Visit Baltimore : Buzz

For Woodberry Kitchen's Spike Gjerde its all about local, local, local. The acclaimed chef shares his passion for getting the freshest produce and seafood.

Watch the video here.

Searching for green accommodations? Then check out this blogger's take on the Fairfield Inn, Baltimore's first green hotel.

Here's an excerpt.

"The Fairfield Inn at President & Lombard Streets is within walking distance of Little Italy and the Inner Harbor (but don't trust the 101 President Street address: Google Maps directed me to a different location across the street). This LEED-certified Silver structure is built on the site of the former Baltimore Brewing Company and retains some of the old factory feel, at least in the exposed brick of the lobby and first floor Tavern 101."

Read the entire article here.

While Baltimore's parks retain much of their beauty, this blogger found evidence online that might explain how Baltimore got the monniker "Charm City."

Here's the post:

"Someone sent me a site with antique postcards and photos of parks in Baltimore, Maryland. I spent a lot of time in Baltimore in my younger days but had no idea that such places had ever existed."

People always gotta eat, right? The economy doesn't seem to have made a dent in the number of new restaurants springing up all over Baltimore. This blogger thought it an ideal moment to make a list of some of the newest places to dine around town. 

Here's an excerpt.

"It seems like there have been a bunch of new restaurants and bars opening in Baltimore recently. Here's just to name a few:

Langermann's � Canton � Located at the Can Company in Canton, this place took over what used to be Kiss Cafe. They seemed to do a much better job of giving the place an identity and atmosphere, something that Kiss Cafe could never do. It's an "upscale casual" place, with white tablecloths, but a chill setting. The bar looks like a cool/cozy place to hang out. I was able to eat lunch there the other day, and the food was great. It is pegged as "southern inspired global cuisine". The turkey apple and brie sandwich with smoky mountain pepper jam on raisin bread was to die for. I will definitely be going back for dinner sometime."

Read the entire article here.

A new exhibit at the Walters Art Museum aims to help Johns Hopkins researcher, Ed Connor, understand what attracts individuals to different artwork.

Here's an excerpt:

"At an exhibit opening this weekend at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, visitors will be asked to wear 3-D glasses and walk around with clipboards and pencils while looking at images of sculptures.

"Beauty and the Brain: A Neural Approach to Aesthetics," enlists the public as participants in a Johns Hopkins University study that looks at why the human brain is attracted to artwork...

Organizers say they hope to shed a scientific light on some of the ideas that philosophers have discussed for centuries. One of those is that there's a unique way that the brain activates when we view compelling artwork, something philosophers have called the "aesthetic emotion," says Gary Vikan, director of the Walters and curator of the show."

Read the entire article here.

Baltimore's winter version of restaurant week is underway and the Baltimore snacker wasted no time getting his eat on at Tapas Teatro in Station North. How'd it go?

Here's an excerpt:

"I went with a friend last night to Tapas Teatro. I thought they might be taking part in Baltimore Restaurant Week, and they indeed are! Not that Tapas Teatro needs any more customers, as our half hour wait for a table made painfully clear. The dimly lit restaurant that shares a building (and a door) with the Charles Theater still somehow manages to be cozy, bright and lively all at once. And that is even as you try in vain to find some way to move around the place! It is constantly packed and for good reason - Tapas Teatro is one of those few places that not only lives up to the hype, but somehow seems underhyped! I have not eaten at all of the tapas places in town (I will get to Pazo, I promise!), but this one is a fave for good reason."

Read the entire article here.

Tourists seeking a taste of the "real" Baltimore beyond the coiffured confines of the Inner Harbor will want to head up Eutaw Street to Lexington Market, according to this visitor from Maine.

Here's an excerpt:

"Lexington Market, a historic food market on the western edge of Baltimore's downtown, is the world's largest continuously operating marketplace. It's also about the closest thing to a snapshot of Baltimore itself that I have found yet. In a city divided by lines, all ages, ethnicities and classes can be found within the throng around its many stalls.

Stepping into the busy marketplace is an assault on the senses. With the many aromas, the noise of the crowd, and all of the different things to look at, it can be hard just to keep from being run over, much less choose what to eat. All around me I see food: fish markets, fried chicken, butchers, delis, fruits, vegetables, collard greens, barbecue, Chinese cuisine, bakeries, sushi, okra, tilapia � everything from simple pizza and fries to oddities like chicken necks and, yes, muskrat. A sea of people and vendors hawking their wares flows around me."

Read the full article here.

Three city's are vying to lay claim as the true home of the Poe legacy. The battle over his legacy will soon be over, however. During the 201^st birthday celebration honoring Edgar Allen Poe, the Poe Foundation will finally put an end to the fight, announcing the city to claim his legacy.

Here's an excerpt:

"Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia all want a piece of the Poe � master of macabre Edgar Allan Poe, that is. But as the bicentennial of his birth winds down (his 201st birthday is Tuesday), the debate over which city can claim his legacy will be laid to rest.

Poe descendant and Poe Foundation president Harry Lee Poe will settle the matter during a 24-hour birthday bash at the Poe Museum in Richmond, Va."

Read the full article here.

Whether you're a Volt devotee or just want a unique dining experience, for a price you can pull up a chair at the restaurant's kitchen table and watch "Top Chef" runner-up, Bryan Voltaggio in action.

Here's an excerpt.

"Don't expect coddling from "Top Chef" contestant Bryan Voltaggio just because you've paid $121 to sit two feet away while he runs the kitchen at Volt in Frederick, Maryland.

The owner/chef isn't being rude. He's just concentrating on preparing the 21 delightful dishes served to diners at Table 21, inside the kitchen of his restaurant about 50 miles from Washington and Baltimore."

Read the entire article here.

If you're wondering where to go for a romantic date, Kristin Kizer has come up with a list of the city's most romantic destinations. On the list are the Senator, Fells Point and any of the city's parks.

Here's an excerpt:

"One of Baltimore's Parks -- Is there anything more romantic that a picnic in the park with your loved one? The city of Baltimore features about 6,000 acres of parks and public spaces for people to enjoy. There are large parks with wide open spaces for a game of Frisbee or ambling about, there are smaller wooded walks with trails for strolling through, there are lakeside parks where you can watch the wildlife, and there are even parks with public golf courses for the couple who likes to hit the links together."

Read the full blog post here.

Travel writer Joshua Kurlantzick spends 36 hours in Baltimore trekking down the Jones Falls Trail, eating at Woodberry Kitchen and Petit Louis, took in a show at the Creative Alliance, did some antiquing and a much more.

Here's an excerpt:

If you watchHBO's police drama "The Wire," you might think that Baltimore is filled with drug dealers and crime ringleaders. But in truth, the city has attracted a different breed of misfits: artists. Lured by cheap rents and warehouse spaces, artists and photographers have flocked there to claim the city as their own. Once rough neighborhoods like Hampden and Highlandtown have been taken over in recent years by studios, galleries and performance spaces. Crab joints and sports bars now share the cobblestone streets with fancy cafes and tapas restaurants. But against this backdrop, there are still the beehive hairdos and wacky museums that give so-called Charm City its nickname.


Read the full article here.

Baltimore's Woodberry Kitchen earned top honors in Gourmet Magazine's October issue. The mag for serious-minded foodies named Spike Gjerde's restaurant one of the "Restaurants Worth the Money: Northeast."

Here's an excerpt:

Eleven great places to spend your hard-earned cash in Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania...What could be more enticing than a stylishly rustic farm-to-table restaurant in a rehabilitated foundry with a chef named Spike?

Read more here.

Woodberry Kitchen has been on a roll recently. This is the second month in a row that the Hampden area restaurant has received national recognition. In September, Bon Appetit, selected Woodberry Kitchen as one of it's "Top Ten New Restaurants in America."

Here's an excerpt:

Today's most exciting restaurants have a lot in common. They represent the new standard: simple, satisfying local food�all served with zero pretense. They support local farmers, sustainable agriculture, and regional cuisine. For a taste of our ten favorite new restaurants, cook these delicious recipes...In the early 1990s, long before sustainable, local, and organic became the calling cards of chefs everywhere, Spike Gjerde was showcasing the abundance of the Chesapeake Bay.

Read more here.

Digital City contributor Jon Franklin praises Baltimore's art scene, stubborness, and the fact that D.C. hasn't "rubbed off" on it. He then lists 11 reasons why Baltimore is awesome. Of course, we can think of way more.

An excerpt from the article reads:

1. Cheap rent
For artists that tour and artists that stay home, the rent is relatively cheap. Like Philadelphia you can still find a one-bedroom for around $500. In general, it's more than it used to be and may go higher but still much less than New York rent.

2. Good arts and music scene
Look at the artists of a city and see who's done well for themselves. If they're also doing well in their own city then that's a good gauge that the city has a good scene. Dan Deacon, Animal Collective, Dru Hill, Mary Prankster, Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey are a few that are doing something different and have done well at it. There are well attended all-ages shows and burlesque shows as well as gatherings.

3. Atomic Books
One of the best places in the world, Atomic Books opened in 1992, closed in 2000 and reopened in 2001.
They not only support local bands but also artists as well. They will sell your zine, comic, book or cd on consignment. There are signings, parties, readings and a blog. They also accept fan mail for John Waters.

4. John Waters
Legend says that when John Waters was young his dad was driving him to school in Baltimore. There was a guy standing on the street corner doing nothing but being himself. Being himself really pissed off Waters' father so much that Waters' thought, I want to work with that guy someday. That guy was Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine. They went on to make great movies together including Cry Baby, Hairspray, Pink Flamingos and Polyester to name a few. The settings for most of Waters' movies is Baltimore.

Read the entire posting here.

The Peabody Court Hotel is celebrating its role in the upcoming Renee Zellweger film "My One and Only" with a special travel package. Set in the 1950s, the film is based on actor George Hamilton's upbringing by his mother along the Eastern Seaboard.

An excerpt from the article read:

This upscale boutique hotel is in the heart of the arts district. Mount Vernon is a cultural urban village with museums, boutiques, theater, fine restaurants and a great nightlife. The neighborhood's historic centerpiece, built in 1815, is the Washington Monument. This area of Baltimore is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful urban sites in the world.

The Romance package at the Peabody Court includes overnight accommodations for two in a Deluxe room, valet parking, a bottle of champagne with chocolate-covered strawberries, breakfast for two in George's on Mount Vernon Square or with room service for two, and a guaranteed late check out of 2 p.m.

The double room rate of $189 includes room taxes. This rate is valid on stays through Dec. 22, but could be extended if the film receives any Oscar nominations.

Read the entire article here.

JetBlue has fired a salvo in the low-cost carrier battle by entering the Boston-Baltimore/Washington market, beginning Sept. 9. The carrier's announcement was accompanied by a $19 each-way fare, but if you blinked, you missed it.

An excerpt from the article reads:

The Boston-BWI route has perhaps become the single-biggest flashpoint highlighting the increasing competition between U.S. low-cost carriers. Beginning one week from today, JetBlue will launch its first-ever service from Baltimore with daily service to Boston. The route will be one of the first outside Florida where the three big low-cost carriers will compete head-to-head between the same airports.

The Boston-BWI route has at least symbolic value for all three carriers as they increasingly try to expand in each other's shadow. Southwest and AirTran are the top two carriers at BWI, while JetBlue says it is the top carrier (by number of nonstop destinations) out of Boston. AirTran has slowly been building its presence in Boston, while Southwest just added service there last month with flights to BWI and Chicago.

And just yesterday, Southwest announced plans to add St. Louis service out of Boston. As for JetBlue, it announced its plans to add Baltimore � and to go head-to-head with both AirTran and Southwest � shortly after Southwest announced its Boston plans.

Read the entire article here.