Choose your location
Baltimore magazine
Key Takeaways From Baltimore City’s Overdose Awareness Day
Purple and white balloon arrangements—the colors used to amplify the mission of overdose prevention—filled the cafe of Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse in Waverly on Thursday, August 31, when the Baltimore City Health Department hosted its eighth-annual Overdose Awareness Day. From 12-5 p.m. the free event to raise...
Open & Shut: Locals Only; Heavy Seas’ BOHdacious Blonde; Bar 1801
Locals Only: Starting tomorrow, Federal Hill will be home to a new pizza joint. From Andrew Wheeler, partner at neighborhood standby The Charles, Locals Only will offer a fun, playful vibe that’s apparent right from a look at the menu—which is divided down the middle between “pizza” and “not pizza.” Expect witty pie names like the “Street Corn Named Desire” (corn, jalapeño, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos) and “Star Crust Lovers” topped with basil pesto, house sausage, and red peppers. On the other side, patrons will find comfort food like “mac-o-rella” sticks, crispy wings, house-baked feta, and a play on a charcuterie board dubbed “The Lunchable.” Beverages have the same fun ethos, from limoncello shots—as an homage to a traditional Neapolitan pizza joint—to espresso martinis.
Where to Walk With Little Amal During Her Baltimore Visit
So far, she’s logged about 6,000 miles and passed through 15 countries searching for her mother. An ironically 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child, Little Amal was created in 2021 by The Walk Productions—a nonprofit organization known for its large-scale public art—to raise awareness of the hardships faced by migrants, immigrants, and refugee children.
The Feel Good: Five Great Things That Happened in Our Area This Month
Aw Shucks: National Oyster Week Marks Start of New Shell Recycling Program. Did you slurp a bivalve this month? With August 1-6 being National Oyster Week, it was the perfect time. Whether fried or served on the half shell with mignonette or cocktail sauce, the week was a delicious way to educate oyster lovers about the importance of oysters to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Many of the consumed oysters ended up right back where they came from—in the Bay, serving as hosts for baby oysters thanks to the efforts of the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP). Not only does ORP consistently work with restaurants to recycle the shells (more than 260,000 bushels, to be exact), but, since 1994, it has also planted more than 10 billion oysters on 3,000 acres of reef. But you no longer need to support an ORP partner restaurant to help with the recycling effort. For those who enjoy a good shuck at home, there’s good news—Baltimore County recently opened a residential oyster shell collection site at the Eastern Sanitary Landfill in White Marsh. For those who believe the old adage “Only eat oysters in months containing an ‘r’,” you can spend September (mark your calendar for ORP’s The World is Your Oyster Festival at the B&O Railroad Museum on September 28) slurping with a clear conscious.
Hampden’s Common Ground Bakery Cafe is Reopening as a Worker-Owned Co-Op
On the morning of July 2, a group of confused Hampden locals gathered around the locked doors and cleared patio of Common Ground Bakery Cafe on Chestnut Avenue. Among the crowd were some perplexed employees and delivery workers, who stood with nothing to greet them but a note taped to the front door. Overnight, the cafe’s owners had ceased operations “effective immediately,” leaving the breakfast rush unfed, and dozens of people abruptly unemployed.
What to Eat at the Maryland State Fair This Year
From competitively hilarious lumberjack shows to rides on the famous Riptide rollercoaster, the Maryland State Fair is full of fun thrills to make the end of summer a little less sad. But perhaps the best part of the annual Timonium event, which returns for three weekends August 24 through September 10, is stopping at stands along the Midway to sample classic fair foods.
Movie review: Passages
There’s been a lot of talk about sex in cinema these day. It seems that Gen Z and young millennials are not fans of mixing sex with their movies (they’d rather watch porn on their computers, I guess). This is patently ridiculous, of course, as sex is essential to films, arguably one of the raisons d’etre of moviemaking. The camera often sets out to seduce and be seduced. When we refer to the “male gaze” or the “female gaze,” we’re not talking about landscapes, people.
‘The Body Politic’ Follows Brandon Scott as He Tackles Baltimore’s Gun Violence Epidemic
No one needs a reminder that gun violence in Baltimore has been at epidemic levels for decades. The homicide rate, which quadrupled the national average some 40 years ago, has only spiraled from there—spiking in the 1990s, and again 2015—and remains at or near the highest rate in the U.S. ever since. And none of the crime reduction initiatives, not the so-called War on Drugs, not former Mayor Martin O’Malley’s mass incarceration policies, and not even the greatest per capita police spending in the country, managed to yield lasting results. In fact, the case can be made those policies and practices did more harm than good.
Hot August Music Festival Turns 30 This Weekend
It was supposed to be a lowkey backyard concert. But in 1993, the first Hot August Music Festival brought hundreds of attendees to Brad Selko’s farm in Monkton. “I’m looking out my bedroom window thinking, ‘Oh my God. Where are these people coming from?'” remembers Selko, founder and former director of the 30-year-old outdoor blues and bluegrass festival named for the overwhelming August heat. “One person told one person and 400 people showed up.”
Screenings to Look Out for at the New/Next Film Festival
Just when Maryland cinephiles thought 2023 was going to be a bust, along comes the New/Next Film Festival to save the day. The festival, organized by WYPR’s Sam Sessa and programmer Eric Hatch, arrives this weekend at the Charles Theater. It showcases shorts and features from national, international, and local filmmakers followed by lively post-screening conversations. Here are some reviews of a few festival highlights to whet your appetite.
First-Ever Honey Chile Fest to Celebrate Black Women and Femmes in Film
Nia Hampton, the visionary behind the Baltimore-founded Black Femme Supremacy Film Fest (BFSFilmFest), has ignited a movement aimed at addressing the longstanding void in opportunities for queer, Black, and femme filmmakers. A poignant illustration of this work was on display when Tender, a film by Baltimore native TV writer, producer,...
Maryland Inline Speed Skaters Roll Into Italy’s World Games
Though inline speed skater Kenna Pfeiffer did ride horses as a little girl, there aren’t athletic roots in her family. Her folks actually joke that her skating career resulted from poor parenting. “They used to drop me off at the indoor skating rink all weekend, so it was like...
These Experts Say Buying a Home in Baltimore Isn’t as Brutal as it Seems
Tammy Saul knows what it is like to pursue the American dream of homeownership. She came to the U.S. from Kyiv, Ukraine with her parents when she was three years old and often thinks how different her life would be if they hadn’t made that journey. Grateful for the education and opportunity she’s been afforded, Saul, the founder of Federal Hill Mortgage, is paying it forward by helping others reap the benefits of owning a home.
Open & Shut: Charm City Poke & Mochi; Costiera; Busboys and Poets
Charm City Poke & Mochi: This fall, this new grab-and-go concept will make its debut in the former home of Plantbar inside Harbor Point’s Constellation Building. From Na Yi, owner and operator Blowfish Poke at Cross Street Market, Charm City Poke & Mochi will offer Blowfish’s signature made-to-order poke bowls, plus new menu items like steamed buns, steamed dumplings, ramen, and sushi rolls. As for the mochi, expect Blowfish’s popular mochi donuts made with low-gluten rice flour in flavors like matcha, mango, strawberry, purple ube, and chocolate.
Why These Local Businesses are Offering Their Own Short-Term Rentals
Summer travel is in full swing, and we’ve spotted a fun, related trend: local restaurants and small businesses promoting their own short-term rentals. Along with providing another source of revenue for owners, these properties serve multiple purposes. From conversations we’ve had with a handful of Baltimore-area businesses, the goals range from simply extending their brand’s mission of hospitality to working in tandem with on-site private events. A common objective we clocked: the desire to positively spotlight the area and immerse visitors in an authentic, neighborhood-driven travel experience.
Volo is Launching a Massive Waterfront Sports Venue at Baltimore Peninsula
On any given weeknight, it’s not uncommon to see groups of adults wearing colored Volo Sports T-shirts roaming around certain city neighborhoods after a rec game. The adult sports network initially started as a Bocce league in Federal Hill in 2010, and has since grown to offer more than 15 sports (everything from softball and kickball to cornhole and badminton) in more than 10 cities.
The Charmery Owners Share Top 10 Flavors From Their First 10 Years
A lot has changed since David and Laura Alima peeled back the butcher paper on the windows to unveil their Hampden ice cream shop, The Charmery, at 801 W. 36th St. on July 20, 2013. For starters, the Avenue flagship now has four sister locations: a shop and production facility...
Basement Bars to Help Escape the Summer Heat
Sure, rooftop bars are all the rage once the summer scorchers start to set in. But if there’s one thing we remember from grade school science class, it’s that lesson about how heat rises. If you’re looking for a chill—and likely less crowded—substitute to the sweaty sky-high spots, these basement bars are ideal hideaways.
The Feel-Good: Five Great Things That Happened in Our Area This Month
Puptastic! The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore Rehabilitates an Otter Pup. If you haven’t been binge-watching the zoo’s adorable videos of its rescued otter pup, what have you even been doing with your time? The endearing otter has developed a following, whether she’s offering up ASMR chomping snacks and grunting in her play pen or splashing in her baby pool. The otter was believed to be about 40 days old when she was found stranded on the shores of the river in Elk Neck State Park. Park officials waited to see if the mother would turn up, but eventually called in Maryland Zoo officials for help.
Open & Shut: Baja Tap; Drift Bar; Peter Chang Baltimore
Baja Tap: The former Bond Street Social space in Fells Point won’t be empty much longer. If you haven’t noticed its colorful wraps covering the windows yet, Baja Tap is expected to take over the restaurant at 901 S. Bond St. in mid-September. The concept—focusing on tacos, margaritas, and live music—already has a location in Washington, D.C. that opened earlier this year. But partner and chef Greg Lloyd says the Baltimore spot “has always been in the works.” “The space in Adams Morgan worked out, and we thought it’d be a great testing ground,” he adds. “Then we could hit the ground running in Baltimore.”
Baltimore magazine
727+
Posts
865K+
Views
Baltimore magazine serves as a user’s guide to the region, both in print and online. Through world-class design, bold photography, and captivating writing, we point you to the best in food, drink, arts, culture, fashion, and more. We also introduce you to Baltimore’s most fascinating people and dig deep on the subjects that matter most to our readers. We passionately chronicle and celebrate this complicated, wonderful, vibrant city we all love. We know everything about this town. And soon you will, too.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.