visit Baltimore : Buzz

Baltimore's coffee shops has gotten some press from the Huffington Post. The website features a slideshow of local spots to get a java jolt, including Hampden's Spro, Mount Vernon's Koffee Therapy and the Four Seasons Baltimore's Lamill Coffee.

"What is different about Baltimore's coffee renaissance is that it has percolated less through the corporate culture of selling high-end brews to rich people than through home town pride," the Huffington Post writes. "The thinking seems to be that this is the sort of economic development that can keep talented people in a city suffering from brain drain."

You can read the rest of the story here. 

"Maria. I once knew a girl named Maria."

Oh wait, wrong West Side Story.

Hutzlers. I once knew a store named Hutzlers. 

A new play that tells the story of Baltimore's west side retail history premiered March 25 at the Hippodrome. 

"The performers, part of Fluid Movement, a Baltimore group best known for its elaborate and creative water ballets, staged a play on skates commemorating the area's history as "The Hub," the center of city shopping in the era before malls," writes the Baltimore Sun in its review. 

The performances for "HOWARD & LEX: The Way We Roll!" continue March 31 and April 1. Westside Renaissance Development, PNC Bank, the Weinberg Foundation, and the office of Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake are sponsoring the show.

The Washington Post has called the Evergreen Museum & Library a "Gilded Age beauty" in a recent review. 

"The cozy warmth of the reading room didn’t prepare us for the jaw-dropping elegance of the Great Library, a stunning room with floor-to-ceiling walnut bookshelves, reading areas and statuary," the Post writes. "I half-expected to see Lord Grantham from “Downtown Abbey” reading his newspaper there."

Desk a clutter?

Perhaps the National Association of Professional Organizers can help. The group's 4,200 members met during their annual conference in Baltimore this month and the New York Times interviewed Angela Wallace, president of the California-based organization. 

"The same organizing principles apply to stuff, paper, space and time," she tells the Times. "One basic organizing principle is putting things you use more often closer to you."

Are you writing this down?

Children's museums are increasingly focusing on social outreach, and not just playful activities, writes the New York Times. 

The newspaper cites several children's museums that are using exhibits to target everything from childhood obesity to homeless students. Port Discovery Children's Museum in Baltimore has adapted exhibits to accommodate kids with special needs, the Times writes. 

You can read the story here. 

The Huffington Post recently checked out the National Aquarium in Baltimore. 

But it didn't see the usual sharks and stingrays at the downtown attraction. Instead, it went behind the scenes at the aquarium's Fells Point facility known as the Warehouse. The spot, which isn't open to the public, houses resources needed to take care of the aquarium's building and its animals. 

You can read the review and slideshow here. 

It's no secret that Woodberry Kitchen is one of the most popular restaurants in Baltimore. 

But it turns out that the city's original farm-to-table restaurants is a hit among Washingtonians. 

"The third time I was asked whether I had been to Woodberry Kitchen, the Baltimore restaurant where chef-restaurateur Spike Gjerde walks the talk of locally sourced cooking, I took note," David Hagedorn writes. "All this buzz from Washingtonians, a people who launch into lengthy negotiations just to cross the Potomac for dinner, had to mean something."

Baltimore Fishbowl took note of the Washington Post article, decrying the fact that Charm City residents now have to "fight with the Washington crowd for a table at the hip Woodberry eatery."

But at least owners Spike and Amy Gjerde are expanding their culinary empire with a new cafe and fast-casual restaurant. 

Broadway World has previewed an upcoming play at Pumpkin Theatre titled "Clever Rachel." The play by Towson children's theater company's is based on a children's book by Debby Waldman. 

"Rachel is smart, maybe the smartest child in the entire village, and she loves to solve riddle," Broadway World writes. "But Jacob, the smartest boy in the boys school, shows up to challenge Rachel. Will they fight each other and become enemies or find a way to work together to make their village a better place?"

The play debuts March 24.

You can read the rest of the preview here. 

HBO has released two new trailers of its comedy about a female vice president starring Julia Louis Dreyfus. "Veep" was shot in Maryland and was one of the beneficiaries of the state's expanded film incentive budget. 

"Julia Louis-Dreyfus is returning to TV in HBO's "Veep," writes the Huffington Post. "And she's doing it with style and power as Selina Meyer, the new vice president of the United States."

You can read the rest of the review here. 

HBO aired the movie "Game Change" -- the shot-in-Maryland movie starring Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson -- and it was a hit for several reviewers, including Variety. 

The movie tells the story behind the 2008 election, focusing on Sarah Palin teaming up with John McCain.

"'Game Change; is a home run: a big, smart, entertaining and extremely promotable showcase for marquee stars, generating tons of attention (flattering and otherwise) from political and media strongholds in D.C. and New York," Variety writes. You can read the rest of the review here. 

Like HBO's "Veep," "Game Change" received tax incentives to shoot in Maryland. 

The American Visionary Art Museum has gotten plenty of national attention for being one of Baltimore's cool, quirky and offbeat attractions. 

But the Washington Post has also declared the Federal Hill site a great museum for kids, citing pieces like a dinosaur made of trash, carved plastic foam cups and a sculpture made of 100,000 toothpicks. 

"The American Visionary Art Museum has a sense of humor," the Post writes. "Kids wouldn’t want to miss some of the non-art elements at the museum, such as the flatulence machine by the restrooms downstairs, the fun-house mirrors upstairs near the restaurant and the wacky and inexpensive gift shop where someone is almost always walking around doing magic tricks."

You can read the rest here. 

Interior decorators are designing a conference in Baltimore.

The Interior Design Educators Council will hold their annual meeting at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, March 19-22. The event gets a mention in Dwell.com, which notes that keynote speaker will be Jo Heinz, a managing principle of Staffelbach in Dallas.

You can read more about it here. 

The future of Baltimore's Grand Prix seemed uncertain a little while ago as former organizers are saddled in debts, leaving many creditors unpaid.

But now Baltimore City has selected Downforce Racing, which has a five-year deal with the city.  

Promoter Dale "Dillon, an Indianapolis-based developer and team owner whose company has helped promote events in Toronto and St. Petersburg, Fla., hopes to allay financial concerns while staging another successful race," writes USA Today, sourcing some of its material from the Baltimore Sun. 

You can read the rest of the story here. 

The James Beard Foundation Awards are known as the Oscars of the culinary world.

And this year the foundation has honored three restaurant stars in Maryland. 

The foundation recognized Woodberry Kitchen's Spike Gjerde, Charleston's Cindy Wolf and Volt's Bryan Voltaggio among the best chefs in the mid-Atlantic. Charleston was also honored for its wine program and as an outstanding restaurant. You can see the entire list of nominees here. 

Baltimore has a number of chocolate makers in town. And one has earned national recognition.

Complex, an online lifestyle magazine for 20-something men, has named Glarus Chocolatier the sixth best in the nation. 

"Baltimore's Glarus Chocolatier uses traditional Swiss recipes for each of their handcrafted creations," the website writes. "Think a small craft brewery, but with chocolate covered strawberries rather than pilsners and lagers. Got it? We feel drunk already."

It's the only Baltimore chocolate company to earn a spot on the list.