Baltimore Grows

Although Baltimore didn’t make the top ten, it was named as a “City to Watch” when it comes to the “Best Cities for Design”.? This is perhaps another bellwether that Baltimore is re-emerging as one of America’s best and most notable cities.? The study was commissioned by RMJM Hillier…one of the world’s largest architecture firms.

The top 10 Cities were ranked as follows:

1. Chicago, IL
2. New York, NY
3. Boston, MA
4. Los Angeles, CA
5. Portland, OR
6. San Francisco, CA
7. Seattle, WA
8. Denver, CO
9. Philadelphia, PA
10. Washington, D.C.

Click Here to Read the Article

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

The Gateway at Washington Hill, a project once thought to be dead, appears to be back on the table…this time with even more retail.? The project, just south of Hopkins Hospital, was once the site of the Chapel Hill NDP housing project.? Those were torn down a couple of years ago and the gateway project has been in the works ever since.? ? The land had been for sale ever since one of the partners had backed out a few months ago.? It seems that David Holmes, the lead developer, has a new partner and the project is a go again.? ? While the residential and some retail has already been approved, the team is apparently beginning the process for approval of a larger retail portion…enough to house a grocery store.?

Click Here to Read the Article

Click Here to View the Original Plan
jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

The sign from the once famous Hammerjacks was removed yesterday to make? way for a new 1000 capacity concert venue called Bourbon Street Live.? No word on when the new venue may open.? Click Here to Read the Previous Post on this Topic.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

The new Hilton Hotel might block your view from Camden Yards, but at least it will come with a pretty nifty new sports bar according to the Baltimore Business Journal.? The new restaurant and sports bar, called “Diamond Tavern” will have 200 seats.? Click here to read the article.? The hotel is scheduled to open in August.

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In other news, chain restaurant “Kona Grill” which serves Hawaiian style cuisine, will open at 1 E. Pratt St. in the Verizon Building.? Click here to read the article. ? Also visit http://www.konagrill.com/

Perhaps all of these new restaurants will draw some people past the waterfront promenade and out into the city.

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

All great cities have one, so if Baltimore is (or is going to be) the Greatest City in America, then we better get one too! See the information below regarding the potential for a Baltimore Design Center.? Also visit http://alterurban.com/bdc.htm

jeffcantonite@yahoo.com

City battles backups on Boston St.
Proposals offered for clearing snag at major rail crossing

By Jessica Anderson |Sun Reporter

June 21, 2008

With a large fitness club on one side of Boston Street and new business on other side, the signs are clear that Canton is rapidly growing across a section of railroad tracks and into an adjacent industrial area.

Cars routinely clog Boston Street, with traffic jams now reaching as far east as Interstate 95, frustrating residents and visitors. “It’s already a nightmare,” said Darryl Jurkiewicz, president of the Canton Community Association.

The large, multitrack crossing used by three railroads that often switch from one track to the other increases delays and backups. The tracks run north and south, paralleling nearby South Haven Street. Continue Reading »

See More Baltimore Videos at www.visitmybaltimore.com

This should be interesting…

HBO Documentary Films Presents HARD TIMES AT DOUGLASS HIGH: A No Child Left Behind Report Card
Premiering Monday, June 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

The No Child Left Behind Act was created to boost academic levels of American schoolchildren by setting standardized goals across the nation – and holding states, districts and schools accountable for performance. For urban schools in high-poverty areas, reaching these goals has proven to be a daunting task, and many now face the real possibility of being taken over by the state – or being shut down altogether.

Produced and directed by Oscar-winners Alan and Susan Raymond, Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card reveals troubles and triumphs in the classrooms, hallways and offices of Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, MD – from the celebrations of drum lines and debate teams to the worries of faculty who know that 50% of their freshman will not return for their sophomore year. This immersive documentary cautions that education is inevitably an achievement of people, not policy.

Check out sneak peek clips of “Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card” on Dailymotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/HBOclips

Don’t miss this sobering evaluation of America’s educational crisis when Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card premieres this Monday, June 23 at 9 p.m. – only on HBO!

Thanks for the heads-up Cristin

Jews have lived in Baltimore since before the Revolutionary War, and the first ordained rabbi in the United States, Abraham Rice, arrived in Baltimore in 1840. He was followed by other European Jews who helped found Baltimore’s garment factories, as well as the city’s “Corned Beef Row” in East Baltimore.

The stores on Westside’s Whitelock Street bustled with Jews shopping for kosher meat, groceries and clothing. But the Jewish community eventually moved out to the suburbs. Only a few stayed in the city.

The neighborhood around Beth Am, once almost completely Jewish, is now predominantly black. “This area was close to 100% Jewish,” said Beth Am’s president, Efrem Potts.

The synagogue has teamed with block associations to decorate and tidy up the neighborhood. It’s an approach that combines generosity with common sense.

The neighbors embrace Jewish life as a natural part of their neighborhood. Said one African American, “Shalom!”

Beth Am is growing. From its beginning in the 1960’s, the synagogue is expanding.

This Labor Day weekend, August 28-31, 2008, the 28th annual Baltimore Summer Antiques Show will open its doors to over 30,000 attendees looking for unique, one-of-a-kind treasures among over 550 international dealers and a 60-dealer Antiquarian Book Fair. An educational lecture series enhances the show and will offer attendees and the general public a chance to learn about a wide range of topics relating to antiques featuring an all-star line-up of speakers, all renowned experts in their fields. Continue Reading »