end of summer things to do

if you're in town-- or soon will be-- make sure you check these out:
-go to an orioles game. it's easy to get there (take the light rail to convention center/camden yards), cheap (tickets can be as cheap as $7), and fun (even if you don't like baseball, it's an interesting cultural experience!). you can bring your own food in, too!
-catch the last of the little italy film series on friday, august 29. they are showing "cinema paradiso" at the intersection of high and stiles streets (you can walk there from the inner harbor); show is at 7 pm but you need to get there early to find seats. free!
-go to the maryland state fair at timonium fairgrounds (literally one light rail stop from lutherville). full of fried things on sticks, adorable farm animals, and an impressive array of crafts, clothes, and crops grown by area 4Hers. you might also see a chainsaw-carving artist or a swimming pig. i think it's $8 but it's totally worth the experience. appreciate what maryland has to offer-- i always forget that we have such a strong rural community here too.
-check out erin fitzpatrick's baltimore portrait series, on display at hampden's awesome rocket to venus restaurant/bar until october 12.
-if you're looking for a specific reason to explore patterson park (see my last post for more about that), go to the 30th annual ukrainian festival there on september 6 & 7. it features ukrainian food, music and dance on both days.

below are some photos of my state fair experience last weekend:

make it a park day

after spending a lazy two hours in wyman park last weekend, i can whole-heartedly say that there is almost nothing better. the weather has been beautiful lately-- not humid at all!-- and exploring the area's parks has never seemed more appealing. here are some of my favorite places to enjoy the great outdoors:

patterson park

southeast baltimore's gem, this huge patch of green contrasts sharply with the surrounding, clearly urban setting. in addition to running trails, the park offers an ice rink, swimming pool, stadium and other athletic facilities. it's also a great place to watch the kinetic sculpture race, the wacky arts-and-engineering parade that takes place each may. the pagoda (pictured here) has become somewhat of a landmark and remains a terrific place to view the city.

loch raven reservoir

i would say that loch raven is absolutely a must-see for all goucher students. it is ridiculously close (just a couple minutes north on dulaney valley road) and surprisingly serene. this is a great place to picnic or take a walk. swimming is off-limits due to the fact that it is a reservoir (people do it anyways, but the numbers have dwindled since last year's beaver attack). i fondly remember taking a goucher van up there for our isp end-of-the-year picnic...

wyman park

i love wyman park. this somewhat hidden urban greenspot, bordering johns hopkins and neighborhoods like hampden and roland park, is really quite large. the entrance on beech avenue in hampden appears to be some random little green patch until you walk down a hill and see a vast field, a smattering of dogs being walked, and get to the shady creek. i would highly recommend bringing a big floppy sun hat and a good book and plopping down for a number of hours.

other favorites include:
-gunpowder falls state park, 18,000 acres of beauty in baltimore and harford counties. 100 miles of trails = lots of peace and quiet.
-oregon ridge state park, where the baltimore symphony has a summer concert series. you can swim here (warning: it is $7!!!) or walk, or hang out with chickens or investigate area archaeology. unfortunately, a swarm of gypsy moths have destroyed a major part of the park, so expect some detours and a lot of dead trees for the coming months.
-federal hill park, in the southern end of the inner harbor across from the american visionary art museum, is a great place. the view from the top is exquisite, especially on the fourth of july. also a cool neighborhood.

i've also heard good things about:
-gwynn's falls, on the southwest border of baltimore city, is another hiking and biking trail that is surprisingly large-- 2,000 acres!
-pretty boy reservoir, north of cockeysville, is supposed to be a nice swimming hole as well.
-druid hill-- where the zoo is located-- is also supposed to be a great place to hang out.

map project

i finally finished my big project for the summer-- coloring in this giant map of baltimore's neighborhoods. i'm not sure how well this translates into picture form, but this map is huge (i'd guess about 3x5 feet)! staring at this for a couple of months has really proved, again and again, how baltimore is a city of neighborhoods. and speaking of maps, a topic i sincerely love, i'd like to share some of the baltimore map resources i've found.

baltimore city interactive map, produced by the mayor's office, seems worth checking out. they also put out a map of neighborhoods, divided by district. i personally prefer the arts and culture map, but there are also crime, capital and planning maps. they have a great list of (links to) other maps, plans, sites and organizations. you can download the map i colored from this site, or purchase it from the city planner's office. black and white are $5, color versions are $50...make it an art project to save $45. the baltimore green map indicates so-called "eco-friendly" destinations in the city. i think the live baltimore site is more for real estate purposes, but can give great detailed information on each neighborhood by selecting the region and then the area name. the baltimore sun also offers this homicide map and there is also the city paper's murder ink map. there is also this general crime map, (i think) sponsored by the police department. pretty interesting stuff.

anyone else have a favorite local map?