Buzz

Hampton Inn opening outdoor beer garden near Camden Yards

Baltimore Sun Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Orioles' fans heading to Camden Yards on Opening Day will have another spot where they can grab a post-game brew.

The Hampton Inn is opening the Deck at Camden Yards next to Pickles Pub, the Baltimore Sun reports. Get ready for some company if you head over there. Bar partner Fritz Brogan tells the Sun that he expects about 1,000 on Opening Day.

"The idea for the bar came from MCR Development, the New York/Dallas-based hotel investment firm and management company that also owns the downtown Hampton Inn," the Sun writes. "Tyler Morse, MCR’s chief executive officer and a self-proclaimed “big Orioles fan,” says the recent successes of the Ravens and Orioles inspired the initial idea for the Deck."

You can read the entire story here.

OpenTable diners name Food Market and Ouzo Bay top 'hot spots'

OpenTable Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Two Baltimore restaurants earned a spot on OpenTable's Top 100 Hot Spots: Harbor East's Ouzo Bay and The Food Market in Hampden.

If you have been to either, you probably know that they're both pretty busy, even if you pop in at 9 p.m. on a weekday. Specializing in fresh seafood, Greek restaurant Ouzo Bay opened last year. The Food Market opened on The Avenue almost a year ago.

OpenTable compiled the list based on more than 5 million restaurant reviews for more than 15,000 restaurants throughout the U.S.

You can see the list here.

Maryland Live casino gets ready for table games

WJLA Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Maryland's largest casino is getting ready to test its luck with roulette, poker and craps.

Maryland Live Casino workers are installing the table games and wrapping up construction so the Hanover casino next to Arundel Mills mall can open them to the public April 11, Washington, D.C., TV station WJLA writes.

"It's an $800,000 investment that will take center stage at Maryland's premiere casino," WJLA writes. "The pristine red and gold tables will sit at the front of the floor, catching the eye of gamblers."

Table games arrived at the Hollywood Casino Perryville earlier this month. Maryland casinos will face competition from others across the East Coast, some analysts say.

Wall Street Journal features the BMA's Max Weber exhibit

Wall Street Journal Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Cubist painter was taught by Henri Matisse and friends with Pablo Picasso and Henri Rousseau.

And he is now the focus of a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art, which is featuring drawings, prints and paintings from the 20th century artist.

The Wall Street Journal highlights the exhibit, along with two others in Seattle and Miami.

" 'Max Weber: Bringing Paris to New York,' chronicles in 40 works from 1908 through 1928 how he moved from a classical to a cubist style," the Journal writes.

The exhibit started March 1 and runs through June 23. It features several Weber paintings from 1909 to 1915 that are part of the BMA's collection along with many pieces on loan from the Estate of Max Weber.

Video Americain gets a plug in the New York Times

New York Times Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Baltimore's Video Americain, one of the few remaining video rental shops in a dying industry, has gotten a shout-out in the New York Times' small business blog.

Miguel Gomez recently opened — you guessed it, a video store! — in suburban Philadelphia and told the New York Times that streaming and online video rentals can't beat the personal experience of browsing through titles and getting recommendations at a store.

"There aren’t too many video stores left in the country, but the ones that are left are all pretty great," Gomez tells the New York Times. "Baltimore has Video Americain, Seattle has Scarecrow Video, Austin has both I Luv Video and Vulcan Video, San Francisco has both Lost Weekend Video and Le Video … so there are communities still supporting video stores, as long as the video stores have stellar inventories."

Video Americain has two Maryland locations: one on Cold Spring Lane in Roland Park and another in Takoma Park. Last year, it closed its Charles Village shop.

Centerstage to produce plays inspired by the Civil War

New York Times Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Baltimore's Centerstage is one of four performing arts organizations that are producing several theatrical works commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, writes the New York Times.

The National Civil War Project partners the theater troupes with the arts department of an academic institution. In the case of Centerstage, the Mount Vernon theater is teaming up with the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. The duo has commissioned “At War With Ourselves,” by the Kronos Quartet that promises to feature a "legendary composer."

Theaters and universities in Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C., are also taking part.

Peter Greenberg: Baltimore is the 'weirdest' road trip destination

Peter Greenberg Tuesday, February 26, 2013

We know that Baltimore is quirky and offbeat. Apparently travel guru Peter Greenberg has gotten this memo because he's named Baltimore the No. 1 Wacky & Weird Road-Trip Spot.

"From the creepy brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe to the dark, irreverent humor of John Waters, a sci-fi nut, horror junkie, or simply a fan of good, old American kitsch, Baltimore is the number one quintessential capital of weird, cool and quirky sites in our country," Peter Greenberg writes on his travel website.

The CBS News Travel Editor recommends visits to Port Discovery, the American Visionary Art Museum, the National Pinball Museum, National Museum of Dentistry and Geppi's Entertainment Museum.

Santa Claus, Indiana and Albuquerque, New Mexico got the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.

Michigan professor teaches a class on 'The Wire'

USA Today Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Who knew McNulty and Omar had so much to teach us.

University of Michigan professor David Harding is using storylines from "The Wire" to teach his students about public policy, USA Today writes. The HBO crime drama is set in Baltimore.

Titled "Urban Public Policy Through the Lens of HBO's The Wire," the class connects storylines in the HBO with real-life city challenges, such as housing, labor, health care, substance abuse and urban decay.

"It's a growing trend across the nation -- take some piece of pop culture, tie it to an academic subject and hope it grabs students' attention more than a standard academic class," USA Today writes.

You can read the entire story here.

Oscar-winning 'Searching for Sugarman' writer lived in Baltimore

Baltimore Sun Tuesday, February 26, 2013

If you were watching the Oscars Feb. 24, you know that "Searching for Sugarman" won Craig Strydom the Oscar for best documentary.

If you were searching for the movie's writer Craig Strydom, look no further than Charm City, the Baltimore Sun writes. Strydom lived in Baltimore for 13 years and worked for marketing firm IMRE.

The movie tells the story of a music fan searching for the enigmatic 1970s singer Sixto Rodriguez whose music was used in South Africa's struggle against apartheid.

Forbes highlights Under Armour's new products

Forbes Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Before Under Armour debuted its Brand House Feb. 16, CEO Kevin Plank and other executives gave New York media a preview of the 8,000-square-foot shop and what's in store for the Baltimore sportswear company.

"The first item Plank introduced wasn’t a product after all, but a place where Under Armour will display its goods," Forbes writes about the Harbor East store.

Execs also talked about "Infrared, part of Under Armour’s innovative ColdGear line," new running shoes the company will unveil this summer, and a digital training monitor, Forbes says.

"There must be, among rival companies like Columbia and even Nike, to a degree, a bit of jealousy regarding Under Armour and its founder," writes Forbes of the company that pulled in $1.2 billion in sales last year.

USA Today features Baltimore hotel promotion

USA Today Tuesday, February 19, 2013

You've heard of Restaurant Week and probably savored a few three-course meals for $30.

Now city promoters in Baltimore and other locales are devising hotel promotions and perks to lure travelers, writes USA Today.

"Baltimore's inaugural Hotel Week..comes on the heels of New York's second annual lodging promotion, which ended in January," writes USA Today. "Another Hotel Week is being planned for the Caribbean in August, traditionally a slow time in the islands."

Next year, Baltimore may combine its second Hotel Week and Restaurant Week, Visit Baltimore CEO Tom Noonan tells USA Today.

"During Baltimore's inaugural hotel week (Feb. 8-18), travelers could find package deals from 14 hotels including the Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt Regency and Kimpton's Hotel Monaco," USA Today writes.

You can read the entire story here.

Zagat says Charleston among nation's best restaurants for service

Zagat Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Which restaurants are dishing out the best service these days?

Baltimore's own Charleston is among the nation's best, according to Zagat. Located in Harbor East, the restaurant received 28 points out of 30 for service from Zagat reviewers.

"Cindy Wolf remains 'at the top of her game', applying 'world-class technique' to 'Low Country' cuisine to create 'phenomenal' New American masterpieces at her Harbor East 'destination,'" writes Zagat, quoting Charleston fans in its guidebook.

Zagat's list includes Next in Chicago, New York's Per Se and the Inn at Little Washington in Virgina.

Netflix to release Baltimore-filmed 'House of Cards' on Friday

Washington Post Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Netflix is releasing its Baltimore-filmed political thriller "House of Cards" on Friday, Feb 8.

The Maryland Film Office says the $100 million production starring Kevin Spacey is the largest filmed in the Free State, writes the Washington Post.

The 13-part series will be available all at once via Netflix streaming.

Much of the movie is filmed in Baltimore, which stands in for D.C.

The Oscars are coming to Baltimore

Oscar Roadtrip Tuesday, February 05, 2013

The folks who put on the Academy Awards are taking their iconic gold Oscar statuette on a roadtrip. And Baltimore is one of the stops.

The first ever Oscar Roadtrip started in New York Feb. 4 and is hitting Baltimore Feb. 8. Oscar promoters are letting fans in 10 cities know what it's like to hold a gold statue in their hands. Philadelphia, Chicago Washington, D.C., and Phoenix are some of the other places they will hit. The last stop is, of course, the live broadcast of the Academy Awards Feb 24 in Los Angeles.

It's unclear where exactly the Oscar will stop in Baltimore, as a lot of the decisions will be made at the last minute, the website says. You can follow @OscarRoadTrip on Twitter to follow their adventures or Tweet suggestions on places to visit around town.

Loyola professor writes a book on the history of wine

New York Times Tuesday, February 05, 2013

The rich, velvety Bordeaux you just had with dinner wasn't always so pleasing to the palate.

That's according to Paul Lukacs, a Loyola University of Maryland professor who has written a book on the history of wine, featured in the New York Times.

In his new book "Inventing Wine: A New History of One of the World's Most Ancient Pleasures," Lukacs writes that for much of history wine wasn't all that palatable, but the only option as water and milk weren't so safe to drink back then.

"It was really with the Enlightenment in the 18th century, when a series of revolutions began that would transform our understanding of grape-growing, wine production and wine storage, that wine began to resemble what we now take for granted," the Times writes.

You can read the entire story here.

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