visit baltimore : Buzz

M.I.S.S. feature "Funky Expedition," which explores the creation and development of region-specific genres of music, takes a look at Baltimore Club Music. While it sings its praises, it questions -- hopefully -- whether Bmore Club will "ever have lasting potential outside of the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)."

An excerpt from the article reads:

It always stings a little bit when you are on top of something � whether it be a new artist, new designer, or new style � and then a year or two later, everybody's on the jock of that artist, designer, or style. You just look like a major tool mentioning that you were into it "ages ago," but then you are also a bit angry because your friends didn't like it when you told them about it. Once it was on TV, they liked it. Sound familiar?

Besides the fact that you might just be a trendsetter, or a daring human being, (or a M.I.S.S. girl), it's frustrating any which way you look at it. Such might be the case for fans of Baltimore Club AKA Bmore Club AKA Gutter music AKA the sound of Bodymore, Murderland (Baltimore, Maryland). It has only been gaining national attention in the past few years, but it has been around -- in Baltimore -- starting from as early as 1989 or 1990.

The sound of Gutter music is best described by a blend of hip-hop, house, and dance music. Some even call it hip-house. The songs are often dark, but contain an infectious, hyper energy that explodes with each short song. Unlike typical house songs, Bmore club songs alternately build and drop intensity as they play, with bridges and sections of fast-paced, loud crashes that mimic fluttering heartbeats. The songs are like the sprint of the music race: the cuts are specifically crafted by DJs for the club environment, based on a 8/4 beat structure, and include tempos as high as 130 beat per minute.

Read the entire article here:

Tweet of the Week

What was on the mind of Baltimore tweople this week?

@JasonKuipers, presumably on a visit to Charm City, couldn't contain his enthusiasm for the city, "Baltimore is awesome. I'd love to live in this city. Downtown Baltimore is Like darling harbor 2.0."

@history4theppl, another visitor says, "I return to the South tomorrow. Baltimore is def going on my top list for historical hotspots. So much to see & do. Hope to return soon!"

@Familytreemd had nothing but love for the Best of Baltimore party, "Best of Baltimore was an incredible evening! Thanks to all the restaurants, Baltimore Mag, & staff at the Hippodrome for a memorable party!"

@avimagic has something else to cheer about, "I have discovered Baltimore's most redeeming quality (other than my family, of course), and it is a radio station named Jack."

@Shesouldeep, takes issue with plans to bump up the city's parking meter rate from $1 per hour to $2 or $3 per hour, "I'm not feeling the metered parking rate doubling and tripling in some areas (Baltimore). That aint right!! Increase revenue in other ways."

Many tweeted about the premiere episode of Bravo's Top Chef:

@lisa_hoang says, "Nice! Executive chef from Abacrombie Restaurant (Baltimore) is on Top Chef. Hope she doesn't bomb like last year's Baltimore contestant."

@ bhawk988 was jazzed by the number of local contestants, "Top Chef Vegas should be called Top Chef Maryland/ Baltimore Looks like 4 chefs from this area wow."

The Inner Harbor Arts Festival is a free event that will take place Aug. 22-23 at the Power Plant.

An excerpt from the article reads:

Mayor Sheila Dixon announced the Inner Harbor Arts Festival on Monday. It will be held the weekend of Aug. 22 near Cordish's Power Plant retail center.

More than $15 million in artwork, varying from handmade jewelry to more expensive fine art pieces, will be on display. Dixon said the new festival is not intended to compete with Artscape, the city-sponsored street fair.

Download the entire article here.

Blogger Clio Bluestocking of that "Great Zoo on the Potomac" (dare we assume this is Washington?) walks the streets of Baltimore for five weeks and notices "landmarks of some very bad guys who have graced the streets of this interesting city."

An excerpt from the blog post reads reads:

Speaking of individuals willing to go to great lengths to protect systems, here we have a non-fictional bad guy memorialized in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. That is Chief Justice Roger Taney: Maryland-born, first Catholic Supreme Court Justice, and author of the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision. Sure, he was a slaveholder who freed his slaves; but really, you have a hard time making his case as a good guy. After all, he was the man who identified the central question of the case as this: "can a negro whose ancestors were imported into this country and sold as slaves become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all the rights, and privileges, and immunities, guarantied by that instrument to the citizen, one of which rights is the privilege of suing in a court of the United States in the cases specified in the Constitution?" and decided not only that Dred Scott and his family should be kept in slavery because "Dred Scott was not a citizen of Missouri within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States, and not entitled as such to sue in its courts, and consequently that the Circuit Court had no jurisdiction of the case, and that the judgment on the plea in abatement is erroneous," but also that all African Americans were not and should not be considered citizens of the U.S. So, I consider him a bad guy.

Read the entire post here.

Roughly three-quarters of the 120 restaurants participating in Baltimore's Summer Restaurant Week have agreed to prolong their specials until Aug. 23, giving foodies an additional seven days to score amazing deals on lunches and dinners.

Excerpt from the Daily Record story:

"It's significant that the number of restaurants continuing their specials is so large," said Michael Evitts, a spokesman for Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, which organizes restaurant week with Visit Baltimore (formerly the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association). "It's more than we had total for the first time," he added, referring to the 60 restaurants that participated for Baltimore's first restaurant week.

Since the promotion started, Evitts said they have seen through monitoring Web site traffic that diners are becoming savvier about selecting their restaurants, searching out menus for the best deals. Organizers encourage restaurants to sign up early to get maximum exposure and to distinguish themselves to customers.

Read the entire article here.

The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts has confirmed that the city's beloved arts festival will take place this October. Event listings will be posted at freefallbaltimore.com this week.

An excerpt from the article reads:

More than 70 arts groups, including some of Baltimore's largest arts organizations, will put on events that are open to the public and free of charge.

As it has in the past, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will allow visitors to attend an open rehearsal for an upcoming concert. Center Stage will provide a gratis performance of "The Importance of Being Earnest," while Everyman Theatre will invite an audience to view its "Rabbit Hole."

New groups exhibiting for the first time include Mexico's famed Ballet Folklorico, and the New York-based Dance Rink, a unique collaboration in which choreographed movement is part of a larger theatrical whole.

Read the entire article here.

A Maryland sports blogger weighs in on reports that a 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix may become a reality. The Baltimore Racing Development is reportedly tapping investors to raise some $1.4 million for the event.

An excerpt from the post reads:

The report is suspect in a couple of areas. For one, BRD (Baltimore Racing Development) was formed specifically to bring a race here. The wording "has been formed to organize the race" is a little misleading, as it implies that it's a new organization. Second, the final paragraph says that Baltimore will join two other cities "in hosting a race," which obviously really means "in hosting a street course race." That second point is a small one, but it does give me pause.

Regardless, I'm pulling for that Monday news conference to happen, and for this event to happen. It would be huge for the city, and on a more basic level it would be a ton of fun.

Read the entire post here.

{budget}fab* blog's "socialite" section lists a number of ways Baltimoreans can have a blast without breaking their budgets. The post provides links to the various activities for quick how-to information.

Excerpt:

There's more to Baltimore than Ravens and Orioles games. Here's a list of free things to do in the city�

•    Visit the Baltimore Museum of Art.
•    Tour the Galleries at the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower.
•    Walk around the Cylburn Arboretum.  The arboretum is currently closed due to construction, but check their website for details on the re-opening.
•    Stroll along Baltimore Inner Harbor promenade.
•    Take in a free movie at Federal Hill or Fells Point.
•    Catch a free performance at the Harborplace Amphitheater.
•    Picnic at Patapsco Valley State Park
•    Pick up a good book at The Book Thing. You can donate books and pick up a few new ones for free.

See the entire blog post here.

Thekitchn.com, a Web site devoted to the joys of cooking at home, has published a Food-Lover's Guide to Baltimore to help cooks and foodies find the best markets, artisans, and shops in town. In addition to flagging culinary hot spots, the guide lists foods every gourmand should try, including snoballs, Smith Island Cake, Berger Cookies, and Smearcase.

Excerpts from the guide:

Food Halls

•    Lexington Market -- The world's largest, continually-running market makes for stellar people watching, as well as good shopping. Come on Saturdays for the live music, or anytime for Faidley's Seafood and Mary Mervis sandwiches.
•    Cross Street Market -- Look for Utz chips in paper (not plastic) bags � that means they were baked that same day.

Specialty Shops of Note

•    Trinacria -- Beloved Italian grocery shop with cut-rate wine, homemade olive oil and droolworthy sandwiches
•    DiPasquale's -- Another popular Italian deli/market
•    OK Natural -- Health food store with bulk grains, vegan staples, prepared foods
•    H-Mart -- It's a bit of a drive to this Asian supermarket, but we always come home with tons of surprising things.

Independent Food Artisans

•    Puffs & Pastries -- Amazing new bakery, emphasizes use of local ingredients
•    Sweet Sin Bakery - Gluten-free desserts
•    Bonaparte Bread
•    Bluebird Coffee -- Sustainable, organic, artisanal coffee

Find the entire guide here.