free wednesday night concerts

baltimore's back in full swing of summertime activities-- thankfully, many of which are free or very cheap! this weekend i paid a whole $6 for great seats at an orioles game, had a great time at honfest in hampden (see photos), and took advantage of the free outdoor movie series at the village of cross keys. although i found cross keys very odd in that it is an extremely pre-planned enclave that is extremely different from the rest of the city (mostly in terms of demographics), it was a great setting to watch a movie on a calm summer evening. last night's show was avalon, one of barry levinson's classic films about growing up in baltimore-- i'd highly recommend any of the four films.






as for upcoming events, i was excited to read about the summer concert series at the museum of industry, 6-9 on wednesday nights. these are free (!) and look awesome. june 17th features jah works and dj who. by the way, the museum of industry caught me off guard with its fascinating, familiar exhibits-- definitely worth going to.

if you are looking for a neighborhood to check out, i live in remington and find it very genuine in its diversity and appeal. we're home to familiar landmarks such as the dizz, ace of cakes, and the papermoon diner as well as lesser known places like sterling's crab house on the corner of 29th and miles. the wyman park dell, just across from the (free and wonderful) baltimore museum of art, is a lovely spot to catch some afternoon relaxation. we're in walking distance of hampden, druid hill park, and hopkins/charles village. a few shots:

Maryland Traditions Showcase on June 11!

Charm City Confidential is back in action!


I am back in Baltimore after four months in Copenhagen and what a great place it is. From an urban studies perspective, Copenhagen is a really well-planned place with reliable and extensive public transportation, cutting-edge architecture, and incredible designers. I would really recommend it for those interested in learning about the history of a Northern European city-- there are many great museums, and most everything is in English as well as Danish. Here are a few shots of my last day there:





However, the reason for this post is that there is yet another exciting Baltimore event coming up! I trust summer 2009 will be just as fruitful as last summer in terms of quirky events in Charm City. I happen to be interning at the Maryland State Arts Council's Maryland Traditions program and thus am working hard on this event. Below you will find a bit about it:

Maryland Traditions, a program of the Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland Historical Trust, will present a traditional and folk arts showcase on Thursday, June 11 at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore. The afternoon session— from 4:00 to 7:00 pm— includes a roundtable discussion with Maryland instrument makers, insights from esteemed local cooks, and demonstrations of material arts (such as screen painting and Smith Island cake baking) followed by a dinner of traditional Maryland foodways. The evening portion features performances by boogie-woogie piano master Daryl Davis, ngoni (pre-banjo) player Cheick Hamala Diabate, South Indian Karnatic musicians P.K. and Lalitha Swaminathan and urban hip-hop dance master Junious “House” Brickhouse. The program also includes the Maryland Traditions 2009 ALTA (Achievement in Living Traditions and the Arts) Awards ceremony and recognition of the 2010 recipients of the program’s Master and Apprentice and Project Grants. Tickets are $6 and available at creativealliance.org, by calling 410-276-1651 or at the door.

This weekend, however, don't miss the Frederick Festival of the Arts, the Charles Village Festival (check out their website-- it is really visually interesting!), and the Texas Two-Step dance at the Creative Alliance! More events to come, of course...