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?

water ballet

above is a photo from salsapolkalooza, a neighborhood festival put on by the creative alliance at the patterson last weekend. i wasn't really sure what it was going to involve, but i went with a friend (after picnicking in patterson park) and it was a very pleasant surprise. there was a wonderful merengue band and dance floor. the creative alliance does some awesome work, really bringing the community in southeast baltimore together and making art and art education accessible to everyone. they have some pretty cool events, including a beach house (awesome local electronica duo) concert on august 10.

and speaking of cool events, i went to the fluid movement performance of "mother goosed: the nurseryland campaign trails" this weekend. it was hilarious, relevant, and very well-rehearsed. i can only imagine how many hours of preparation went into choreographing, costuming, and composing the 75-person water ballet. it was an imaginative and family-friendly event that just reinforced my love for baltimore. they will be performing again next weekend-- at 5 and 7 pm on friday and saturday, at patterson park in east baltimore-- and it is totally worth the $9. see below for examples of their zany costumes and thoughtful choreography.

cafe roundup

the topic of conversation tonight: cafes in town. here are some of my favorites, but i'd love to hear about more.

-el rancho grande: i just stumbled upon this place recently, but its a hands-down favorite for me. located at the intersection of falls road and 36th ("the avenue") in hampden, it is one of the few late-night coffeehouses in this city. the place feels simultaneously funky, home-like and southwestern and has awesome decor. the prices are a little steep-- i usually get an iced coffee for $3-- but i like contributing to this small establishment. i've heard there are jam sessions there on wednesday nights; often, concerts take place on saturday nights. the fact that it is open late at all is wonderful for those of us under 21. i would highly recommend making a trip here (from goucher, i'd recommend taking the light rail to woodberry, walking up union ave and then taking a right on falls).
-common ground: also located in hampden, this rowhouse-cafe is a real destination. great coffee, artsy atmosphere, interesting people, reasonable prices, walking accessibility, and solid air conditioning. the counter is a pretty tight squeeze, but they have a cute front room as well as a more expansive back room and back deck. i've heard their iced chai shake things are good, and i will totally vouch for their coffee.
-zia's cafe, in towson, is another hotspot. this is clearly an ideal location-- on allegheny avenue-- for goucher students. their vegan/vegetarian focus is genuine and their coffee is also delicious. if i could change anything it would be their hours (i've repeatedly tried to come here on sunday afternoons, always forgetting they are closed) because it seems like a good place to get some studying done.
-donna's: is pretty much entirely out of my price range, but great for a treat if you are wandering around mt. vernon or charles village. i had their iced-coffee-sundae thing last summer and was entirely satisfied for quite a while... unfortunately, it was $6 and i haven't been back since. this definitely has an upscale feel to it.
-one world cafe: located by hopkins on university parkway (goucher kids- take the colltown shuttle), i am a huge fan of this organic, wholesome, and refreshing cafe. i thoroughly enjoyed a meal here once, but i've also sampled some of their coffee and loved it. this is also vegetarian-themed but is quite a bit more expansive than zia's, as well as closer to other attractions, such as the baltimore book thing, the 32nd street/waverly farmer's market, the bma, and hopkins itself. this is a good place to meet up and chat with an old friend or take a date.
-i've heard xs, in mt. vernon, is another good late-night coffee place, but i haven't been there myself. would anyone care to give their opinion?


also, i forgot to mention this event going on next weekend as well: the charm city roller girls "saturday night roast". i went to one of their bouts in june and it was pretty over-the-top. i'm still a little confused about the rules of the game, but from what i can tell, it's serious, competitive, and can get pretty rough. it was also a whole lot of fun. the crowd was a mix of fancy twenty-somethings, grunge dads and other artsy folk who had been at honfest in hampden earlier that day... the arena is over in the canton area and tickets are $10, but this is definitely worth it to experience once.

for those of you that didn't catch artscape or whartscape this weekend, i've attached some photos. i was really impressed with artscape-- the scope of this event is so enormous, i can't imagine organizing all the vendors/performers/volunteers/etc.-- but it did have some corporate undertones (ie. it was co-sponsored by target). seeing sisqo and dru hill perform was something i wouldn't have paid money to see, but it was entertaining until some kid threw hot dogs at us and the grassy hill became too uncomfortable. my favorite part of the event was seeing the variety of people it attracted, including the art groups and artists i've read about, lovely goucher people, experimental and somewhat frightening installations, plenty of out-of-towners, etc. i felt very out of place at whartscape-- i am totally not cool enough for that crowd-- but it was eye-opening in a different way. i was pretty disappointed with the "music" we heard there, although i'm not sure screaming obscenities while crowd surfing, accompanied by '90s jams and eerie noise, really counts as music. i enjoyed people-watching there but found the ultrahipster uniform of tight, short shorts, beat-up shirts, big glasses, intentionally ugly haircuts and '80s sneakers to become pretty mundane. why try so hard to look different when everyone's idea of "different" is the same?

ARTSCAPE and next weekend

hello again! i would like to encourage everyone to

GO TO ARTSCAPE THIS WEEKEND!

it is going to be wonderful. three (or, two and a half) days of art, music, dance, theatre, vendors, and marveling in baltimore's splendid arts scene. it is FREE and is going to be giant. whartscape's lineup for sunday looks good too, but $12 just does not compare to the free festivities at artscape.

it looks like the weekend of july 26 & 27th is going to be outrageous, so please take the time to check out some of the events going on then. if you're in town, you should consider:
-the hamilton street festival, featuring a classic car show and live music.
-baltimore's water ballet troupe, fluid movement, will be performing their "Mother Goosed: The Nurseryland Campaign Tales" at riverside park. i'm not really sure what the deal is with fluid movement, but from what i gather they are a politically-minded, satirical, performing arts group. i would like to learn more about them. the tickets for this show are pricey ($25), so i will probably wait to see them at patterson park on august 2 & 3.
-the chesapeake folk festival, sponsored by the maryland traditions program and the chesapeake bay maritime museum, should be really cool too. here's how it's described on their website: "A celebration of the Bay's people, traditions, work, food, and music, the festival gives you a unique chance to enjoy hands-on demonstrations by regional craftspeople and live musical performances by the Zionaires, the New Gospelites, Three Penny Opera, and Irish traditional musicians. You can take a boat ride on the Miles River and dine on steamed crabs, crab cakes, beer, or barbeque chicken."
-the creative alliance's salsapolkalooza festival, as described below, should also be quite a treat!
-it looks like there will be a german festival at the state fair grounds in timonium as well that weekend. the 108th annual (!), this involves a lot of beer and live music.

finally, my friend showed me this blog today and it looks absolutely wonderful. check it out.

summer outdoor film series

i am greatly impressed by the popularity of outdoor movies shown in baltimore each summer. i haven’t been to any of the four series yet, but definitely i intend to before too long.

take advantage of these opportunities and catch what you may have missed while they are still on a big screen.

locations
1. jhu
shriver hall of johns hopkins university’s homewood campus (shriver hall) in charles village, 3400 north charles street, hosts free friday night movies at 8:30 pm. this is easily accessible when the collegetown shuttle service is running, but during the summer i'd suggest taking the #8 bus from dulaney valley road to greenmount & 32nd, then walking to campus. find out more here.

2. avam
the american visionary art museum, one of the coolest places i've ever been, is located in federal hill, just a short walk from the inner harbor (which is accessible via the light rail— convention center stop— or the end of the #8 bus line). the movies they project every thursday evening at 9 pm are viewable from the hill itself. make sure you visit the museum, which is free from 5-9 pm on these days. this is such a great opportunity to see this one-of-a-kind museum! read more here.

3. little italy
little italy, a surprisingly authentic neighborhood just east of the inner harbor, hosts their own outdoor movie series at the intersection of high and stiles street at 7 pm each friday. this seems to be a very long-standing tradition that would be a lot of fun to take advantage of. for more details, see here.

4. fells
the historic and upscale neighborhood of fells point, east of both the inner harbor and little italy (and the hot new development spot, harbor east), shows their films on wednesday nights at 8.45 pm. the films are shown at broadway pier and are sponsored by two popular stores in the area, sound garden (cd store) and su casa (home furnishings). bring a sweater- it gets breezy by the water. it’s about a 30-minute walk from the convention center stop on the light rail and less from the end of the #8 bus line. their website is here.

schedule
thursday, july 10: close encounters of the third kind/avam
friday, july 11: ratatouille/jhu, moonstruck/little italy
wednesday, july 16: batman/fells
thursday, july 17: the gods must be crazy/avam
friday, july 18 : stardust/jhu, seabiscuit/little italy
wednesday, july 23: transformers/fells
thursday, july 24: quiz show/avam
friday, july 25: some like it hot/jhu, my big fat greek wedding/little italy
wednesday, july 30: sponge bob square-pants/fells
thursday, july 31: harold and maude/avam
friday, august 1: hairspray/little italy
wednesday, august 6: i am legend/fells
thursday, august 7: casablanca/avam
friday, august 8: life is beautiful/little italy
wednesday, august 13: the birds/fells
friday, august 15: blues brothers/little italy
wednesday, august 20: tba/fells
friday, august 22: cinderella man/little italy
wednesday, august 27: tba/fells
friday, august 29: cinema paradiso/little italy
wednesday, september 18: tba/fells