins to live?”  My response; Canton or Locust Point.  Canton because it probably has the highest concentration of 20-somethings, plenty of nightlife, is safe, and is pretty close to Hopkins.  Locust Point because I’m biased and because it is probably the safest neighborhood in the city.  But it really depends on what your looking for.  Any other recommendations?

Driving down I-95 yesterday, I noticed that demolition had begun on the old Westport Power Plant on the banks of the middle branch of the Patapsco River in Baltimore.  This might make the vision of having a “second inner harbor” as some people have called it, more of a reality.   Planned is a mixed-use development that will include high-rises, offices, condos, and retail.  Rumor also has it (unconfirmed) that Donald Trump has invested in the project in anticipation of legalized gambling in Baltimore.  The middle branch has been one of the locations proposed for a slots parlor if approved by Maryland voters.

 In other Middle branch news, the Tribune Company has bought up The Sun’s land in Port Covington (56 acres).  This land, along with the land occupied currently by Wal-Mart and Sams Club, have been targeted for mixed-use redevelopment.  The developer apparently envisions a “2-billion dollar, Harbor East-style community”.  If the Sun property and the Wal-Mart property are combined, this would apparently amount to about 140 acres available for redevelopment.  This is in addition to and separate from the redevelopment planned around the former power station.  However, having multiple developers investing in the same area will hopefully fuel the fire and encourage heavier investment. 

I was intrigued when I read an article the other day reporting that a developer plans to build 99 new townhouses and condos in Pigtown near th B&O railroad museum (expected to go on sale in 2010).  The developer also wants to revitalize a block of Pigtown’s commercial district along Washington Blvd. bringing new restaurants and shops.  Pigtown has been gentrifiying for a while, but I didn’t expect to hear this kind of announcement.  It’s definitely a good thing for the area.  Maybe it has to do with Pigtown’s name change to “Washington Village”, but has this area finally become the next Federal Hill or Canton?  Seems like there might be no stopping it at this point, especially with University of Maryland creeping across MLK.  However, I haven’t been over that way in a while.  I’m interested to hear perspectives from anyone who lives over there…especially the early pioneers…as to how redevelopment is going in that area. 

So the other day my wife and I stopped into Nasu Blanca - the Japanese/Spanish restaurant and bar around the corner from our house in Locust Point. We had been there before for dinner and pretty much decided I wouldn’t go back anytime soon. To me it’s overpriced and the food is just a bit to “fancy” for my tastes. My seared tuna appetizer was served with foie gras - gross. But it made Baltimore Magazine’s top 50 restaurants, so other’s apparently like it. But that’s all beside the point, back to the present. We had stopped back into Nasu Blanca because The Wine Market was closed for a private party and we wanted to grab a couple drinks and appetizers for happy hour. The good news, they have a happy hour menu with reduced drink and food prices. The bad news, the bartender recommended a beer on tap which apparently wasn’t part of the special. When the check came I was surprised to see the price of the beer - $9!

$9 for a normal pint-sized beer. It didn’t come with a bowl of chili, nachos, or even two free songs on the jukebox [they don't have one]. To me there’s no place in this country for a $9 beer, especially not in “blue-collar” Baltimore, and double especially [that sounds strange...] not in “working class” Locust Point.