The Cone Collection

I've professed my love for art in the past. This afternoon, after picking up my weekly produce and happiness from the market and taking the dog to a park, I figured I'd go see the new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art.  I love the BMA and was excited to see the Baker Artist Awards.  As expected, there were wonderful exhibits from local artists which once again verified my belief that Baltimore artists are equally as talented, if not more so, than artists in larger cities.  Today I am not here to regale you with tales of the wonders of the BMA, though.  The BMA is undergoing some serious renovations and will be reopening their Contemporary Wing in November, at which point I'll scope it out and bore you with details then.

Source: http://www.destination360.com/

Today, I am here to tell you about the Cone Collection at the BMA.  Sometimes a girl just needs to revel in Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Rodin, and the Cone Collection allows me to do just that.  So, many thanks to the wealthy Cone sisters who decided that Baltimore should hold onto their collection so that "the spirit of appreciation for modern art in Baltimore became improved."  Because the BMA is free, it allows people like myself to go in multiple times a month for the sole purpose of staring at late 19th Century sculpture on a whim, and for that I am incredibly grateful.  

Please be sure to support the BMA, or any art institute, and not just for my own selfish motives.  The arts are one of the main reasons Baltimore is such a great place to live, and keeping the arts affordable/free means keeping it accessible to everyone.

The American Visionary Arts Museum

My sister came to visit me this weekend from DC and I had planned a whole slew of Baltimore-specific activities for us.  Many of these were tabled due to midday margaritas at Holy Frijoles that led to midday naps, and discovering while walking the dog this morning that some lovely human being had broken into my car last night.  After rummaging through my old receipts, gum wrappers, reusable grocery bags and broken FM adapter, my belongings were deemed unworthy of theft, and I've just been left with a broken window.  On the bright side, I've been singing, "Walking on Broken Glass" all day and am now sporting a trash bag over my window until the glass replacement man comes tomorrow.  It makes my car look ultra-urban.  I feel as though I've passed Baltimore's hazing process and can now proudly say that I've fully acclimated to this city.

All that being said, we still did many wonderful things on our Sister Adventure Weekend in Charm City.  We perused the shops of Hampden, I stocked up on well-priced whites at the Wine Source, visited the Book Thing, bought more produce than I could ever consume at the Farmers Market, and took the dogs for a stroll at Patterson Park.   We also visited the American Visionary Arts Museum, a place I've been pining to go to since the day I moved.

I am an art museum junkie, and the AVAM did not disappoint.  While the BMA and the Walters offer wonderful collections, the AVAM offers works that otherwise would never be curated.  It's appreciating that art can come from anyone and anywhere, not just those who have the means and circumstances.  Their collection absolutely blew me away.

I absolutely bought myself a one-year membership.  I couldn't not.  Especially after going to the Kinetic Sculpture Race this past May.

Other Exciting Baltimore Activities to Do with One's Sister
-make risotto
-drink wine
-not leave the apartment on a Saturday night
-tape a bag to a car
-play with your respective pets
-rate different brands of Greek yogurt (Oikus > Safeway Select.  Always)

Artscape

There are few things I support more than the plight of the artist.  I think art, in all of its forms, is a crucial component of a civilized society, and I regularly make a point of exposing myself to it in Baltimore.  (Look for posts on museums, theaters, local venues and bands, etc on another yet-to-be-determined date)

I don't know if you know this, but Artscape is kind of a big deal.  Back in 2009, I made the drive up from DC suburbia with some friends because I desperately wanted to see Cake.  I knew nothing about Baltimore, I knew nothing about Artscape, I just knew I wanted to see Cake.  We were an odd group, and while seeing Cake was fantastic and I remember thinking Baltimore was quirkier than I had given it props for in the past, what I most recall from that day were high temperatures and short tempers.  When house hunting with my sister last September, two weeks before I was to start my job, I remember walking down Charles Street and it all hitting me like I'd just walked into a wall - I'd been here before.  I'd seen this hideous statue before, I'd seen this theater.  Fate would have it that I'd move into this area, and I would come to love it.

I love Club Charles, I love that heinous statue, I love the sound of Amtrak as I go to bed, I love Brewer's Art, I love Single Carrot, I love everything that made me reconsider Baltimore three years ago.

But this is not about my love for midtown and Station North.  No.  This is about Artscape.

Artscape is massive.  As their website brags, "3 Days, 350,000 people."  It's the largest free arts festival in the United States.  This is fantastic.  No, honestly, it is.  One of the things I love so much about Baltimore is how well it treats its artists.  We give them nice spaces like this (and this!) at affordable(ish) prices, and sometimes they even let us come over and see what they're up to.  Artscape allows local artists the opportunity to showcase their work to a massive audience, whereas otherwise they may not have gotten so much publicity.  This is all fantastic - honestly.  As someone who loves and appreciates both art and artists, I think Artscape is commendable and I am personally looking forward to attending it.

Now, here is my beef.


I live in the surrounding regions of where Artscape is held.  I have plans Saturday night in the 'burbs.  (I can't miss Wine Club AGAIN!  Who will do the dramatic readings of the descriptions on the bottle??)   Between Artscape, my dog, parking, street closures, water main breaks downtown, and Netflix filming "House of Cards" in the city this week, I'm pretty much trapped.  Those 350,000 Artscape attendees?  They'll be in my neighborhood.  They'll be drunk on my front stoop at godforsaken hours of the morning.  They'll be stealing my prime parking spaces.  They'll be wanting to talk to me about my dog when I just want him to take a dump and keep moving.  They'll move into my bars (stay away from Dionysus!) and clog my bus. 


This weekend, as a result, is going to take impressive maneuvering on behalf of myself and my dear, dear, patient, friends.  The dog is being shuttled out of the city before Artscape begins.  I am evacuating on the Light Rail, to return in time, god willing, for the Farmers Market.  I do want to see Artscape, and  again, I'm excited and proud that it's in Baltimore.  All I'm saying is you never see them shut down the streets  and make a huge deal out of showcasing what I do for a living.  Do you know what neighborhoods I inconvenience with my livelihood?  NONE.  

That being said, if you're new to Bmore, get yourself to Artscape!  Go see what awesome talent lies in this city.  Go take my parking spaces.  Go innundate my bartenders with your questions like, "What's Natty Boh?"  Go enjoy yourself!  (but seriously, don't you dare drive in)

Bienvenidos!

I first came to Charm City in October of 2011, meaning that I'm a relatively young Baltimorean.  When I moved here, I knew the Inner Harbor, where my office was, and the The Wire had been filmed/based off of Baltimore, without ever having seen the show.

I wanted to get involved, so I went to the Baltimore Sun.  I was aghast, or am too cheap, when I heard they charge $0.99 for a monthly online subscription.  What is this, the New York Times?  Get outta here, Bmore Sun.  I went to the intertubes for my news and found an array of fantastic area blogs.  None of them were a step-by-step guide of how to get acquainted with the Baltimore I've come to know and love through trial and error, so here we are.  That, and I've missed blogging.

I was recently told that I'm "boring on paper," in what I was assured was a complimentary fashion, but those things stick with a girl.  If this bores you, consider yourself warned.  It'll probably get awfully banal at times - I won't lie to you.

A brief summary of what I wish I had known coming here, and what I'm still looking to learn are as follows:

-This city has an arts scene that ought to be the envy of the mid-Atlantic.  With Gaia, Dan Deacon, Beach House, Single Carrot Theater, MICA, the BMA, the Walters, the AVAM, Artscape, good 'ol John Waters, and so much more, Baltimore offers a huge variety of artistic options without the price tag of New York.  And, dare I say it (dare I do!), I think they're more original and talented here.
-The people!  They're fantastic!  Having grown up right outside DC, I was accustomed to type-A personalities and cutthroats.  Baltimore doesn't take itself seriously, and I love it for that.  The city is more laid-back and happy to see where the tide will take it; Baltimore is always open to new suggestions.
-The restaurant options here have been disappointing.  Maybe it's because I was spoiled in DC, maybe it's because I love food, maybe it's because I was recently told to go gluten-free by my doctor and the options here just aren't cutting it for me, but whatever the reason, I'm disillusioned.  All my coworkers kept talking up places that are fine, but I get my hopes up each time.  I'm also on a hunt for some solid gluten-free food options around here.  In general, the bars have proven to be wonderful, but the fine dining is always "meh."  No worries, because...
-The Farmer's Market under the expressway is PHENOMENAL.  It may be my favorite thing in this city.  I love to cook food (see: gluten-free, disappointed in other area offerings), and the $1 kale man, 2 for $5 asparagus, $1 radishes, my beloved omelet and kettle korn men are all enough to make me never want to leave Baltimore.  Ever.  Yahoo recently ranked it the best Farmer's Market in the country - take that, Portland!
-Hikes.  Or just outdoors space in general.  As much as I adore my apartment, my "outdoor space" is a meager portion of my fire escape that I have to crawl out of my bedroom window to get to.  I share it with my neighbors, and that hyacinth I left to die out there.  It's very spacious and luxuious in that way that I've enjoyed a glass of wine out there a few times, but the dog gets antsy that he can't join so I'm forced back in.  As a result, I'd like to find more places to take my little basset, and maybe even find some good hiking in the region.  I briefly called Roanoke, VA home, and miss the proximity to amazing hiking very much.
-Club sports here are a way of life.  I convinced some coworkers to join the Bocce League in Federal Hill, and my life will never be the same.  It seems that almost everyone is in a social sports league, so if you're new, I can't recommend this highly enough.  Everyone is there to be social - they're all open to meeting new people.  When bocce season is over, I'm hoping to join a trivia league, because that's as athletic as I get - bocce and trivia.

This list seems paltry, but there is more that's just not coming to mind at the moment.  Welcome, though, and if you have any fun Baltimore tidbits to share, I would love to hear them!