1,067 Words of Love

I’ve been hesitant—reluctant to a point of stubbornness, really—to include the bar scene to the Baltimore After Dark series. I wasn’t particularly interested in including the club scene either, which I’m seeing was a mistake as Baltimore’s scene is apparently different than anywhere else. (I had naïvely thought that every city’s clubs were just like these.)
Baltimore is full of bars—and it seems almost unfair to report about one bar over another when the fact is that every bar has specials, closes at the same time and has its own unique crowd. They have dance parties, karaoke, bingo and 80s prom. They have drink specials based upon the weather and a crowd of regulars.
Yet I feel it would be a disservice to pretend that I haven’t at least noticed the joys of After Dark Drinking in Baltimore, because while I’ve taken copious notes while informally polling students, co-workers, people in line at Dunkin Donuts at 8 a.m. and fellow transit riders my heart has stayed true…to the Ottobar.
I went to the Howard Street club last night to see Illinois-based pop band Spitalfield on their formal farewell tour. Yet the evening was far from formal. Joined by fellow Illinois bands The Forecast and The Graduate (a group of fellows who have formed their own Baltimore cheering section) I came full circle to my formative Ottobar years that had steadily led to this night. The bands milled through the crowds with their Baltimore-based friends, fans and crew. The only way of identifying a band member (aside from the laminate that hung from his or her denim pocket) was by the person’s outerwear: fans and locals had eschewed coats and taken chances to run from car to bar rather than risk a smelly coat for Wednesday’s morning commute while the Midwesterners and professional tourers had long learned the value of a winter coat and remained bundle in heavy wool pea coats through the evening.
I first saw Spitalfield when I was a freshman and beginning to explore the city on my own. Obligatory post-show dinner was held at Paper Moon down the street then and I was still adjusting to the idea that bands would swill their beer in the company of teenagers who had recently purchased a brand new hoodie. The Ottobar became my favorite music venue—and remains my favorite in Baltimore today—for its lackluster and homey values. Smoking is limited to the section near the bar and not the stage (whereas Fletcher’s had allowed it in the front, leaving a 17-year-old version of me covered in burns the night following a packed show), a small balcony to avoid the ensuing fray and a laid back vibe.
Paired with the camaraderie, I felt at home. And last night, I began to feel guilty that I hadn’t once mentioned on Baltimore After Dark’s blog that, oops, there are some clubs and bars in the city, too.
Ultimately I think The Village Voice’s Tom Breihan described the venue best in his ode to The Blood Brothers, a recently deceased band:

I went there a lot, often three or four shows a week. Shows in Baltimore are different from shows in New York. People in New York, for the most part, don't go off the way people in Baltimore do. Unless things have changed significantly since I moved away (entirely possible), nobody records Baltimore shows for posterity on digital cameras on notepads. Instead, they bug the fuck out. I've got a sort of greatest-hits reel of visceral Ottobar show-moments in my head: twenty drunk rednecks at a sparsely attended Tuesday-night Avail show taking turns jumping on each other's faces, the spontaneous moshpit that sprung into life the second M.O.P. started doing "Ante Up," Dillinger Four staging a contest to see who could most convincingly dance like a drunk homeless person (I won a T-shirt and a couple of CDs). But I can only remember two shows where the entire packed-in mass of humanity at the Ottobar became a flailing, indistinguishable tornado of limbs for the entire hour-plus the headlining band was onstage.

I like to say that nothing has changed. The limbs weren’t flailing last night, but the crowd—which only a few weeks ago had crossed its arms and nodded approvingly through Olympia’s set in a distinctive Washington, DC response—had abandoned its arms folded, face scowling façade for hands clapping, excessive cheering, booty shaking free-for-all. And can you blame us? Sometimes it’s nice to relive your youth through heart-on-your-sleeve “emo” and revel in cheap beer. (The Ottobar has a 2-for-1 special upstairs on Tuesday. The clock struck 9 when the bands and fans moseyed upstairs to enjoy half-priced bottles and rail drinks.)

When the show ended the love for milling amongst one another didn’t end. The vans were loaded and the bands drove to Friends in Fells Point. What is striking about this isn’t leaving one club/bar to go to another—that happens all the time. It’s that the bands wanted to go.
The Graduate’s guitarist Max Sauer turned 21 Sunday and has loyally waited until last night to celebrate in Fells Point. The group’s love for Baltimore abounds. The group's debut album's complimentary DVD, The Making of Anhedonia shows hanging out in Fells Point, eating at Five Guys and (of course) sharing a beer at Friends in the bar’s chapel. When the group played The Ottobar this summer a post-show visit to the group’s studio revealed a brief trip to Soundgarden when they had splurged and bought The Wire on DVD.
As tabs were paid and the last cigarettes were smoked, members of The Forecast began a war-like chant to convene in Fells Point. They were joined by members of Spitalfield and giggling Graduate fans (that would be a dig at myself).
I know that love for Baltimore is not rare (it just occasionally seems that way). M.I.A. was inspired by Baltimore while writing and recording her album Kala and is joined by two locals as openers for her tour. But seeing unabashed love—from sources I’ve come to expect it from, and sources I hadn’t—makes me swell with pride nonetheless. (Even though everyone reconvened upstairs until suddenly, oh no! It's 2 a.m. and time to leave.)
I’m glad the Ottobar has allowed for me to grow into my late teens and early twenties. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

After Dark: Holiday Edition

Gee Willickers, the city has aplenty to offer for holiday entertainment after 5 p.m.! Fortunately most of it is free but unfortunately it seems a lot of it is happening this weekend as Saturday marks the first day of December.

34th St. after 6 p.m. is already aglow . The grand lighting was on November 24 and the street will stay alight through the end of the year. 34th St. is in Hampden between Keswick and Chestnut; last year 30,000 people strolled the streets during the 28 days the street was lit. The streets are so crowded that police direct traffic but the snail's pace you drive is worth the glory of thousands of lit bulbs. The "event" is free--because really, who charges money to walk up and down one block?

Saturday will mark the Fells Point Miracle on Main Street. Now that Santa has arrived for the season with reindeer by way of the Macy's Parade, he will arrive in Baltimore by tugboat. Except that's at 9 a.m., so it's better to keep in the spirit of this project and head over for the other miracle: tree lighting. That's at 5 p.m., after the sun in this city has set, thanks to daylight savings. Guess what: this is free too!

Down the street the harbor will be filled for the 20th Annual Parade of Boats. The Parade starts at 6 p.m.; boats, yachts, and I hope tugboats, will float across Baltimore's giant pond, forcing the water to glitter with more than the Domino Sugar Sign. Presented by the Fells Point Yacht Club, there will be more than 30 boats.

Next Thursday, December 6, the Monument will light up like a Christmas tree for Mount Vernon Place's "A Monumental Occasion."I watched the other tree lightings this week but didn't see any fireworks. What we lack in greens we make up with explosives. This is also free. Parking can be scarce in Mount Vernon and you can get there hassle free on the Light Rail using the Center Street stop. Pre-events activities begin at 5:30 p.m. and the monument will glow at 6:50 p.m. If you miss out fear not, the monument will glow through New Year's. Maybe longer--it was lit well past the first of the year in 2k6. I can't believe I've scheduled myself that night to see GWAR over fireworks.

There's another tree lighting in Little Italy the next evening at 6 p.m. Carolers, Santa and a real tree will try and ease the pain caused over theatrical blood and missing fireworks "timed to music." But there are also cookies, hot cider and roasted chestnuts (really! Despite the shortage!) too, so I suppose I will find a way to drown my sorrows.

Also all-lit-up is the BMI in Federal Hill, starting, of course, on Saturday. You can walk or drive after dark through Christmas Eve through the campus and admire an artistic display of lights. The BMI is a fascinating place so these lights will go on the typical yard display. There are other events here too during the day.

Finally, what seems the most night-related--and perhaps most interesting--is a winter solstice hike in Oregon Ridge on December 21. Most Oregon Ridge hikes are $2 (non-refundable) and geared for adults (who genuinely enjoy the great outdoors). This one however, will be free! Oregon Ridge also regularly has full moon hikes (which would have been nice to know before the semester ended). This hike will examine winter hibernation which sounds good to MCOM 407 students...

For Things to Do during daylight I recommend City Paper's Holiday Guide. I wrote some of it, so there is a level of bias attached to my recommendation. The city's webpage has a holiday guide--which includes Santa-free holidays--and the Baltimore Fun Guide, a website based solely on planning a weekend out, has a list of holiday activities too.

If that doesn't work for you there's always ABC Family, which is diligently airing holiday thematic movies for their yearly 25 Days of Christmas. I'm not sure what last night's A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) had to do with Christmas, but it was followed by Home Alone 4 (2002) and I suppose that all can be redeemed. In defense of ol' Chuck, when I tuned in, Snoopy was pirouetting via rotoscoping on the ice and that's marginally Christmas-like. Ribbing aside, Frosty's Winter Wonderland airs tonight, The Year Without a Santa Claus on Monday, a Christmas "classics" marathon Saturday, December 8, Jack Frost on the 11th, and another marathon on the 24th. In between these days is a borderline-tasteless nearly-sexual romp starring Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez , The Incredibles (holidayish for its wholesomeness?) and miscellaneous live action cinema gems. If Hallmark holiday movies are your thing the schedule is online here. Or take my word for it and watch just the stop-action classics post-finals.
The other networks are on the bandwagon too--next Wednesday ABC will air Santa Claus is Coming to Town during the Pushing Daisies time slot (which was filled this week by Shrek the Halls). Given ABC's extensive line-up it looks like the best way to cover for repeats during the writers' strike is with Christmas nostalgia. This is fine by me--I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown is slated to air too. Parades will air too--but until those network parades are in the Harbor they're not worth mentioning or watching, are they?

They're Just That Into You, Baltimore

Baltimore is a happenin’ place for celebrities this month following a weekend on-location shoot for the upcoming film He’s Just Not That Into You. Former Saturday Night Live star Jimmy Fallon has been spotted in Fells Point’s Ale Mary’s while the cast—which includes Jennifer Connelly, Entourage’s Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson—have been spotted throughout the city as well. Actually, confirmed sightings are limited to Connelly, Johannson and Fallon with and without the company of fiance Juvonen.
The two had a late night dinner (see, relevance!) at Aldo’s in Little Italy. It’s not the branching out The Sun’s Dining@Large blog will have you believe, given that the filming is in the same tiny neighborhood, but it’s something. It’s better than getting into a chauffeured car and whisked to the Cheesecake Factory and Hooter’s, right? As a side note, I've never felt enamored with bread pudding as I do now looking at that photograph.
Yet these sightings are not just around the Harbor, where the tourists are milling between dolphin shows at the Aquarium. Nor just Mount Vernon and Little Italy, where the movie is to take place (most of the filming has been done in Los Angeles).
Besides, I would be remiss to criticize the convenience when rock band The Graduate frequents Fell’s Point hangouts Friends (their preferred place for Resurrection), B.O.P., Blue Moon Café and The Baltimore Tattoo Museum for body jewelry. If I’m beside myself in the way the group has assimilated into Fells Point after recording its debut album down the street in Salad Days Studio, then by all means, I’m going to welcome Hollywood too.
It’s interesting to see where the stars gravitate. If only Aniston was spotted at Faidley’s in Lexington Market, Connolly in a cozy dive bar on Harford Road and Johansson at Rocket to Venus. Or the whole cast at Paper Moon or even a 24 hour Ihop. Maybe that’s unfair too, since Johansson chose this weekend as her first time to taste scrapple. (It was in the hours of daylight but it’s so heartwarming it’s worth mentioning. And I don’t even like scrapple.)
Since He’s Just Not That Into You is the byproduct of HBO’s Sex in the City (the book was written by one of the show’s consulters after the episode—which travailed the theory—was met with great success), has launched a daytime television talk show and now a movie, we’ll hold our breath in Baltimore that at least Justin Long will spied at Rec Room, since one thing has been learned from Bradshaw and Company: it's never too late to party fabulously.

Beer, meet Art.

What's better than a great watering hole in the city? When it doubles as an art space. After hours drinking is so much more in Baltimore when it includes more than booze.

Hampden's Rocket to Venus hosts the art of one artist a month. This month's artist is Sam Holden; the opening was Sunday p.m. and will continue through January 6, with a closing party from 5-7 p.m.

While it's true that many cafes, bars and restaurants already offer art on its walls, that art doesn't move until sold. Hampden's Holy Frijoles has filled its walls with atmospherically relevant paintings and prints, but until those prints are purchased, they will remain part of the decor. At Rocket to Venus, however, a patron can grab a pint, join friends, and bask in the feeling of sophistication for multitasking the evening into low key entertainment and high art (which varies based on the type of art on the walls).

Of course, multitasking the after hours entertainment isn't new. Instead, it's just special. The spring saw Fells Point's tattoo studio Saints and Sinners hosting work from Jason Snyder. The website is currently out of date, but the studio doubles as an art gallery (aside from its flash work for the tattoo space) on a regular basis. In this case, however, Saints and Sinners has its primary goal of body modification, and not evening entertainment.

Now if every neighborhood pub offered sculpture and fine art with its Miller Lite...

Oh, Baltimore...

I went to The Sidebar last Thursday to see The Riot Before, a Richmond-based band who were ending their billionth U.S. tour soon after their Baltimore date. The group was joined by The Hollowpoints and Dirty Tactics, a group from Philadelphia.
Dirty Tactics is a three-piece group of twenty-somethings full of the passion that embodies the punk credo. They're young, they're loud and their music embodies the angst and energy of the group's predecessors. Nothing spoke about this more clearly than when the group performed "There's Nothing to do After Midnight in Philadelphia," which was introduced by one of the members who asked the crowd if they find themselves bored at home, quarter to midnight, with nothing to do. Everything is closed he said, which led to the basis of a song that wallows through the many disadvantages of a city with no night life.
What struck me though, is the general silence that followed the song's introduction. Aside from the obvious--The Sidebar was filled with with people who were multitasking their after dark entertainment options by patronizing a bar and seeing a rock show--no one said, "Yeah, there's plenty to do in Baltimore."
Instead the crowd nodded in their silence, indicating that the city dies long before midnight.

A quick Google search yielded plenty to do at dark: One can learn to dance and use his or her newly developed skills through the evening through Friday Night Swing Club, Maryland Nightlife, a website dedicated for Things to Do At Night in Baltimore. City Paper's website and weekly paper include an events calendar that is widely hailed for its comprehensive listing of all activities--which naturally include clubs, special events, concerts and late night debauchery. Metromix has its own club and events section which spans through all forms of entertainment. Don't feel like toiling in Baja Beach Club? Try the After Dark Horrorfest at Muvico. The website includes a Google map to locate points of interest within its calendar.
But, wait, there's more! Baltimore Fun Guide's sole purpose is to get its citizens and tourists out and about. Day or night. So what's the deal, punx? What can the city do to inspire you to nod your head and agree, Yeah, there's plenty to do!

Of course this isn't a point of contention in the media (all I yielded from that search was the Baltimore/Annapolis contestant on Project Runway, which starts tomorrow night), but it's something Baltimore seems to be suffering from. For one, it's as old and tired as finding someone to date in the city. But really, why drag it out in the press when the press is providing the reviews, calendars and ideas for the city's residents?

Door to Door

We can currently receive anything in our mailbox: groceries, DVDs, Christmas gifts, and text books.

But in a Washington Post article dated June 12, 1989, the prospect of videos at our doorstep was a new concept:
"...An enterprising Washington video store owner is heating up the battle by offering a new gimmick: delivery service. Door to Door Video claims to be the first video rental outfit in the District to offer delivery to homes and offices. The rental, at $5 a night, is about double the cost of renting from Erol's..."
The article goes on to publish statements from Door to Door's competitors, Blockbuster and Erol's, who say that the service will become unpopular as a result of its expense. Spokespeople surmise that consumers would rather drive to their stores than pay a little extra.
Yet the article fortells the future: "...Industry analysts argue that it is a convenience service that the public wants and has proven to be profitable in other parts of the country."
An internet search has yielded little information about Door to Door's fate. Though it may not continue, Netflix and DVDs-to-your-mailbox competitors are a popular service.

More importantly, the convenience may be "killing" the in-store competition. Hollywood Video is going under--stores across the country are rapidly closing, and the Towson stores began their liquidation sale in September, emptying its retail before the beginning of October. Its parent company, Movie Gallery filed for bankruptcy last month, but the chain had been suffering for more than a year, having been purchased out of desperation in 2005.
Blockbuster (which hopes to soon own Hollywood Video, according to my employee stock statement) has lost more than $35 million and closed 526 stores nationwide, despite offering a Netflix-like program, sending DVDs in the mail to customers and allowing the opportunity to return and rent in-store.

Local chains do not currently offer what Door-to-Door attempted to bring to DC's residents in 1989, but Video Americain currently offers the purchase of DVDs through its website. Perhaps it's only a matter of time...

So, if the convenience of mail-order renting seemed impossible 18 years ago, what's next? What

Because We All Need Study Snacks

Ah, the convenience of anything you want, at any time. Thanks to delivery bike service DC Snacks, late night necessities are now at your door, and not just around the corner at the local 711. …As long as you are in DC.

Frequently used by college students, the service operates seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Sundays and weekdays and 4 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. DC Snacks delivers to neighborhoods Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, Midtown, and Downtown.

Almost nothing is impossible. Need to make a cake? Cake mix and icing in a variety of flavors are available. As are sauces and spices, Advil, contraceptives, peanut butters, marshmallows, Nutella, candy, frozen food entrees, sushi, Red Bull, bottled water, Benadryl, Tums, Marlbaro Ultra Lights, baking soda, ping pong balls, and batteries. You could, in theory, grocery shop through DC Snacks; all that is unavailable are milk and eggs, and with the company's changing hours and frequent stock update, one might wonder how long until DC Snacks provides the necessities that we need for impending snow storm. From the obscure necessity to the basics, DC Snacks appears to have you covered.

Of course, DC Snacks raise questions, which are not only limited to its products and services, but its safety and necessity. On the one hand, it's convenient to have a delivery service that provides the little things that make life easy, but do we need a service to provide that? Or should we drive ourselves to the 24-hour Superfresh and get the milk, glue stick, and Dayquil ourselves?

What what does it mean for Baltimore and what does this mean for society? Well, it's another convenience; like 24-hour fitness centers, late night pharmacies, and 24-hour drive thrus, the "pedal service" offers the ability to stay indoors. If it's raining or snowing when you remember you need No. 2 pencils for tomorrow's exam, you won't have to brave the wild to collect the necessity. (This is of course, hypothetical; DC Snacks doesn't offer pencils, but as an off-handed suggestion, the future Baltimore services should!) As for Baltimore, it's a convenience we could surely benefit from, and consider me chagrined, one I would likely use.