buy 'em by the bag

buy 'em by the bag

Baltimore Sun photo by by Monica Lopossay / April 25, 2008

RIP Little Tavern. The last of these throw back hamburger stands just closed in Baltimore after holding on for so many decades. The closing is ironic given that sliders are such a hot trend, popping up on the menus at corner bars and pricey bistros.

Small square hamburgers were Little Tavern's stock in trade. They came with mustard, pickles, and the tiniest onions you could imagine. You didn't just buy one or two at a time, you bought 'em by the bag. And they were terrific.

The Little Tavern chain wasn't exclusive to Baltimore. It didn't even start here. But it fit right in and became a local institution. With so much change and newness around town lately, it's sad to lose a place that was such a Baltimore institution. It's places like that that helped Baltimore become Charm City.

So cherish the things we still have left. Go have lunch at Pollock Johnny's at Lexington Market. Support your local Arabber. Hang out someplace your grandparents might have loved and make it your own.

-mike

what's wrong with miller light and coronas?

I live in Federal Hill. People who live in Federal Hill don’t often venture any where else--maybe the occasional Canton, or if we get crazy, Mt. Vernon. But in all honesty we are happier in the 21230. In fact, last week I was told, “You Federal Hill kids drop anchor and it takes a tornado to get you to move, except if you're in Canton. Then a mouse passing gas is enough to send you back to The Hill.”

I had to prove him wrong. So, this past Saturday a group of my friends and I went to NYC for a night out. I was determined to do something different. We started with cocktails and appetizers at this really great bar called Bar Martignetti in SoHo. I have to admit, I picked it because it was supposed to be a great post-collegiate preppy scene. Considering that describes most of Federal Hill, I wasn’t really getting too far out of my comfort zone. However, there wasn’t one popped collar or polo shirt to be seen. These people took prep to a whole new level, and I would be lying if I didn’t say, we couldn’t hang.

A friend of mine told me about this really great underground bar that we should check out. Her directions were explicit.

Walk into the diner (it looked a lot like Sip n’ Bite)
Go to the Employees Only Door
Don’t say anything to the man at the door
Wait to be admitted

The bouncer looked at us suspiciously and after deeming to let us in, we went down to the kitchen, through this long corridor and came out into this antique cave of sorts. It was like stepping into a scene from Dead Poets Society.

When I asked the bartender for some Coronas and Miller Lights he looked at us like we had asked to lick the floor. Next we tried to order some red bull and vodka, but were informed, “We don’t carry red bull.” We hung at this place all night, but it is safe to say they probably couldn’t wait until we left.

I got back to Baltimore on Sunday afternoon just in time to hit up Little Havana’s and the Federal Hill Festival. I got a Miller Light as big as my face, ran into about 100 people that I know, and danced liked a crazy person. It's time like these that I am reminded how much I love this city, and I will be pretty content until a tsunami comes to town.

--faith

nyc transit plan

New York City has unveiled a new transportation plan that promotes sustainable growth, improved traffic and pedestrian flow, and the goal of doubling the number of bicycle commuters.

It's an impressive plan not just in scope, but because it's so forward-thinking and substantive. Check it out here.

-mike

green is the new blog

Right now everything is GREEN. However I am more inclined to agree with Kermit—it’s hard being green. I turn off my lights when I am not using them (at least when I remember), I recycle (however, I have no idea if the stuff I put in the specially marked trash can in my kitchen is actually recyclable, and I walk to work (most of the time). Aside from that, I really am unconcerned with the whole green wave.

I don’t buy green cosmetics, handbags, clothing, etc. etc. etc. I run the water the entire time I brush my teeth, I have already turned on the air conditioning, and I buy bottled water like it is going out of style. I may wear a size 5 shoe, but my carbon foot print is gargantuan.

Last week I went to look at an electric hybrid bus that could be the face of the new Downtown circulator. The Partnership and other agencies in the city are trying to fund a Downtown circulator that would be geared toward business professionals trying to get around the city.

In all honestly, I only went to look at the bus, because it was a nice day and I wanted to go for a walk. I mean it is a bus. How cool can it be?

No other city in the United States currently employs these buses; however New York City just purchased a small fleet of them, and for a good reason. It is clean, quiet, and surprisingly sleek for a public mode of transportation.

Although we are still in the planning phases, the idea that I might be able to jump on a shuttle bus Downtown and have lunch in Harbor East without paying a $15 dollar cab is pretty cool, and (dare I say it) GREEN.

-Faith

north avenue redevelopment

Historic photo of the North Avenue Market as posted on the Load of Fun website.

There's a good article in The Daily Record today (subscription required) summarizing the redevelopment of the old North Avenue Market and some of the other projects that are putting that area back on the map. (Here's an older article from Urbanite magazine about the SoHo effect - the delecate balance required to improve an area invigorated by lots of artists without pricing the creative class out of the neighborhood.)

Individual efforts, like Joe's Squared Pizza and the Load of Fun space, have quietly created a scene (see the previous post) on North Avenue over the past two years, but revving up the market space will go a long way toward connecting that energy with the popular theatres and restaurants around the corner on Charles Street.

Neglect and some bad architectural choices have given North Avenue a sort of strip mall feeling, but there are good bones there. It's a broad avenue with a wide median and lots of pedestrian room on both sides of the street. There are mixed building types, some of which offer large footprints that could easily accommodate retail, restaurants, and gallery or performance space. It's got good transit access and is convenient to the MICA, University of Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins Homewood campuses.

Standing at Charles and North, if you squint and use your imagination, you can picture what the avenue could be with a little more attention and some modest investment.

Visit the Station North A&E District website to find out more about the area and learn about upcoming events.

-mike

it's official. rolling stone says: baltimore rocks

Rolling Stone photo by Josh Rothstein

In case you don't get out much, the new issue of Rolling Stone gives you some idea of what you're missing. The current magazine includes a Best of Rock section that calls out Baltimore for having the Best Scene.

What's cool about the recognition is that it underscores just how diverse Baltimore's hip hop, art, and alt-rock culture is.

The article provides a tip-of-the-iceberg list of artists, scenesters, and places that are putting us on the map, including: Darkroom Productions, Wham City collective, Beach House, Double Dagger, and Deep Flow Studios.

This corresponding web post goes into a little more detail.

-m.e.

earth day / green week

Happy Earth Day everyone. This may not be as lively a celebration as, say... St. Patrick's Day, but there's no denying it's relevance. Most people don't associate environmentalism with Downtowns, but as we've noted on this blog, there's increasing evidence that dense transit-oriented communities like Downtown are much more eco-friendly than developments that gobble up land and require a car to go anywhere.

We'd also like to point out that, as far as The Partnership is concerned, every day is Earth Day. Each year our Clean, Safe & Beautiful Team picks up more than 700 tons of litter. We plant and maintain 300 flowerpots and hanging baskets. We've spent more than $30 million on streetscape improvements to make Downtown Baltimore even more walkable. And we're dramatically improving parks and plazas by adding green space, trees, energy efficient lighting, and surfaces that minimize runoff.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can help the environment, or if you're just looking for something fun to do, this Friday kicks off Baltimore Green Week - a series of free or almost free, eco-centered activities. The biggest event is EcoFest, which takes place this Saturday in Druid Hill Park. Check it out here.

-m.e.

we couldn't have said it better

There's no glossing over the serious crime problems that Baltimore, and cities just like us, are facing. But, here at The Partnership we do our best to let the world know that crime is only one small piece of Baltimore's story, and it certainly shouldn't define us.

We've documented in the past several State of Downtown reports that Baltimore is enjoying steady rises in investments and jobs, that it has turned around a decades-long trend of population decline thanks to thousands of people from outside the city who are choosing to make a life here, and that there are growing numbers of students, retail stores, hotel rooms, visitors, and quality of life improvements. You'll see in the upcoming State of Downtown report, to be released at our Business Over Breakfast on May 28, these trends are continuing even in spite of the slowing national economy.

But don't just take our word on it. An April 17 article in The Economist magazine has a feature on Baltimore that has this to say:

"Television dramas such as “The Wire” may give the impression that Baltimore is a hellhole. It is not. Most of the city is calm and pleasant. Only a couple of areas are crime-ridden. And even in these areas, relatively few young men commit—and are the victims of—the most serious crimes."

-m.e.

30,000 tons of junk

The pace of improvements to the south shoreline of the harbor (the Middle Branch) seems to be picking up as the north fork of the Patapsco (the Inner Harbor, Key Highway, Locust Point, Harbor East, Fell's Point, Canton) becomes fully developed and as more people realize the potential of all the available, and largely under-used shoreline on the other side of the Hanover Street Bridge.

As anyone who has ever walked the Inner Harbor promenade knows, the north shoreline is all hardscape. Which is to say, it's all bricks and concrete. By contrast, most of the new plans for the Middle Branch will keep it green and park like. The Westport development that Pat Turner is working on, for example, will replenish the shoreline, adding new wetlands and biofilters. The National Aquarium has plans to do the same at its forthcoming learning center.

Sun photo by Kathryn Whitney shows Delegate Brian McHale and Governor O'Malley surrounded by schoolchildren at yesterday's environmental center groundbreaking.

Standing in the way of all this greening is the sorry environmental legacy of heavy industry in that part of the city. Remediating a brownfield is not cheap nor easy. Case in point: to kick off Earth Week, yesterday the Mayor and Governor broke ground on a multi-million dollar environmental education center on the shoreline near Brooklyn and Curtis Bay. But first, according to today's Baltimore Sun, this had to happen:

"The cleanup of 22 acres of shoreline along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River - one of the most contaminated areas in the city's harbor - has led to recovery by the Maryland Port Administration of 30,000 tons of trash, roughly the same weight as 4,000 buses, including timber, concrete, pollutant-containing electrical equipment, more than two dozen shipwrecks and nearly 200,000 gallons of petroleum-tainted water. Some of the debris dates to the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904."

-m.e.

high cost of suburban living

Light Rail Commuters in Downtown Baltimore.

Today on NPR, Morning Edition reported that home prices are falling most in areas with the longest commute times, and that both developers and home buyers are embracing smart growth policies as a result.

National studies have shown that in-town and transit-oriented neighborhoods are maintaining or gaining in value as people tire of long commutes, calculate rising energy prices, and factor in the higher environmental costs of suburban living.

David Goldberg was interviewed for the report. He's with Smart Growth America which has documented that, over the past two years, construction in formerly undeveloped land has slowed while urban construction has held steady.

He specifically mentioned Baltimore as a place where more and more suburban residents are opting for Downtown living, and he sees the trend continuing as baby boomers downsize in retirement, and Gen Y eschews the long commutes and lawn care that come with suburban living in favor of city centers.

Here's a link to today's NPR story.

Here's a link to a separate, two-part NPR series on how suburban living takes a toll on families and the world's climate.

Here's a link to a Smart Growth America study that "found that people who live in compact urban neighborhoods drive about a third less than those living in sprawl. It also found that that shifting 60 percent of new growth to compact patterns would save 85 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2030."

-m.e.

cities doin' it for themselves

The April edition of Metropolis magazine features an article by Karrie Jacobs about how cities are taking the lead on issues of national importance (like California did on CAFE standards and curbing auto emissions), while the feds are slowly having to catch up. She writes:

"I’ve noticed that America’s big-city mayors have emerged as a sort of government in exile, putting forth a remarkably progressive, and occasionally visionary, domestic agenda while the federal government has been AWOL."

Jacobs started thinking about this role reversal during a talk by then-Mayor O'Malley. He was frustrated by the lack of help and information he wasn't getting out of Washington in the wake of 9/11. Instead of waiting for DC to get its act together, Jacobs writes that O'Malley, "organized with his fellow mayors in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia—a sort of mini-NATO pact for the Delmarva region."

Jacobs continues:

"What struck me while listening to O’Malley was the extent to which America’s cities are on their own, taking a leadership role on issues that used to be the job of the federal government. New York City, for example, now has a crack antiterrorism agency within the police department, one that I instinctively trust more than the FBI. And it’s not just in preparation for cataclysmic events like 9/11 or Katrina; cities have stepped up to address issues such as global warming and the decay of our infrastructure."

Unfortunately, there are limits to this bottom-up approach. The feds are fighting tooth and nail to keep states like Maryland from adopting their own regulations on things like auto emissions. And earlier this week, Mayor Dixon testified to Congress that, despite stepped-up local efforts to curb gun crimes, meaningful improvements to gun control laws are needed at the federal level if we hope to slow the rate of gun violence. According to today's article in the Baltimore Sun, Mayor Dixon testified that, "If we could solve the problem of illegal guns without coming to Washington, we would. But we need help from the federal government."

-m.e.

"the wire" is over! (or is it?)

For the past five years, David Simon and his amazing crew have made my job—what's the word I am looking for—challenging. And while I am absolutely addicted (no pun intended) to The Wire, I am slightly elated that HBO won't be syndicating a show that depicts my city as an arm pit.

I recently downloaded the theme song from "The Wire" to listen to while I walk to work. It is a two mile trek from my house in South Baltimore to City Center in the heart of Downtown. Needless to say, I pass many of the sites that are frequently viewed on the wire—The Court House, Lexington Market, The Baltimore Sun, and numerous underpasses and alleys. Every day I see more Under Armour clad runners, popped collar Loyola Grads, and local yuppies walking their tea cup yorkies, than straight up gangsters.

However, for those of you who don't know what to do without your fix, (man I am on a roll) there is a rumor that "The Wire" will be made into a movie. More to come. . .

"When you walk through the garden gotta watch your back. Well I beg your pardon; walk the straight and narrow track."—Way Down in the Hole

faith

one mossy roof

There's an interesting article in today's Examiner about the green roof being installed at the new Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel. The plans call for 32,000 square feet of green roof comprised of six different species of plants. According to the article, this will make it bigger than the one over at Montgomery Park.

Of all the benefits to green roofs (increased efficiency, runoff control, longer life of the roof membrane), I've never seen any discussion of their connection to the heat island effect created in urban areas where there are lots of reflective building surfaces. Green roofs help keep the interior of a building cooler in the warmer months. Might they also help keep the surrounding area cooler since they don't bounce as much sunlight & heat off into the air? If so, and if enough buildings in an area had green roofs and other ground-level landscaping, we could probably create micro-climates in the city - places where the air temperature drops in the summer.

This is what happened in Center Plaza after it was redesigned. The old plaza was almost entirely concrete and in the summer it felt like a hotplate. It was miserable. The new space is grassy with young shade trees and gravel pathways. Last summer it was noticeably cooler than the surrounding streets and sidewalks.

-m.e.

The revamped Center Plaza.

first daughter in federal hill

The water cooler talk last Friday was all about the confirmed news that Jenna Bush will be moving with her soon-to-be husband to South Baltimore. Some people who work here and live in that area are wondering how this will change the neighborhood, if at all. Will that mysterious guy next to you at Cross Street Market be Secret Service? Will there be traffic jams in front of the house? What happens if the in-laws come for a visit?

Whatever people's feelings about the move, the general consensus seems to be that it's pretty cool for a couple who could live anywhere to choose Baltimore. In fact, thousands of people have moved into Baltimore from outside the city and the region over the past few years. Here in Downtown, the population has more than doubled. Still, there's a lingering sense among many natives that Baltimore is an also-ran... the homely step-sibling to glam spots like Washington or Philly.

IMHO, the more people move here the more Downtown Baltimore is starting to feel like those other cities. I've lived and worked Downtown since the early 90s and walking around is different now than it was even five years ago. There's more energy. Sidewalks are more crowded. The restaurant scene is sooo much better. There are more places to shop. I had a friend in town on Saturday. He went to college here two decades ago and has since lived in Manhattan, DC, and now Boston. He was blown away by all the changes.

-m.e.

basilica prayer garden

Anyone wondering what was going to happen to the plot of land where the Rochambeau once stood got their answer last Friday when the Baltimore Archdiocese broke ground on the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden.

What's currently a grassy field will become a $1.5 million green space along a well-traveled portion of Charles Street (at Franklin). It will feature a winding path of flowers and shade trees, and a monument to Pope John Paul II designed by Baltimore-born artist Joseph Sheppherd.

Artists rendering of the prayer garden coming to Charles & Franklin Streets, courtesy of Mahan Rykiel Associates.

A large scrim will cover the portion of the Franklin Street garage that overlooks the park. Everything should be ready in a couple of months.

Hopefully, the completed space will cast its zen vibe out to calm drivers as they pass by. During the groundbreaking, the speakers were occasionally drowned out by loud trucks and honking motorists. Otherwise, it could be a noisy place to find inner calm.

-m.e.

free money

People often associate The Partnership with large development projects, like the transformation of Center Plaza or the Pratt Street redesign. But we also have programs to help the little guy. Our Facade Improvement Program (FIP), for example, has been used by dozens of smaller commercial properties to fix up the front of their building.

The process works like this: You apply and, if accepted in to the FIP, we team you up with a team of engineers/architects who help out with the redesign (everything from structural elements to color scheme, to signage). In addition to the design help, you are eligible for a matching grant of up to $20,000.

Here are "before" and "after" shots of a property that went through the program.

So, to recap... get accepted to the FIP and we'll match the money you put into the project up to $20,000. Plus, you get free design help on the front end. Not a bad deal.

If you're interested in learning more, call LaToya Staten @ 410.244.1030.

-m.e.

welcome. . .

. . . to the inaugural post of our blog. The micro plan is to update this space with news, information, and insights that might be of interest. As with all we do, the macro plan for this site is to generate excitement and discussion about what's happening in Downtown Baltimore and, hopefully, encourage more people to take advantage of all the area has to offer.

Downtown is the region's bulls-eye. If you say the word "Baltimore" to someone, odds are it's a Downtown image that comes to mind - the Inner Harbor, the ballparks, the skyline, or distinctive structures like the Bromo Seltzer Tower and Washington Monument. But, more than just an icon, Downtown is the economic and cultural epicenter of Greater Baltimore and this gives it relevance to everyone in the city and the five surrounding counties.

We've put together a crack team of, well... our staff to provide regular updates on Downtown Baltimore's social, economic, cultural, and political scene. And we'll pull in guest bloggers from time-to-time to provide different perspectives. What we won't be able to do, at least initially, is post comments from our readers. After talking to other bloggers about the experience it's clear that to do that well takes a lot of time to moderate discussions. But please click on the link at the bottom of the page to email us directly if something you read motivates you to write.

Thanks.
Mike Evitts