Despite the nation’s economic woes, there still seem to be some new restaurants coming to Baltimore.
The Baltimore Sun reported that the Bagby Building (along Fleet Street in Fells Point) will be the new home to a brick oven pizzeria and a new American fusion bistro. A Verizon Wireless store recently opened in the same building which also has room for two more restaurants. There’s an area available for outdoor seating as well.
The Sun also reported that while Tsunami, the sushi restaurant on Central Avenue north of Harbor east, has closed, the owners plan to open a new restaurant in its place. Supposedly the new restaurant will either be an Australian gastropub or a Mexican-Latino theme. Tsunami’s sushi will now be available at its sister restaurant, Lemongrass, next door.
And the Baltimore Business Journal reported that an “upscale casual” eatery is planned for the Zenith Apartment building on the city’s West Side. The publication also noted that the upscale italian chain “Vapiano” is scouting locations in Baltimore City. Vapiano’s only other US locations are in the Washington DC area and Ft. Meyers Florida.
Who’s Baltimore’s best mayor from the last 30+ years. The last six mayors have been Democrats, and the city hasn’t seen a Republican mayor since Theodore R. McKeldin in 1967. So for better or for worse, you only have Dems to pick from on this list.
Every summer, when hoards of tourists descend upon Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, most of the locals head for the hills.
During the winter time, however, it is pretty much dead around the harbor, but it’s a great time for some of us locals to catch a good deal or eat at one of the harbor restaurants without waiting in line. Here’s a few things that might be worth checking out:
1. The Baltimore Aquarium – Prices take a dive…Fridays after Five. Admission goes down to $8.00 (it’s normally $28). It’s a good time to visit the new Australia exhibit if you haven’t seen it yet. You can also hold out for Downtown Dollar Days.
2. Baltimore Downtown Dollar Days – Saturday and Sunday December 6th-7th – Many attractions are only $1.00 for admission, including the National Aquarium, Maritime Museum, Constellation, and the Science Center. For a full list of attractions, follow this link: http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com/images/Email/DTP_DollarDaysFlyer_Online.pdf
3. Restaurants – Many of these places are packed in the summer, but most lack any kind of wait in the winter time. Some tourist traps still exist, but here’s a few places worth checking out: PF Changs (a personal favorite), Cheesecake Factory (a national favorite), Fogo de Chao (a Brazilian churrascaria), Blu Bambu http://www.blubambu.net/ (I think this might be the only Mongolian style grill in the area), Potbelly Subs (yum), Tir Na Nog (Pretty good Irish Food), and Edo Sushi.
So go ahead…bundle up and be a tourist in your own town! Also, if anyone else knows of any good downtown deals, please post a reply to this post.
University of Baltimore officials have awarded a winning design in a competition for a new law school building that brought competitors from across the globe. The winners were German firm Behnisch Architekten in a joint venture with Baltimore-based Ayers, Saint, Gross Inc.
The prominent building site sits at the corner of Charles St. and Mt. Royal Ave, fully visible from the Jones Falls Expressway. Undoubtedly, UB is going for an iconic design for the new 100 million dollar plus building. The design is decidedly modern in contrast to mainly historic and contemporary buildings in the area, although not unlike the MICA Brown Center and the new MICA Gateway Building further up Mt. Royal Ave.
Since the preliminary design is the result of a competition that lasted a few months, one would expect the design to change through the process of full design. But from the looks of it, the new design will be bold, daring, and will hopefully add to the character of growing midtown Baltimore on what has been a sad empty parking lot.
Baltimore, where Carroll flourished, and the fame of Calvert grew!
Here the old defenders conquered as their valiant swords they drew.
Here the starry banner glistened in the sunshine of the sea,
In that dawn of golden vision that awoke the song of Key:
Here are hearts that beat forever for the city we adore;
Here the love of men and brothers — Baltimore, our Baltimore!
Here the clipper ships of story brought the cargoes of their day,
From the ports of seven oceans homing white-winged up the bay.
Here immortal Poe illumined living letters with his lyre;
Here Lanier’s uplifting measures taught the world a fresh desire;
Here the tradesman and the statesman, here the gallant hearts of yore
Came to build a beauteous city — Baltimore, our Baltimore!
Here the charm of parks and gardens, here the spirit of the home;
Here the music of the morning in the wind across the foam.
Here the teacher and the prophet, here the sermon and the song,
Keep the higher beauty burning and the nobler purpose strong:
Here the church and here the temple teach our hearts their hallowed lore;
Here hath Science wed with Healing — Baltimore, our Baltimore!
God of grace, thou great Jehovah, make us grateful, keep us true,
That these gifts of light and leading may enchain our hearts to you;
That in clearer vision growing men may follow still the gleam,
As a righteous city blossoms in the golden years of dream:
Here where Art and Learning beckon, Justice pleads for rich and poor,
God to guide, and man to worship — Baltimore, our Baltimore!
Google has launched its “Street View” service for Baltimore as of Nov 4th. With this feature, you can view building facades through Google Maps as if you were walking down the Street…you can possibly even see your own home. Not all of Baltimore has been photographed yet, but Google has a decent amount uploaded. To use the feature go to http://maps.google.com/ and toggle on the Street View button.
According to Google, Baltimore was one of the most requested cities for the Street View project.
The approval for slots by voters in Maryland last week could give a much needed boost to development in Baltimore during a tough economic period. As evidenced by the City Council’s quick approval to purchase a parcel of land in South Baltimore, development of the proposed slots parlor could be swift. The slots bill was written so that only one casino could be built within the city limits, essentialy limited to the area adjacent to the proposed Gateway South Development.
While not connected to Gateway South, the slots parlor could give that project a real boost. Gateway South developers hope to take advantage of the site’s proximity to 295 (i.e. commuter traffic from DC).
The development plan (which has already received master plan approval from the City) is for an active and lively transit oriented mixed use project that includes 1,000,000 sf of class A waterfront office space, 150,000 sf of retail, a 90,000 sf indoor sportsplex, a 70,000 sf multimodal transportation terminal, parking and a rehabilitated site on which to locate the development and with which to connect the City’s greater open space network.
Follow this link to find out more about the Gateway South Project:
Here are some renderings…this project is by Cormony Development Company. The slots parlor will be on one of the vacant lots just north of this site (you can sort of make it out in the last picture). A developer for the slots parlor has not been selected yet. The slots parlor and Gateway South Project will be built on mostly former industrial/warehouse brownfield sites.
No matter where your views stand, please remember to exercise your right to vote this Tuesday. While there really aren’t any close races for Baltimore City, the ballot initiative on slots will definitely be one that affects Baltimore (whether it passes or not).
If everybody’s plea isn’t enough to get you to vote, maybe a free Ben & Jerry’s or Starbucks will. Free coffee and ice cream for all voters Nov 4th!
Babas Mediterranean Kitchen recently opened on Fort Avenue in the Riverside Park neighborhood (which sits between Federal Hill and Locust Point). It’s nice to see another option for relatively cheap food in the area, that isn’t the same old South Baltimore sub/pizza shop. Babas is located next to Lime mexican restaurant in spot where Brunos sub shop used to be. We’ve eaten there once and enjoyed it. Although there menu is somewhat limited. Other reviews on the Web have been mixed, and some have compained that Babas has odd hours. They did a really nice job on the rennovation.
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