visit Baltimore : Buzz

A new exhibit chronicling the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the South to the North will make a stop in Baltimore's Penn Station following a stint in DC.

From the source:

Amtrak is opening a new exhibit at Washington's Union Station to recount the history of the "Great Migration" of Southern blacks moving to the North early in the 20th century.

Between 1915 and 1970, about 6 million African Americans moved from the South to the North. Many left behind rural farm lives for job opportunities in industrialized cities. Many made the journey by passenger or freight train, which provided the connection for Amtrak.

Read the full story here.

Julie Scharper and Justin Fenton at the Baltimore Sun take a deep, engaging, well-reported dive behind the scenes into the Baltimore Grand Prix and how one man's idea eventually became a reality.

From the story:

With the drop of the green flag in three weeks, Wehner's dream will roar to life.

Glossy race cars are set to dart down newly paved roads alongside the Inner Harbor, bearing on their sleek frames the aspirations of city and state officials who are betting on the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix to draw tens of thousands of race fans, pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and burnish the image of the city.


Read the whole thing here.

Carnival Cruise Lines recently agreed to a deal that will keep it operating from the Port of Baltimore.

From the source:

Carnival Cruise Lines will continue to offer cruises year-round from the Port of Baltimore.

The line agreed to an extension, which was announced Monday and is effective Aug. 31, after the current two-year contract ends.

Read the full story.

Plans to expand Baltimore's legendary Senator Theatre by adding a wine bar and new screens have been approved.

From the source:

The Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation approved proposed renovations to the Senator Theatre on Tuesday, according to the Baltimore Sun.

As previously reported, James "Buzz" Cusack and Kathleen Cusack, the Senator's operators, are seeking to add a wine bar and three more theaters to the building.

Read the full story.

In one of the more out-of-left-field examples you'll see of an "outsider's view" of Baltimore, BBC News recently visited Lexington Market to get a sense of how the US budget crisis is hitting home in Baltimore.

From the source:

This gritty, former port city is less than an hour away from the US capital by train.

But it feels a world apart from the glitz and power of the White House and Capitol Hill.

After weeks of partisan wrangling, Congress approved a plan that lifts the ceiling on how much money the US government is allowed to borrow in return for a likely 2.4 trillion dollars (£1.47tn) of spending cuts over ten years.

The worry for Baltimore is the debt deal heralds an era of government austerity that could reduce the flow of Federal funds to an already struggling local economy.

Read the full article here.

Funding woes persist at Baltimore's Edgar Allan Poe House, as the Washington Post recently reported.

From the source:

For a second year city leaders have chosen not to subsidize a museum in the tiny house where the impoverished Poe lived from around 1833 to 1835, a decision that means it may have to close soon.

Since the city cut off its $85,000 in annual support last year, the house has been operating on reserve funds, which are expected to run out as early as next summer. In the coming months consultants hired by the city will try to come up with a business plan to make the Edgar Allan Poe House financially self-sufficient, possibly by updating its exhibits to draw more visitors.

But the museum sits amid a housing project, far off this city's tourist beaten path, and attracts only 5,000 visitors a year.

Read the full story.

Even in a down economy, traffic through BWI remains robust.

From the source:

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is reaching passenger records despite the rough economy.

Data released Wednesday showed the airport marked its best first half of the year and 12-month period in its history.

BWI chief executive Paul Wiedefeld says 10.9 million travelers used the airport during the first half of the year, setting it on a path to exceed 22.5 million passengers this year. The airport has set monthly records in 13 of the past 14 months.

Read the whole story here.

For those of us who live here in Baltimore it's no secret that the city offers a wide variety of interesting and entertaining activities. But what does the view look like to an outsider? Elaine Jean, writing for the Fairfax Times, visited the city to find out -- and she liked what she saw.

From the source:

If you're in town to see the Orioles play, Charm City is one hometown host that knows how to please. Side trips illustrate the local history of our national pastime, and a stop at the Heavy Seas Brewery will give you a chance to toast to its good health.

Read the full story here.

July in Baltimore is hot. This much is not news. But the July we've just endured, it turns out, is the hottest ever. Surprised?

From Frank Roylance at the Sun:

Through Saturday, the average temperature for the month at BWI-Marshall Airport in July was 81.6 degrees. If that holds, it will place this month ahead of the current three-way tie for the hottest July - 81.5 degrees - set in 1872 and matched in 1995 and 2010. Third place would go to 1934 and 1949, at 81.4 degrees.

July 2011 is ending with a streak of 90-plus weather that has lasted 15 days, the third-longest such streak on record for Baltimore. The long-range forecast calls for a high of 89 next Saturday. If it proves accurate, that would end the streek at 20 consecutive days in the 90s, just short of the second-longest on record - 21 days. 

Read the whole, grim story here.

Jay Davidson, one of the main folks responsible for bringing the Baltimore Grand Prix to fruition, is featured in the Baltimore Sun's Sun Magazine.

From the source:

Jay Davidson is, admittedly, no gear-head.

But as the president of the Baltimore Grand Prix, Davidson has been living and breathing all things IndyCar the past several months.

The inaugural race will bring dozens of high-speed open-wheel cars to Baltimore on Labor Day weekend, competing on a roughly two-mile course through downtown.

To prepare, city workers have had to shut down sections of major roads for repairs, angering many commuters. But the race and the festival that surrounds it will be worth all the aggravation, Davidson promises.

Read the full story here.

Baltimore residents are understandably concerned about the logistical impact of the upcoming Grand Prix, and last week the city sought to allay some of the fear.

From the Sun:

The city's transportation director, Khalil Zaied, and his aides outlined a detailed plan for gradually shutting down streets in the area between the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards in the days leading up to the series of races from Sept. 2 to Sept. 4.

The event, the first of its kind in Baltimore, has involved the extensive reconstruction of some downtown streets � much to the chagrin of many residents and commuters. But city officials say the event, which they expect will draw more than 100,000 visitors during a normally slow weekend, will more than make up for whatever aggravation it has caused.

Read the full story here.

Stan Lee -- creator of renowned comics characters such as Spider Man and Thor (among others) -- will be the Guest of Honor at the Baltimore Comic-Con in August.

From the source:

"Stan Lee, the Guest of Honor at this year's Baltimore Comic-Con, will be on hand Saturday and Sunday signing autographs and posing for photographs with guests in attendance of the show. The 12th Annual show will be taking place August 20-21, 2011 at the Baltimore Convention Center."

More info here.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors descended on Baltimore this past weekend and they made some national news while they were here, including a call for reduced spending on foreign wars.

From the source:

"When asked to respond to those who argue military efforts overseas have made American cities safer from foreign terrorists, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pointed to the cost of the wars.

"How did we get to a deficit and a debt larger than at any time not only in U.S. history but in human history? We got involved in two wars that, no matter what you think about those wars, we haven't paid for," Villaraigosa said.

"That we would build bridges in Baghdad and Kandahar and not Baltimore and Kansas City, absolutely boggles the mind."

Read the full story here.

If all goes well, visitors to Baltimore's Inner Harbor could soon have a Ripley's Believe It or Not location added to their list of potential stops.

From the source:

"Ripley's, the tourist destination with an Ocean City boardwalk location, has put Baltimore on a shortlist of cities it wants to branch into, including Chicago and Las Vegas, Ripley's spokesman Tim O'Brien said.

Ripley Attractions Worldwide has more than 80 attractions across the globe, including locations in Hollywood, Calif.; Mexico City and New York. The common thread is those are "destination cities" where tourists flock and people wander into Ripley's while there for other attractions, O'Brien said. In Baltimore, for example, the Inner Harbor and National Aquarium fit that type of bill, he said."

Read the full story here.

Soul singer Sade chose Baltimore to kick off her first North American tour in almost a decade and Evan Serpick was there to review it for Rolling Stone.

From the source:

"In many ways, it seemed that little had changed. When the British-Nigerian singer came onstage, her hair was in the familiar tight ponytail, augmented by bright red lipstick, hoop earrings and a sheer black turtleneck. And that luxurious, smoky voice -- the one that earned Sade (the singer, also the name of the band) a reputation as an aural aphrodisiac, the female counterpart to Barry White -- is as glorious as ever."

Read the full review here.