Patterson Park Patter

bathroom makeover: from leaky to lovely

2011-05-03T13:34:00.010-04:00

My second-floor bathroom is done, by the way. Totally forgot to mention that and give you the wrap up a couple weeks ago! Long story short, I love it. Immensely! No more weirdly giant nasty jetted tub (that leaks out of two jets), no more totally Eighties scallop-edged vanity. Oh, yeah, and no more non-functioning tub spout. Or weird pink and gray tiles. Ok, you get the point - it was bad... reeeeally bad!

I made the somewhat-begrudging decision to replace this uber-tub with a step-in shower. This means that my house now has no bathtub, which terrified me on a resale basis, but I realized that I could either do a really lovely, classy step in shower, or a pretty mediocre, boring tub. I also realized I have taken precisely 2 baths in 5 years, which I didn't even enjoy - I always end up taking a shower after. Oh, and that I probably won't want to sell my house for at least 5 more years. Minimum. SO shower it was! But this meant that I could get gorgeous tiles, put in a bench, replace my vanity and floor tiles, and repaint for less than it was going to cost me to get a replacement tub (crazy old tub = crazy custom/non-standard tub needed to replace it = crazy added expense).

Here's an evolution for you - as per us', I forgot to take "before" pictures. Well, to my credit, I HAD before pictures on my old computer that bit the dust 100%. Sorry... just use my intense description and your imaginations. Here we start with the bathroom totally gutted:

Here are some shots mid-renovation - at last, my tile had arrived! The waterproofing was done! My main goal was to avoid creating a super-cliche bathroom. In my line of work, I see a lot of bathroom..like, a lot a lot...and I swear 97% look identical. To avoid this, I decided to create contract while sticking to a simple black and white color palette (classic, easy to change up by adding splashes of color with new towels, and never goes out of style) I got these really large rectangular tiles , oriented vertically, for the bottom 4 feet as as well as the bench. Above that, is a six-inch band of black, white and gray glass skinny tiles:

Already was loving it. And then! Oh, then, my beautiful subway tiles arrived! These were expensive, but I am so glad I didn't end up going with the cheaper option with a lower length-to-height ration. I oriented theses horizontally, to contrast with the huge vertical rectangles on the bottom. As you can see, it was still a mess at this point, but getting there:

Have I built enough suspense for The Big Reveal by now?

So....what do you think?

love k

return home

the craziest race in our glorious city

2011-05-03T12:23:00.007-04:00

Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a thirty-five foot long, eight foot tall giant pink poodle? Yup, that is a legitimate possibility this Saturday. "But how?" you ask? Duh! The Kinetic Sculpture Race is a'comin' to town! Hosted by the American Visionary Arts Museum, the Kinetic Sculpture Race celebrates all things wild and ridiculous. For eight hours, human powered amphibious works of art race fifteen miles through the city, into the Harbor, and battling through mud and sand pits. Yup. It's crazy, but it's true.

Inspired by the California Kinetic Grand Championship, our race is now in it's thirteenth year! Last year, 28 teams came to town, including the winning sculpture, "Candy Haus" - a giant gingerbread house complete with enormous lollipops..that were also oars - "Go Ask Alice," and "Platypus," but to name a few. They're all really quite awe-inspiring in their looks, not to mention that they complete an obstacle course and brave the harbor.

Even the awards are silly! The Golden Dinosaur goes to the sculpture

with the most memorable breakdown; The Worst Honorable Mention is awarded to the sculpture whose "half-baked theoretical engineering did not deter its pilot from the challenge of the race"; The Golden flip is for the most interesting water entry; And, my personal favorite, the National Mediocre Champion has the dubious honor of finishing with the time closest to average. Heck, you can even get points for bribing the judges!

Long story short, you obviously have to go. It you're a Patterson

Parker like me, you're in luck! The Park is where the Kinetic Sculptures navigate the obstacle course of mud and sand pits and hills. But no matter where you are, you can catch all the fun throughout the city. Check out this route map and estimated times.

The whole thing arrives in the Park around 1:15, so that's where you'll find me, for sure. In the meantime, cross your fingers and toes for lovely weather! Oh, and I almost forgot! Spectators are strongly encouraged to get in on the crazy action and dress in you finest foolishness.

love k

return home

sink hole!

2011-05-03T11:26:00.008-04:00

Last week there was a sink hole in the middle of East Baltimore Street, just East of the Park! Sometime in the late afternoon a huge section of the road - we're talking like 5 feet by 7 feet - just sunk, finally coming to rest some four or five feet below the rest of the road. It was quite a spectacle and people literally took to the streets to examine it, sitting on stoops with quite a carnival atmosphere. Gotta love Baltimore!

Not sure if it is a coincidence or if we're entering in to some apocalyptic disaster, but I feel like there have been sink holes popping up all over the place lately....please get on that, City Hall! While there was nothing exciting down there, the mind reels at how and why dirt beneath the roads is being so rapidly corroded. Maybe it all comes back to Baltimore's issues with rain water run off!

Anyways, the city quickly put up barricades to stop any unfortunate car vs. sink hole situations, and within three days the city had it all fixed up and, hopefully, good as new.

love k

return home

star spangled in the sunshine

2011-05-03T09:30:00.008-04:00

A week ago found the miraculous combination of sunshine, no appointments, and N's day off! What are the odds, right? Deciding to seize the day, we headed around the harbor to Fort McHenry for my first visit to the birthplace of our national anthem. What a treat! If you haven't been, I suggest you put it on your summer "to-do" list, pronto.

In case your history is a little rusty, this star-shaped fort played a major role during the War of 1812, during the Battle of Baltimore. A thousand Americans successfully staved off the British invasion of the Fort and Baltimore's harbor while Baltimorean's watched on baited breath from rooftops throughout the city all night. Also watching this battle was Francis Scott Key, who was inspired to write a poem that became the Star Spangled Banner as he saw the American flag rise over the fort after a horrendous night of cannon bombardment. Due to the valiant efforts of the soldiers as well as Baltimore's merchants - who sunk 22 of their own ships to create an artificial reef to block British ships from entering the harbor - Baltimore was saved.

The fort was later used as a military prison during the Civil War, and was then made in to a national park in 1925, and then a "National Monument and Historic Shrine" in 1939 - the only place to hold this double title!

There is a lovely visitors' center, with a great (though somewhat glossed-over) video documentary of the Battle of Baltimore. When the Star Spangled Banner start up, the screen rose into the ceiling revealing a wall of windows, and the American flag was seen gently flapping in the wind atop the fort, even I felt a little teary. A walk through the fort was informative and interesting, with recreated soldiers' quarters, etc to poke through, and sweeping views of the city and harbor from the fort walls. Next time I'm taking a picnic! I also hope to see the Fort McHenry Guard - a volunteer group that helps bring history to life for visitors; I believe they will be there starting May 28th.

Each September, Fort McHenry commemorates the successful defense of the city from the British. I don't have details on the affair, but I imagine it's a sweet scene and worth checking out! Hey, you could even take the water taxi over and make it a real lil' urban adventure.

love k

return home

follow me!

pink poof explosion!

2011-04-21T15:25:00.011-04:00

I am lucky enough to live on a street lined by old cherry blossom trees - the city doesn't plant these anymore, since apparently they grow too laterally and get in the way of trucks and street cleaners. In fact, I've stopped city crews from hacking down branches on more than one occasion (one was especially awkward since I heard them starting up their wood chipper and had to leap out of bed and throw on whatever clothes were on hand and bolt out the door, hair everywhere, to literally beg them to go away. It worked) I also have scrubbed off their white spray painted marks meant to indicate future chopping, and bound a broken branch assaulted by a street cleaner truck passing by until it healed itself...Hey, whatever it takes. What the city and its wood chipping employees don't understand is that I value what the trees offer way more than the street cleaner's ability to hiss down my gutter. I can sweep up street trash, but I can't replace the immense pleasure each and every twig of that tree brings me.

You see, each spring my street is transformed into a fairy arbor, with ridiculous, almost unbelievable, explosions of the wildest pink you can imagine. Over the course of three days, the whole street is transformed from ho-hum winter branches to intoxicating color. Fluffy cotton-candy balls of flowers literally surround you as you walk out the door. Walking my dog at night, I pass beneath boughs that pulse pink even in the dark. It is magical. Even as the petals fall, the spell continues, as the entire sidewalk is transformed to a soft pink carpet, so much more dazzling than any hollywood red carpet walk could be.

The whole thing only lasts about one week, but it is my favorite week of the entire year.

love k

return home

moving from local food desert to local food distribution

2011-04-20T10:15:00.013-04:00

Let's just start by talking about how cool the American Brewery building is. Built in 1887 by a German immigrant, the Brewery was one of the largest in Maryland with a 10,000 bushel grain elevator, a 30,000 square foot Brewhouse and 60,000 square foot Bottle Building . It rocked and rolled until Prohibition shuttered its operations in the 1920s. In 1931 the building was sold the American Malt Company, who modernized the operation until 1973, whereupon it was listed in the National Registry of Historic Sites.

Over the following decades, this once bustling, beautiful building fell into disrepair and neglect in one of East Baltimore's most blighted neighborhoods. In 2004, the non-profit organization Humanim (a social and human services organization) secured $22.5 million to restore and renovate the building into

their new headquarters. It is truly stunning - you should really go by sometime and check it out!

Now that that is out of the way, I can actually talk about why I was there on Tuesday evening for, shocker, a Baltimore Green Week event. This one was a combo of a presentation by Baltimore Green Space followed by an awesome documentary crated by MICA students, entitled Baltimore Food Ecology Documentary (of, B FED - how clever!). Tracing the exodus of supermarkets from the city after the 1950s, as well as the disintegration of the city's systems of local food production, the documentary explored by the dominant food system falls short for so many Baltimore residents. With much of the city situated in what are known as "food deserts," the BFED team explored community gardens, produce warehouses, a local fish-farm, corner stores, and urban farms to find hope for a brighter food future for Baltimore.

The idea of community gardens was elaborated upon in the presentation by Baltimore Green Space. Working with residents throughout the city, BGS has helped fascinate the transformation of abandoned, desolate vacant lots into thriving community gardens that help nourish the neighborhood, both in terms of food and community-building. With help from BGS's land trust, communities can take ownership of these spaces and keep them safe from future development. With a future characterized by immense worldwide population and high transportation costs, the availability of locally grown food becomes an attractive, and necessary, reality. Additionally, green spaces create permeable surfaces for rain water to be absorb by the ground and make its way to waterways "naturally," as opposed to running off through storm drains. I just wrote a whole blog about this, though, so I won't go back into details again, so as not to bore you, my darling readers.

There was so much to think about, so many ways to improve, and myriad ways to take action. What are your ideas to reduce the "food desert" effect in Baltimore? I want to know!

love k

return home

waste water magic (or, what the city is doing to try to stop us drowning in our own filth)

2011-04-20T09:03:00.012-04:00

Are you sick of hearing about Baltimore Green Week yet? You better now be because you have some serious blogging coming your way about all things water-related: rain and runoff, sewage and streams. Let's get down to the murky business of what happens between a raincloud and a river.

Monday was my day-long BWG marathon, with two back to back "City Day Tours" collectively called "Energy and Stormwater Solutions." Oh man, were we all over town! We learned about energy saving technologies the city is implementing, such as those at the Back River Treatment Plant. There, they use the residual methane gas to power the treatment plant, and even put energy back on the grid in the summer! It's a little horrifying to me that we are producing that much grossness, but.... at least they're making good use of it. It was really neat to see how the whole plant runs, with myriad

steps to ensure that water being released back in to our rivers and bay are free of nutrients (that lead to algae blooms, and ultimately fish kills). Of course, we got to see the enormous golden digesters which have become infamous icons of Dundalk, as well as tour the engine rooms that make sure things keep flowing forward. One thing which was really disheartening was hearing about how our old sewage system is rife with cracking pipes, which inevitably lead to the cross-contamination between rain run off and sewage. With our bay already in dire straights, thinking about a constant leakage of sewage into ground water and run off drains is really....awful.

Our next stop was brand new, soon-to-be-opened LEED silver Homeless Services Center on Fallsway. It is just beautiful! With 275 beds, a green roof, reused materials, and a million other fancy energy efficiency features, this facility is truly inspiring on a lot of levels. What better way to help someone get back on their feet than giving them an address to temporarily call home with quality facilities, inspiring design, solid social services on hand, beautiful outdoor space and respect? As a society, this is what we should be striving to offer all our citizens. Way to go, Baltimore!

After some free lunch donated by Chipotle, we were off again to see various rain gardens and run-off control designs. Long story short, the more you can slow down rain run-offer and get it out of the storm drains and back in to the soil, the better we all are. Soil and plants naturally filter and clean the water they absorb, so that

by the time it gets back in to our waterways it is a lot more environmentally sound than if it just shoots in to a storm drain and out to the bay.

Additionally, projects to restore the health of our streams have aided in improving the health of our waterways, such as the restoration we visited in Mt. Washington's Western Run. Blue Water Baltimore and the Department of Public Works have been doing

great work creating bio-retention systems, tree boxes, community-lead storm drain initiatives and helping residents create low-cost rain gardens, such as the one pictured here (in Roland Park) which also had a rain barrel.

Start thinking about options and ideas you have for decreasing your impact on our waterways. Beyond using less water in your day to day life, could you install a rain barrel? Create a rain garden? Make a green roof? Replace pavement and cement with permeable surfaces to enable rain to seep rather than drain? Can you inspire others to do the same and more?

Oh man, I could go in to so much more detail, but I just wanted to give you all an overview of what we learned, what we saw, and what we can do to help! What questions do you have? What ideas have you implemented?

love k

return home

living and loving local

2011-04-17T18:50:00.018-04:00

Saturday's rain (or should I say monsoon?) threw a wrench in a lot of fun plans this weekend, not the lease of which was the cancellation of Baltimore Green Weeks' kickoff event, EcoFest. Set to highlight myriad enviro-friendly organizations and local vendors from throughout the city, EcoFest was going to be a rollicking good time with live music, fresh food, demonstrations and activities in Druid Hill Park. Alas, it was not to be. And no rain date. Boo hoo.

But Sunday saw an eruption of sunshine, and so Green Week's

activities marched on. I had read about and eagerly awaited "Localize It!", hosted by Baltimore Free Farm in conjunction with Baltimore Green Currency with the goal of showing how fun sustainability can be. And fun it was! We arrived at the moment of launch for "BNotes," complete with the release of green balloons and BNote currency. What on earth are BNotes, you wonder? So glad you asked! According to BGC's website, they offer an "alternative economic that will strengthen local businesses, create jobs, encourage the for formation of local supply chains, and ultimately rpovide economic opportunity and increased resilience to communities underserved by traditional economic

structures." Long story short, you trade "normal" money for "BNotes" which you then use at the 48 local businesses as cash (the list of businesses is growing all the time so stay tuned to the directory!). The goal is to get people to think local, buy local, and be local. Plus, the BNotes look pretty cool!

After much fanfare and cheering, the BNotes became official local currency and the festival got underway. At the core of Localize It! was a chili cook-off and home brew tap-off (I made that up. But I like it) called "ChiliBrew" - for a suggested donation of $10, you got a sweet tasting mug and all the chili and beer samples your heart desired. Oooh, how yummy! I don't even like beer and I enjoyed myself! Top prize in my books went to the Thai-inspired chili and to LOVEBREW beer. To round out the festivities, there was a line-up of neat local bands of all genres.

Localize It! took place on Ash street, which is where one can find the Baltimore Free Farm, a really neat organization striving to promote "urban agriculture and sustainability through the creation of green spaces and community sanctuaries which utilize reclaimed materials whenever possible." The huge hillside lot was open to the public to see how volunteers have transformed overgrown abandoned lots into wonderful and fruitful farming. It's such a neat project and incredibly inspiring to see what dedication on the part of so many has done to improve the lives of even more. I really suggest you go check it out!

Here are just a few other images from the day, to give you a feel for the fun and festive atmosphere!

Such a great and exciting day! I really didn't know what to expect this morning, but I'm so glad I seized the (windy) day and ventured over. I am even more excited to go to the other Baltimore Green Week events I have on my schedule this week!

love k

return home

the young urbanite's spring shopping list

2011-04-14T16:35:00.018-04:00

This post could, more honestly, be entitled "Things K wants to buy (or has already bought) and for which she is seeking justification." But that's a little wordy, no? I digress. Spring may be playing a really ill-advised and mean-spirited game of cat and mouse with us, but I've had just enough hours of sunshine and warmth to have my spring cleaning and preparation juices get flowing. You see, I hate winter in a way that is laughable. I refuse to buy winter clothing (I have about 4 outfits all winter. I'm almost not exaggerating). I hole up in a bear-like manner. I leave the country for warmer waters at least once -and then act like a fate worse than death has struck me when I return. Winter is, in my opinion, an offense against taste and decency*.

Oh, but once it is warm! I want to go everywhere and do everything. Farmers' markets, bike rides, al fresco dinners, coffee shop strolls, picnics in the park, games of tennis, dog park outings, backyard bbq's, games of capture the flag... you name it. I want to do it. In one day.

All this makes one want a few choice accessories, however, to fully embrace the urban lifestyle. Here are a few items on my Spring wish-list - I think you'll want them, too:

How can I combine cruisin' on my sweet beach cruiser and coffee without a handlebar beverage holder? Now that I know this actually exists, the real question is, how have I been living without one? Coffee from Fell's Points' Daily Grind or a smoothie from Liquid Earth perched in there would really complete my lil' urbanite look, don't you think?

While we're on the topic of bicycles, I also think a couple of these bicycle clip on shopper bags would at least double my purchasing power at the farmers' market - clearly my front basket is not enough! Just don't look at the price tag and it'll be juuuust fine...

I believe that one should be prepared for a picnic at all times - that's why I keep a blanket in my trunk all summer, a woven wooden picnic basket with a red and white checked liner handy (this is, in fact, true) as well a rainbow Tiffen box. For anyone who likes their food separated and not touching I recommend purchasing one of these ASAP - plus you feel pretty snazzy walking in to work with one, too. Brown paper bag? Snooze. Rainbow Tiffen box? Cool!

Now that I think about it, I could really use an upgrade to a cuter picnic blanket - the gray cotton one from an academic camp I inherited from a long-gone roommate just doesn't scream "cool." I could probably make myself one, but then I'd need a sewing machine...and also learn how to sew. Etsy has some cute ones, though....

Finally, for the fashionable femme, give your urban lifestyle a pastural flourish with a ravishing sunhat. Just because we live in a city, doesn't mean we can't get over-sunned, so safety first and all that.

So there's your spring shopping list - errr, my spring shopping list. Now if only my garden and patio would plant and clean themselves...

love k

*bragging rights to whomever knows the book from which that quote is taken. Only cheaters Google. And everyone knows that cheaters are losers.

return home

patterson park wins the prize - again!

2011-04-13T13:37:00.004-04:00

We did it again! Patterson Park has got to be the reigning champion of underdog winners in media by now. Let's recap: We've been in Southern Living, Bang for Your Buck, local TV, The Urbanite, Baltimore Sun, Forbes, and I'm sure myriad others that I have either forgotten or never saw. And now? Well, now we're in Travel & Leisure's list of "America's Coolest City Parks." Bam!

In the list with us are 12 other city parks, including Grant Park (Chicago), NYC's Central Park (Snooze.Played out. Too crowded. Keep your park, New York), Papago Park (Tempe), City Park (New Orleans), and Golden Gate Park (San Francisco) - as you can see, we were in with the big dogs.

It's a short snipped highlighting our quirky features, such as the uber-long sculptures in the "little park" (apparently that long blob is, in fact, a caterpillar - who knew), the Kinetic Sculpture Race (coming up in May!), the Great Halloween Lantern Parade, BARCStoberfest, and the Pagoda. According to T&L, the best time to visit our beloved Park is in May, but I think ANY time is a good time - heck, even in the winter we have an ice skating rink! In your faces, other parks!

Yup, we're officially big time.

It's going to be nice out again today - so why don't you go take a stroll around our award winning park, huh?

love k

return home

my birthday in a blog!

2011-04-13T08:15:00.022-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday! I take birthdays pretty seriously - in college, we set aside the month of April as "Kimival" with different activities each night, posted on a whiteboard on my door - and this one was of specific excitement to me. Why, you ask? I've had some weird thing bout 27 for years now - it stands out as this really awesome age. It's the perfect balance of youth and maturity, leniency and legitimacy. I'm thrilled.

My family kicked off my birthday week with presents then dinner at Woodberry Kitchen, my fav restaurant ever. It was awesome, of course, and I was full for approximately 18 hours afterwords.

Woodberry set the bar high, and I was determined to maintain that standard all week. With this in mind, I planned my work week around it. The entire day of April 12th was blocked off and scheduled around - I would have a day of fun and celebration. But in all my scheduling around the day, I didn't think to schedule my actual birthday. I mean, great, no appointments, but also no friends to play with! Well, not quite true, I had the early morning with Jules and N for coffee, breakfast (made my ned, YUM), house decorated by Jules, lovely note from Sarah. I'm a lucky one, I am.

But off they went, and in came the rain. Undeterred, I forged on. I decided I'd start my new year with perseverance and positivity (and apparently purple prose). Instead of kicking it on my couch bemoaning the rain, I set out on a mission to experience beauty in Baltimore. I threw on a raincoat, grabbed my camera (rainy pictures aren't the best, but better than nothing, right?), and set off to explore Druid Hill Park, Cylburn Arboretum and Hampden. I got really wet, saw gorgeous flowers, nooks and crannies of baltimore I'd never seen, got sad when the Conservatory was closed, rescued a LOT of worms stranded on pavement, and resisted the urge to purchase myriad cool things. So here you go - my day in photos:

To wrap it all up in a perfect day, I got this SWEET vintage print from N - I LOVE it!

All in all, it was a super sweet birthday. I am not usually one to do things by myself, but I'm so glad I seized the day and did some solo exploring. I hope that yesterday is indicative of how this year goes - full of fun, surprises, and really cool stuff.

What was your most recent birthday like? What was your favorite birthday?

love k

return home

sports and socializing for the sun

2011-04-11T07:48:00.008-04:00

Today is going to be gorgeous! It's already 60 degrees and it's only 7:45 a.m. so it's not surprise that we'll be seeing warm sunshine all day with temperatures over 80! But don't get used to it - most every day for the next two weeks is forecast to be dreary, rainy and otherwise unappealing. So here are some ideas to soak up the sun after work today without wasting a minute getting back in your car (assuming you live in or around Patterson Park, that is...for the rest of you, well, let this be incentive to move here!):

Throw on your sneakers and go for a walk, jog or run! No matter what your fitness level you can burn some calories and enjoy the first signs of Spring in the Park. My favorite path, loops up to the Pagoda and then back down around the Boat Lake, but with almost three miles of paths I'm sure you can find one you like.

Grab a racket and play some tennis! Who cares if you're embarrassingly bad - it's a fun and social way to get outside and move around, and a great sport to learn for lifelong fitness and fun

Knock on a few doors and throw together an impromptu game of football or frisbee (or bocce or badminton if you have 'em) in the grass

I'll make this one easy: bread + boat lake = duck feeding frenzy! This is just as fun as an adult as when you were a kid, believe me

Watch some BSSC games! I swear it's more fun that it sounds. Many an evening has been spent with a beverage, Puppy and N taking in the action on the field across the street. Adults playing social sports, like kickball, is always funny, trust me

Have drinks or dinner at Bistro Rx, or walk down to Sautee. Both have outdoor seating

Oh, so many other options, but I want to hear what you plan to do to enjoy your afternoon and evening!

love k

P.S. photo of the pagoda by my lovely talented friend Jen!

return home

baltimore through a buyer's eyes

2011-04-05T21:38:00.011-04:00

The other day I started working with an absolutely lovely out-of-state buyer looking for a home in Baltimore (we'll call her Ms. D for easy). Since she didn't know the city beyond her hotel in the inner harbor, I offered to give her a tour of the city and the neighborhoods we'd been discussing - sort of a "lay of the land" excursion. I have to tell you all, driving through Baltimore, acting as a tour guide for someone who doesn't know the city, really gives you a new perspective and appreciation for the cool details and differences the neighborhoods offer. In two hours, I saw my city with new eyes.

Let me start by telling you, my office alone is noteworthy, since it sits on the Promenade, overlooking the Canton Marina through floor to ceiling glass. Everyone that comes in my office oohs and ash, which always gives me a sense of appreciation for living so near and working alongside the water - how many people can say that? From there, we looped through Canton admiring restaurants and bars, then up to Patterson Park (where Ms. D noted that Baltimore seems like, "the most dog-friendly city ever!") and through historic Butchers' Hill's grandeur (where she had already fallen in love with one house where we first met, but the layout didn't work for her aging mother). Rumbling down Wolf Streets cobblestones and across on Thames was like meandering through a picture postcard - Fells Point is just the most charming place I know, even on a gray day. The wide cobblestone street, myriad businesses and restaurants, each with its own vibe and style, the scent of bread wafting over form H&S Bakery... love it.

From there, we shot up North, through Washington Hill (so close to the Medical Center!), and

over to 83, which is the most wonderful expressway I know - does that sound weird? - and

shelters the most wonderful farmers market on Sundays! Ten minutes later, we were still in the city but with a whole different feel, as we wound through Roland Park's hilly enclave. I love my neighborhood, I really do, but Roland Park is simply gorgeous, with an enormous variety of house styles, huge canopy trees, and winding roads that make you slow down and admire it all. Of course, my favorite house in all of Baltimore is in Roland Park....just look at it! That porch! The gables! How can you not want it?!

Homeland and Cedarcroft are equally charming but different and distinguishable - where

Roland Park is all trees, Cedarcroft is generally more open, less winding, but houses vary from Dutch Colonia and Tudor to Cape Cods and Italiante. It's also worth noting that as of 2000 statistics from the 2000 Demographic profile show that about 75% of homes were occupied by families! Homeland's stone houses are to die for, and people truly know how to take care of their yards over there - I never see a blade of grass out of place. The Lakes of Homeland are just gorgeous, and offer the nicest little scenes in the spring, with daffodils and cherry blossoms abloom . And with Belvedere square so close by, the most delicious food ever is a walk or short drive away.

Our next neighborhood was Hampden, which stands in stark contrast to Homelands quiet grace and controlled order. Hampden is the ultimately mixing pot in Baltimore - young and old, hip and aging, modern and old-school... it's got it all. It is all that is funky and odd (I say that with nothing by love), with eclectic retail and dining down The Ave, the outrageous explosion of lights at Miracle on 34th Street in the winter, and the beehives and leopard-print of HonFest in the summer.

We went to Federal Hill and saw brightly painted old clapboard rowhouses and talked about the history of the Hill itself. In Locust Point, we checked out Silo Point (I hate condos, but I love that place) which has seamlessly blends history (it was the largest point of grain export in the U.S.!) with modern luxury in a way that makes you want to find the designer and applaud (have you been? Do you want to go? I will so take you. While we're talking about new construction i love - which is rare - I'd like to add Overlook at Clipper Mill to the list).

What struck me at this point was how wildly different, how uniquely apart, each of these neighborhoods was from each other. You've all heard the old adage about Baltimore being a city of neighborhoods, about the bock-by-block nature of our port town. But I really appreciated it from a newcomers perspective - the difference of three minutes in most cities may mean brick instead of stone houses, but in Baltimore, three minutes is a different world. In less than an hour and a half we'd been cultural tourists in an American city. Do you realize how lucky we are? That we can stroll through such history whenever we choose, but also have access to the best of modern medicine around the corner? I'm not saying Baltimore doesn't have its shortcomings, but if you take stock of what it has to offer, and what it holds in store, you'll surely agree that is worth fighting tooth and nail to help this city realize its potential, one unique neighborhood at a time. Let's commit to changing people's perceptions of our city, one visiting newcomer at a time.

love k

return home

EcoFest and Baltimore Green Week!

2011-04-05T19:53:00.009-04:00

Now, I'm no new ager or modern day hippy, but I do love the earth. If you can't say the same, well, you probably can just stop reading here? But I mean, really? You don't love the earth? Huh. I digress. Anyways, Saturday April 16th kicks of the 8th annual Baltimore Green Week, sponsored by Baltimore Green Works and I for one and super excited! Unfortunately, the EcoBall already happened (next year, though, I am there!) but there's a great line up coming.

SO, to kick it all off on the 26th is a day-long festival! Start the

day with the Mayor's Annual Spring Clean-up. Hit the streets and alleys, clean the park,and plant some flower or mulch your tree pits!

Once you've worked up a sweat and done your dirty due diligence, unwind at EcoFest in Druid Hill Park. From noon to 5 p.m. there will be live music (N will be playing at 4!), great locally - sourced food (Patterson Park's own, Damian Mosely, will be serving up his amazing Blacksauce Kitchen eats!), and awesome info from local

organizations and producers. Try out some yoga, bike around the reservoir or take a flower arranging class (just bring a vase!).

The week continues with lots of activities around the city, so please be sure to check out the full schedule of events on the BGWeek website. There really is something for everyone!

Anyone want to join me on Saturday? Let's carpool and go green!

love k

return home

first farmers' market!

2011-04-03T11:51:00.003-04:00

Sunday was the first day of the JFX Farmers' Market - a whole month earlier than usual! Granted, the produce was pretty slim pickings but there was a sweet 10 person steel drum band (that incongruously was playing a medley from The Sound of Music), lots of freshly prepared food, Dairy and cheeses from South Mountain Creamery and meats from Truck Patch! And, as is always the case, lots of running in to friends and neighbors along the way. I had to scurry through since I had to get to my open house, but I'll be back next week! Who wants to go with me?

By the way, I totally tried to take photos, I really did! But I left my memory card at home, so...that didn't pan out! Oh well, next week!

love k

return home

baltimore gets smart bikes!

2011-03-31T15:11:00.007-04:00

Remember how I was just telling you about how excited I am to ride my bike around town? Well, apparently other people want to be cruising in the bi-wheeled fashion, too. And it's about to get a whole lot easier, since "smart bikes" are coming to Baltimore! As I mentioned, hauling my bike in and out of my house is pretty brutal, but the new bike-share program eliminates the need to own a bike of your own. Think of it as ZipBikes - bikes when you need 'em!

They're all high-tech, with built in computer chips that enable you to pick up a bike from one "B-station" and drop off at another, charging you for the amount of time you used it (the first 30 minutes are free, though!). You probably won't see people taking these smart bikes out for long day trips since the price rises steeply after an hour of use, but what a perfect solution for hopping around town to run a quick errand, or if you're late for an appointment and want to skip traffic... and parking...

And here's more good news! Patterson Park is one of the proposed locations for a B-station!

Preliminary plans call for B-stations in Mt. Vernon, Penn Station, Bolton Hill, North Ave, 25th Street, Homewood Campus/Charles Village, Harbor East, Fells and Canton. If all goes well, we can expect additional locations to open, including Locust Point and Fort McHenry. Since the Additionally, stations can be moved easily to adjust to ridership and use patterns.

If you're thinking, "Yeah, I give those bikes 10 minutes till they're stolen!" fear not! They're designed with an imbedded GPS tracker, parts that can't be broken down and sold, and all kinds of locks. Tracking software has been used to track usage and reveal cool statistics, such as Denver collectively burning 6,333,332 calories the first year of operation.

Get biking, Baltimore!

love k

return home

from IKEA to "i love it"

2011-03-30T09:33:00.014-04:00

The thing about rowhouses is that each room is in close enough quarters to the next that furniture and decor has to flow. Standing in my entryway, you see every inch of my living room, dining room and kitchen, so I've worked hard to try to create some sense of continuity. When I first moved in five years ago, I did what most people in their early 20's moving in to their first house would do... went hog-wild at IKEA! Heck, what else could I afford? And it did the job, but little by little I've replaced things with nicer, more unique pieces that I like to think suggest a sense of personal style.

First there was the couch and love-seat from Nouveau when they moved to a new location - yay 80% off!

Puppy, my love-seat & two old whiskey crates stacked as a sidetable

Bindi the cat and my sweet sectional sofa - best napping sofa ever!

Then I coveted, and finally bought after a year (when it finally went on sale), my reclaimed factory cart coffee table. I bemoan the fact that they became hip a year later and now are in Pottery Barn, etc. But then I needed a new area rug...so I splurged at Arhaus and it tied it all together.

But all these lovely upgrades made my IKEA dining table look...silly. I wanted some lovely, reclaimed wood rectangular table, but every one I found was insanely expensive and way too wide for my rowhouse dining room. I started joking that N would just have to make me one...

AND HE DID!

I love it. I more than love it. It's made from reclaimed floor joists from 1900, so the boards are thick and beautiful. It's lightly varnished, so safe from heat, etc and a total work of art. I don't even really understand how he made it, and I imagine getting it in to my house, disassembling my old table, and getting the new one in place was quite a feat. But it was definitely the best Christmas present ever!

Now all I need is a rug for the dining room...

love k

return home

bathroom bonanza

2011-03-30T09:01:00.005-04:00

So now that you're caught up on the first floor bathroom, I can move on to telling you about the second floor bathroom. Whereas the former was all aesthetics, the latter announced its issues by cascading water down my dining room chandelier and on to my new hand-made table a month ago. I re-grouted. I re-caulked. I re-waterproofed that sucker to the point that I'm reasonably sure I've caused a shortage of sealants in East Baltimore. But to no avail.

With a jetted tub circa 1990, completely irregular dimensions, and myriad problems, this shower situation called for expertise beyond my abilities. So, after one quote for $18,000(haaahahaha! hilarious!), I got a referral for the most wonderful person on earth named Faramarz who is both a plumber AND a tiler! Did I mention how insanely wonderful he is?! And reasonable? And lovely? I digress.

At first the plan was to just rip out the tub (no small feat) and surrounding tile, find the problem, fix the plumbing and create a nice, modern, step in shower with a built in bench. But then trying to find tile that went with the old pink and gray cheap floor tile (again, circa 1990) and uninspired two-bit vanity was...challenging. And seemed really dumb. So, out it all came! The whole thing! For about a day it sounded like large circus animals were battling to the death upstairs.

Now it looks like this:

Turns out the plumbing wasn't doing so well, so it was all replaced and moved to one wall (it had been coming out of two places. Weird). Also, the bathtub had been leaking in three places! Good riddance!

My tile is all picked out (challenging since stores don't keep tile in stock like they used to due to the recession, slower turn over etc.), as well as a new vanity. I'm beyond excited to show you the progress and completion!

love k

return home

(last) winter home project wrap-up: laundry/powder room makeover

2011-03-29T14:37:00.011-04:00

Last year, as you may recall, I overhauled my first-floor laundry/powder room. "Wait!" You're probably saying, "What the heck happened with that?" What happened remained a mystery to you all since I forgot to, say, give you the "after" half of the "before/after" concept. Well, I love it! Before it was horrible and gross and overly utilitarian, and now...

The stackable front-loading washer and dryer (Sears, on sale, half price) freed up tons of space. I had to have a plumber come move the plumbing around, and then a carpenter built the dividing wall.

I lucked out with the vanity (good LORD, vanities are pricey!) by acquiring this lovely brand-new one for free from my sister (didn't work out at their house, couldn't return)- score one for me!

The mirror is from Target - I decided an oval framed mirror classed it up. Repainted the room the same lovely shade (Restoration Hardware) as before with bright white trim.

The little prints are actually a postcard collection of vintage Nancy Drew covers (my favorites growing up) that I framed using IKEA frames! Final touch with a new soap pump that matched the sink and a cute diffuser from Target to keep things fresh.

I have enough room between the washer/dryer and the dividing wall to stash a drying rack, broom, reusable grocery bags and my outdoor pillows for my patio.

So that was wonderful and rewarding and I love it. Finally, I gave you the closure you've been waiting for since last January! I am now just starting a TOTAL overhaul in my 2nd floor bathroom... stay posted!

love k

return home

please spring, Spring!

2011-03-29T11:09:00.007-04:00

Spring is being really slow on the uptake this year, what with two threats of snow since the official first day last week. Super lame, especially since I shiver dramatically at any temperatures below, ooh, 64 degrees. But luckily I'm the stoic type, and can cling to all the great things that are around the corner. Along with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, here are a few of my favorite things (about Springs!):

1. The Farmers Market - Starting a whole month early this year, the JFX Farmer's Market kicks off this Sunday, April 3rd! It's probably still a tad early for much produce, but my mouth waters at the thought of the dairy and bakery and smoothies and coffee,and....oh, my, I can't wait! After recently reading a wonderfully written letter to the public by a small business owner about how every little effort to support local entrepreneurs makes a difference, I am filled with desire to do just that! Who wants to join me?

2. The Color Green - No, I don't mean money (though Spring is a lovely time for real estate....), I mean leaves! And grass! And vines and creepers! Even WEEDS make me happy after a whole winter of various shades of brown. I really have my work cut out for me this year with my garden and planters, which are currently in major disarray. But just thinking about how lovely my (itsy bitsy teeny weeny) back patio is when in full bloom makes me relish all the digging and planting I have in my future.

3. Patterson Park - Ooooh the park in the spring is just the best thing on earth! I consider myself outrageously lucky to be able to look out my window every morning and watch color creep back into the park's flora. Even before the trees and grass become lush and green, the park begins to fill with people. Old and young, rich and poor, it doesn't matter. Everyone can enjoy a lovely public park, and the first warm days of Spring are like a siren song. Complain all you like about how the warmer months make it harder to park because of the flocks of park-goers - I'll take a busy, well-used park over easy parking any day.
4. My Beach Cruiser - Most of the year I consider my 3 zillion pound beach cruiser to be one of the worst investments I've ever made. Most, but not all. In the Spring that bike is the best thing on earth.The basket is perfect for groceries, farmers market purchases, or...my dog.

And the bell! The bell calls out for friendship, I swear. Even though getting it in and out of the house is a feat of true physical

strength and determination, I have hopes of forming a posse of fel

low bikers to cruise the streets. [Public Service Announcement: Dear auto drivers, please please please understand how terrifying it is when you swish by me with a 7 inch clearance from my leather-bound handlebars. My heart is literally somewhere in my throat, choking me with terror.]

5. My Birthday! - As an Aries (April 12th, baby!) I live with hope eternal that I can have an outdoor birthday party. Pretty much every year I do, but I can't claim that it is exactly...pleasant. But I hold out! Even if it's slightly damp and reasonably chilly, I swear there's promise in the air of warmer weather soon to come. I like to think of raindrops as little drops of hope and life for all the flowers soon to come.

6. EcoFest - Totally cheating that I'm putting this on here since I've never actually been before, but I am going this year! And will be loads of fun! And N is playing music and a friend of mine is making/selling food! Come with me!

So you see, even though the weather is still bonafide horrible, there are just so many great things around the corner! Oh, and can I add one more? 7. I'm back to blogging.

love k.

pizza and pints by the park

2010-07-29T10:33:00.014-04:00

So I know I said I was going to the concert last night, but I totally didn't. Instead I went to the soft opening of Johnny Rad's with Jess. This cute corner bar/restaurant is about a block West of the park, located in the same spot that the dive-ish bar Kelly's used to be. Whoah, what a change! Tiny windows have been replaced with large cafe-style ones that can be opened out with nice weather. A fresh coat of paint inside and out, along with a new bar and skateboard-inspired decor are all a welcome change, too.

Billing itself as a "Pizzeria Tavern," Johnny Rad's boasts a menu way beyond just pizza; with fun bar nibbles such as hush puppies, corn dogs, mac 'n cheese, and edamame on the menu, you'll surely find something perfect to go with your beverage. Not to say that the pizza isn't lovely and beautiful, with fresh mozzarella and fresh veggie (and vegan!) options galore:

Attempting to play it healthy (hey, I'm going ot the beach in a couple of weeks...girl's gotta try), I chose the "Silly Pink Bunny" salad which was phenomenal. The dressing was noteworthy in its deliciousness - the sharp horeseradish kick was a perfect compliment to my seared tuna - and would go with not only any salad, but also would work as a yummy, different dipper for their house-cut fries if you ask me... (I'll try that out post-beach)

While last night was their soft opening (we actually had their first menu ever printed!), the whole place was hopping by 7:30, with nary a free seat in the house! I loved that crowd was a true mix of old-school locals, visiting hipsters, and everyone in between. I'm pretty sure anyone could go in there and feel welcome.

On a nice evening, it would be a lovely walk across the park for a pint and a pizza pie, OR a fun dinner before heading across the street to the Patterson Bowling Lanes, so go check it out! Their grand opening is August 13th, but they seem to have hit the ground running already.

love k

return home

commendations and concerts

2010-07-26T11:07:00.005-04:00

Congratulations, Patterson Park, you were voted the #1 Best Park in Baltimore by Baltimore Magazine! Yup, we beat out Federal Hill Park and Oriole Park at Camden Yards - awesome!

But how could anyone think we wouldn't win? Can any other Baltimore park brag that it has tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, playing fields, a boat lake stocked with fish, two playgrounds, a recreation center, a beautiful fountain, an ice skating rink, a pool, running paths, a community garden, and a pagoda?

[crickets]

I didn't think so.

The heat has (sort of) let up, so celebrate our victory but taking advantage of what we have! Here's an idea: Head to the Concert in the Park (whoah! check out the Friends of Patterson Park's new site! Looking good, Friends!), rescheduled for this Wednesday evening, at 6:30 on Pagoda Hill. Pack a picnic and wallow in our win.

love k

return home

in other news...

2010-07-26T10:13:00.004-04:00

...have you tried the bloody marys at Koopers?!? I'm talking a perfect cocktail with a pretty lil' accent of old bay. Friends, next time you find yourself wanting a weekend a.m. pick-me-up, head straight there. Pronto.
That will be all for now.

love k

return home

dear bge...

2010-07-25T22:14:00.004-04:00

Some of us (i.e. a solid posse of six blocks) in Patterson Park have been experiencing boughts of nightmarish heat and perpetual darkness. Ok, that is a slight exaggeration, but only slight. You see, in the past three weeks, I've lost power twelve times. Yup, a dozen. The power outages range from a couple of hours to over half a day. The darkness I can deal with - heck, a house full of candles is downright pretty, and tv is over-rated anyways. But the heat, ooooh the heat heat heat heat! Twelve hours of no power = a house temperature riiiight around that of the outdoors. Turns out my insulation isn't all that I thought it was.

So everyone is freaking out. The spoiled food. The sleepless nights (or nights spent elsewhere because truly, sleeping in a 95-degree room is actually impossible). The constant calls to BGE. Enervating auto-robot phone calls to tell us that BGE understands that we've experiencing power issues. The conviction that at any second its going to go out AGAIN. The preemptive horror of facing July's energy bill.

So imagine our surprise, our glee, when this showed up: A "mobile command center" has officially rolled into town, folks - four pick up trucks, two trailors, heck they even have porta-potties. BGE noticed that we're on the verge of rioting. So I met with Mike and Ervin, the two lovely on-site disaster team (I'm sure they have more official titles than that, but I am hoping they are super-hero-esque in their abilities), and we talked about...

· Anyone with concerns is free to stop by and talk to a BGE representative at the mobile command center (Ellwood and Pratt).

· They have made many attempts to locate the problem, but because it is internal to the wiring it is difficult to find. In order to find and fix it they will need additional outages to help narrow the search area. This means that the outages will not be solved overnight and that we should probably expect a few more (<---- sucks)

· We should continue to call BGE when the power goes out. Don’t assume that they know because they are on site. In addition, even though they are on site don’t expect that the power will return immediately. It takes time to turn back on and this is when they learn the most about the issue, so time will be spent examining the problem. (<---boo)

· While BGE will not be delivering dry ice, they will reimburse you for the cost if you save your receipt

· The need for better communication with the community, and the elimination of horrible robot phone calls

· Some type of credit on affected residents' bills to compensate for the increased energy usage required to cool houses that have been without power. (<---believe when I see it, but they did listen attentively when I urged them to do this...forcefully..)

Ok! So my fingers are crossed - so far they've kept in really good communication with me and will keep me (and you!) informed about progress and plans. In the meantime, stay cool, Patterson Park!

love k

return home

performance at the pool

2010-07-23T17:10:00.008-04:00

Every year I declare that I'm going to "audition" for Fluid Movement's Annual Synchronized Swimming Extravaganza... and every year something stupid happens to keep me from doing so. But it isn't going to stop me from going to the performance! This year, the show is entitled, "Jason and the Aquanauts: 20,000 Legs Over The Sea." Check out the description:

"Join the adventure...Come sail away to ancient Greece with the Legendary Greek hero on his perilous quest to find the Golden Fleece as only Fluid Movement can tell it. Replete with battles again a skeleton army, a talking masthead and the glittery costumes and swimming you've come to expect." 

SIGN ME UP AND SELL ME A TICKET! I mean, can you get anymore awesome than water ballet combined with glitter and Greek mythology? NO.

The Extravaganza will take place at the Patterson Park Pool on Saturday, July 31st at 5:30(Benefit Show and Party - $20), and Sunday August 1st (Show only - $10) at 5 p.m and 7 p.m. Purchase tickets at the door an hour before showtime or online.

Anyone want to go with me?

love k

return to homepage

dairy: delivered!

2010-07-21T15:54:00.013-04:00

I promised you all a blog about the dairy delivery that I get each week, and since I'm sticking close to home until Amelia has her kittens ...perfect timing, right? You may recall that months ago a group of us Patterson Parkers banded together to petition South Mountain Creamery to add our neighborhood to their delivery route. Guess what - they did! With some slight modifications to the delivery procedures (namely, instead of leaving a cooler on the stoop, delivery men have copies of our keys to put our goods right in the fridge), we were good to go. I cannot say enough amazing things about SMC and the delivery system, but I'm going to try:

Their milk is out of this world. 2% tastes like full cream and chocolate is other-worldy
My delivery man could not be any more lovely, courteous or trustworthy - knowing he has a copy of my key and lets himself in and out when I'm at work literally doesn't phase me
The whole process is online - from automatic payment details, to setting repeating items, suspending delivery when you're away, to featured sale items, you just click click click
By working in a consortium of local farmers, SMC is able to deliver dairy products, beef, pork, chicken/eggs, cheeses, breads, jams, granola, prepared foods...the list goes on

If you haven't browsed their list of products, or read about their farming procedures, check out their website, or ask me any questions! Having SMC delivery and the One Straw Farm CSA both in our neighborhood just made it a whole lot easier - and more delicious- to be locavore.

love k

return home

kittens having kittens

2010-07-21T10:31:00.009-04:00

It turns out that if you call the fire department to get a cat out of a tree, they don't come screaming in with ladders to rescue her. They actually laugh at you.

Sooo, when I found a cat in a tree on Thursday right as N and I returned from his flying lesson, we had to take matters in to our own hands. I actually had to hold a short ladder...in a bush...vaguely supported by the tree while N stood on tip--toes to hoist the purring, mewing tiny cat from the tree across from my house in the park. I mean, look at that face! Could you have left her up a tree? Of course not.

So long story short, her name is now Amelia (because of the just-completed flight lesson..get it? Get it?), she is 8 pounds, only 9 months old, looks like a tiny jungle cat, is completely lovely, aaaaand utterly pregnant. Yup. Knocked Up. With Kitten. Bun in the Oven. A Baby Having Babies. In fact, she might give birth any day!

While it's been a chore to get her special food, set up birthing boxes, get her vaccinated and tested and checked out by the vet, and clean up her sudden bought of diarrhea (ugh), I feel really good about taking her in. It's cool to think that I'm helping this abandoned animal at her most needy. I don't know where she came from or if she ever belonged to someone. What I know is that I can help her have her kittens in a safe place, with plenty of food and clean water, and then place her kittens in loving homes after they're weened. In the meantime, we're on kitten watch around here - so stay posted! There will so many kitten photos you're going to just need to adopt one.

park projects and tiny tots

2010-07-20T14:13:00.009-04:00

Because I have a small dog that is spoiled beyond any reason, I go home every day around lunch to walk him in the park - the darling doesn't like to wait, and I value my floors and carpet too much. Two things happened today that made this normal business-calls excursion exciting enough to make me break into a run in heels and a work dress:

First, the restoration project we've been hearing about for a while to spruce up the entrances to Patterson Park is underway! For weeks I've seen signs things were gearing up - first the hideous white poles serving no function whatsoever along Linwood were marked for removal. Then arrows mysteriously appeared on walk ways. Two days ago I was kicking a soccer ball around with N and I noticed that dilapidated (and also pointless) black metal fence around the pine tree was emblazoned with neon pink spray paint, signaling its upcoming demise... anticipation was growing! But today, dear friends, today I saw real live people at work! And a big city sign was erected, lest we attribute the funds to someone else.* See?

*I have you noticed that the city is extremely efficient at one thing - giving itself a lot of credit when it gets around to a project..

As I was taking this in I saw what I've been waiting to witness for a few weeks now, ever since my niece started at the Patterson Park Montessori School. You see, every day the wee ones walk down Lakewood, across Baltimore Street, and in to the park for recess. But safety first, kids! They don neon orange and green reflective vests and parade single file holding on to a rope. I broke into a run, thanked the photography gods that I had my camera with me, and utterly disrupted their tiny train. Of course, moments after I took this photo, I hollered at my niece, who then was sorely disappointed that I was not, in fact, taking her out of school early to play... getting her back on the rope was a true testament to the teachers' abilities.

Good things happen to those who roam the park with cameras! [Though not to those who realize they're standing in front of their of office without their camera when Michelle Obama and the girls walking by...darn]

love k

be local, buy local

2010-07-19T21:15:00.008-04:00

Tonight I had the honor of participating in the Buy Local presentation at the South East Anchor Branch of the Enoch Pratt Library. With a last minute request to speak about the South Mountain Creamery Dairy delivery and One Straw Farm CSA sent my way, I couldn't have been happier to oblige! [Oh wait, you mean I haven't yet glowed and raved about the Dairy yet?! What is wrong with me?! Oh, right, my camera broke and I refused to buy a new one for 6 months. And, really, what is a blog without photos? I'll write you a nice long blog about it soon, I swear]

The seminar/event was put on by the library as part of their Garden Club series, but really was much broader than gardening. There was a smorgasbord of cheese! There were sugar plumbs galore! There were slivers of sausage and fresh mozzarella and bowls of salsa, and Zeke's coffee! Oh, there was more than that, too! There were $5 tokens that can be used at any of the Highlandtown Farmers' Market vendors on Saturdays, and reusable totes.

But there wasn't just stuff - there was sweet information! For example, a lovely list of "10 Reasons to Buy Local:"

Keep money in the neighborhood
Help out the environment
Support community groups
Embrace what makes us different
Invest in the community
Put your taxes to good use
Get better service
Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy
Create more jobs
Show the country we believe in Baltimore

I also got a directory of Farmers Markets and Pick Your Own farms in Maryland, and an overview of the 3/50 Project. In short, it was a real treat for the palate and the mind. There are talks of doing a follow up event with more farmers and local business people, so stay posted! If there is another Buy Local event, I highly recommend you attend - and hope you let me know if you hear of one coming up so I can share the information and go with you!

love k

home and garden giveaway #2!

2010-03-12T17:59:00.000-05:00

First, I'm an idiot and put the wrong month for the Home and Garden Show when I blogged about the give away a while back. Yup. Apparently March and May look strikingly similar to the untrained blogging eye. Second, I'ev been a slacker with this here blog, but I have reeeeally good excuses, I promise.

Luckily our first winner took it in stride is off to the fun this weekend, as am I! But there are still TWO tickets to give away! And I, busy bee that I am, jetted out of the country and returned, got sick and still haven't done it! So, here is your big chance:

TWO MORE TICKETS UP FOR GRABS! All you have to do is respond to the post (in comments) and tell us all what lovely spring project you have planned for your home or garden. Those of you who entered last time are welcome to copy your same project in for this give away!

I know it is last minute but you have all weekend to go - I for one am going on Sunday so let me know if you want to go with - carpool power! :)

I have lots more to blog about so hopefully I'll catch up with all you lovely people this weekend. Get commenting and win two tickets! Winner TBD tomorrow morning - I'll even DRIVE the tickets to your house to make up for my slowness (provided you live in 21224....).

love k

a p3 giveaway!

2010-02-11T13:12:00.007-05:00

I am pretty sure everyone needs a little pick me up after a day of shoveling, and if the rest of winter is anything like the past few weeks, then we'll all be feeling pretty pent up by April and itching for spring. On that note...

I am so pleased to announce the first Patterson Park Patter (P3) giveaway today! The lovely PR people of the Maryland Home & Garden Show are giving me four tickets to give away to you, my lovely readers. I'll be giving them away in two pairs -so if you don't win this round keep checking back for the next batch!

First some details about the show: First, the timing could NOT be better - May 6&7 and May 12-14. Notice that the dates surround our Home Tour? So perfect - you can really kick in to gear with ideas for your house and patio! With the show theme of "wine and dine alfreso" you're sure to see tons of ideas to make the most of your outdoor space. And don't worry that you won't see anything but rolling pastoral gardens - the 19 landscaped gardens feature rowhouses as well! But don't think that the show is limited by the theme, since you can see 400 home improvement exhibits, attend various seminars and purchase plants and garden accessories.

Long story short(er), this is a great chance to meet the pros, get new ideas and pick up some unique items along the way. Oh yeah, and you can go for free!

To win the tickets, post your comment to this post about what you are hoping to update, improve, or otherwise work on in your house or garden! I'll randomly pick a number tomorrow afternoon and post the winner!

love k

return to home

reasons to love your snow-cation

2010-02-09T23:30:00.013-05:00

I know that a lot of you are getting stir-crazy, cabin-fevered, and downright cooped up. Your car is stuck behind a four-foot wall of snow that is currently growing by about an inch an hour. Your job is making you take vacation days because you can't get there. Your street hasn't been plowed, so digging out your car was a huge waste of time. Your dog still has to be taken out, even though you'd rather nest up in a blanket.

You're sick of it.

I hear you. I really do. There are a lot of things about 3 feet of snow that put a damper on your daily rituals, that interrupt your life and throw you off kilter. But just pause and re-frame this situation - your car is stuck, so you've been walking places instead; your job is making you take vacation days, so you've been mandated to make the most of it and go have fun; you dug out your car and worked some different muscles than your regular workout; your dog frolicking in the snow is a total hoot.

I'm not saying you can't gripe and moan a little, but make the most of your lil' snow-cation! Here are a few things I've been doing that have made my snow days a blast:
* spontaneous girls' breakfast at my house, complete with fried eggs, hash browns, and sauteed peppers
* sledding in the little park by Ellwood
* trying to build an igloo, failing, and making it a snow fort with twig flag with my lovely ladies * lots of long dog walks around the park
* group dinners
* watching The Corner
* neighborhood superbowl get together
* wine and good company
* snow cookies (white chocolate chips instead of regular!)
* walking to work and running in to friends and neighbors
* working together, laughing a lot, making a load of amazing memories.

What are your favorite, positive things about all this snow snow snow?

love k

return to home

snow daze

2010-02-04T13:12:00.004-05:00

Batten down the hatches - a blizzard is coming our way! If you haven't gotten your weekend necessities yet, I strongly advise you to do so before 5 o'clock since our local stores are going nutty already. But once you've stashed away your supplies and that snow starts accumulating you might want a few ideas for how to stay busy when driving isn't an option. I know some people are snow loves and some are truly snow averse, so I've included in door and out door options to keep you all happy:

If you just LOVE the snow like me, you'll be itching to get outside and play!

- Sledding: If sledding brings on a second childhood in you, then head to either Pagoda Hill (bit of a hike from our corner of the Park) or to the little park by Ellwood (much closer and I might argue a bit better sledding...of course not as scenic). You'll see everything from trash can lids to old-school fliers making the runs. Last month I saw an EIGHT person sled train head down together!

-Snowmen: I always get a laugh out of snowmen, so why not grab your friends and make some snow-avatars together? Bring out a few mugs of hot chocolate and you'll find yourself making some great memories and new friends from all your admirers.

-Snowball Fight!: I would like to take this moment to propose a full out snow war on Saturday afternoon...any one else in?

Of course, I know plenty of people are not as wild about the snow as I, and use words such as "annoying," "inconvenient," and "frustrating" to describe large snow falls. While I can't even begin to identify with these sentiments,* I recognize that they exist. So for you, snow-loathes, here are some indoor ideas:

- Baking/Cooking: Now is the perfect time to get creative in the kitchen! Make that time consuming recipe you never get around to, or go the extra mile and pipe icing on cupcakes so they look like little snow men . Take time to enjoy the process of making something good. Oh, and then feed it to those of us who have worked up an appetite out there in the snow!

- Board Games: One of my gorgeous and amazing talented friends is planning to host a game night on Friday...Genius! What better way to pass the snowy hours than with friends, a glass of wine and some games? Ask a few neighbors over for a round or two of Pictionary and just see how upset you are about being stuck inside because of all that snow then! -Home Projects: Remember when I wrote about winter home projects? Perfect time to get cleaning, organizing and hammering!

These are just a few ideas - what do you like to do when the weather turns wild?

love k *

Truth be told, when I read the snow warning yesterday at work I shrieked, leaped out of my chair and did some sort of tribal dance and chant around the office for at least 2 minutes - ask my coworkers. That happened.

return to home page

the grudge match

2010-02-03T15:25:00.004-05:00

Have you heard we're having a face-off against Highlandtown? No, silly, we're not really mad at each other! We're having a PPNA v HT Basketball game! For anyone who attended the AWESOME inter-neighborhood softball bonanza double header last summer, you know it'll be a blast. For those of you who didn't, well get caught up!

The game will be on next Saturday, Feb 13th at 5 o'clock at Breath of God Lutheran Church (Pratt and Clinton).

Since it's been written up in the recent Baltimore Guide, why don't you just mosey over there to read the article then come back and let me know if you're going to be there...GO PATTERSON PARK!

love k

return to homepage

my (restaurant) week in review

2010-02-03T11:27:00.013-05:00

There are so many fantastic restaurants in this city - everywhere I look there is some adorable little establishment, and every day I hear about a great dinner someone just had. While we have our fair share of neighborhood bars and pokey restaurants, there are also a good number of higher end restaurants around town. As you probably have guessed by now, I really enjoy cooking so I don't end up going out that much to eat. But restaurant week is my favorite time to go try out all those pricey, time-to-dress-up, splurgey, what-does-that-ingredient-even-mean-? kinda places. And this time around, I've tried out a few, so I present...my restaurant week in review!

Cinghiale - Pronounced chin-gah-lay and meaning wild boar, I've wanted to try this place ever since coming back from Italy having enjoyed a pasta boasting it's namesake meat. With a friend back in town to visit from New York, I was proud to show off this gorgeous 1950's inspired new restaurant as one of our own here in Baltimore. First of all, it's stunning to behold - all mahogany and leather, with sweeping windows and perfect lighting. You feel important and cool and classy, but not in the least but intimidated. Then there's the wine list, which is a thousand miles long and ranges from a $6 glass to a $2200 bottle...surely you'll find something to please! From the restaurant week menu, I enjoyed the tomato-porcini soup, braised short ribs and a panna cotta and coffee for dessert. All of it was amazingly delicious, the service was fantastic, and the ambiance was just right for a leisurely dinner with friends. A+

Ullswater Restaurant and Bar - A big group of my favorite girls from my neighborhood and I decided to venture to a new place outside of our zip code (for a change) and slogged across town in the snow to Locust Point to Ullswater on Fort Avenue. Martinis and wine kept the atmosphere lively, and hearty portions of delicious food let us share each others' fare. I tried a scrumptuoussashimi tuna and avocado appetizer, which was perfectly complimented by the "vegetarian nirvana" entree (coconut-jasmine scented black rice, chili-miso tempeh, shiitakes, vegetables and curry sauce all wrapped in a banana leaf). To finish it off on a sweet note, I indulged in a lovely tiramisu. While service was a touch slow, we were in a group of 11, and our waitress even comped our after-dinner drinks to make up for it. B+

Kali's Court - This was the perfect place for a romantic dinner, especially with snow falling on Fells Point's cobble stone streets and the gas lights blazing outside. Inside, Kali's was all deep reds and rich wood tones, given a feeling of a true respite for luxury in a deep mid-winter storm. N and I were a few minutes early, so we sat at the beautiful bar for a pre-dinner drink - a pear martini for me and a beer for him. Once seated, we were attentively served by a lovely waiter who was always there when you needed him but never hovering. Between us we loved a tuna tartar and crab and artichoke philo appetizer, delicious bouillabaisse and mahi mahi as entrees and a dessert sampler (especially loved the kataifi!). Walking out of the restaurant full and happy and into the snowy courtyard felt like the end to a perfect movie. A+

Black Olive - To mix it up, Jess and I decided to check out a restaurant week lunch together. Since her office is in Harbor East and mine in Canton, we picked The Black Olive right in the middle in Fells Point. What a cute restaurant with lovely fresh food! In fact, Black Olive uses fresh fish from around the world as well as local organic ingredients from farms such as One Straw Farm (check out past CSA posts I've written). Delicious fresh bread with seasoned olive oil helped us settle in to our table by the window. While Jess had the greek village salad to start, I sampled the greek spreads platter. For our main course, I had a lovely grilled fish fillet with couscous and Jess had shrimp scorip (shrimp, feta, herbs and orzo). We finished up with a rich chocolate mousse for Jess and berries with greek yogurt and honey for me. All in all it was a nice, fresh and filling lunch that didn't leave us feeling stuffed. My only gripe was that it was a touch on the slow side for a lunch hour (we were there about an hour and a half), BUT our served recognized me from last year's Home Tour! Think I talked him in to coming again this year, too :) A-

So there you have my reviews - I hope they are helpful and at least offer food for though (or thought for food...) for some new places to try out when a special occassion or the next restaurant week comes along! Where did YOU go for restaurant week? What are you favorite places to go for a nice night out?

love k

return to homepage

new auction date for CDC building

2010-02-03T10:00:00.003-05:00

Soo... I am sorry I didn't post this when I found out that the auction was postponed last week, as I know it led to a few people showing up and many people asking what happened - oops! But here is the update for you, my dear friends, according to the auctioneer: The auction for the CDC building will take place outside at the corner of Baltimore St and Linwood Ave at 10 a.m. on February 26th -Be there!

I am hoping that the postponement was not due to lack of interest, but hey, now we have a few more weeks to attract a fantastic investor, developer, etc, right? Stay positive!

love k

return to homepage

from cow to curb

2010-02-01T11:12:00.005-05:00

What a crazy, snowy weekend! Who thought we'd get more than a flurry? I am just loving all the snow this winter and hope we have a few more good ones left, since otherwise I find the cold pointless and depressing ;-)

Anyhow, I wanted to give you a heads up about something people in our neighborhood have been chatting about as of late, that sounds really neat!

Take a trip back in time, when fences were white, appliances were lurid, and fresh milk appeared on your doorstep. Yup! Home delivery for local milk is making a come back! Here's the scoop: South Mountain Creamery is offering up an affordable and fresh option to supporting local farmers with their home delivery service.

If you've been the JFX or Waverly farmers markets, you've probably seen their truck; if you're lucky, you've tasted their milk. Outrageously delicious, the fresh milk and cheeses makes you realized what you've been missing at the grocery store. SMC does not use pesticides, growth hormones or unnecessary antibiotics (if they are sick and do need meds, they are taken off the line until they are healthy!. Their cows have free choice feeding of pastures, hay, corn and soybean, all of which has been grown at the farm! Additionally, they are working closely with local soil conversation groups to preserve the soil and prevent soil erosion. If that isn't enough to make you feel good about their milk, they also are working on green energy projects, such as a methane digester (converting cow manure to electricity) and bio-diesel (converting soybeans to fuel)! If that isn't enough, milk is packaged in glass bottles which are reused, cutting down on waste. Wow! Talk about going green for 2010!

While their home delivery has been available in other areas, we areaking a push to bring it to the 21224! SMC has told us that to do so we need at least 60 interested households in the area. To show your interest, contact SMC at 1-877-COW-2-YOU (269-2968) or customerservice@southmountaincreamery.com.

love k

help haiti, have fun

2010-01-27T15:59:00.004-05:00

Tonight you can have a blast and satisfy your benificient side by heading over to Big Poppa's Bar and Grill (corner of Fairmount and Streeper). Featured in Baltimore Magazine's "On The Town" nightlife blog (go patterson park!), this benefit is sure to draw a good crowd of neighbors and outsiders alike.

Here is the scoop: Starting at 6:30 p.m., Big Poppa's will donate all of its profits to the American Red Cross's Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Coordinated by one of our own, the fundraiser will also offer free food and entertainment as well as a presentation by David Bersh, of whom I blogged a few days back.

A $5 minimum donation is suggested, but you can also give a lil' more and get some great raffle tickets! So come on out, bring your checkbook and a big heart. See you there!

love k

winter home project: laundry/powder room make-over

2010-01-25T12:01:00.003-05:00

I am fortunate enough to have a home with both a first floor powder room (hurrah! guests can come over and my bathroom can be a mess!) AND laundry room above the bowels of my house (aka the basement). Only thing is that they share the same space on my first floor... tough.

Taking a trip back through time, I should tell you how it looked when I bought my house. Unfortunately, the only photo I have is from the listing when I bought my house, and only shows you the door to the bathroom (though it does give you an opportunity to see how truly horrendous the entire house looked). But this feature is noteworthy since, oh, IT IS ACTUALLY A SALOON DOOR:

[Photo]I mean, really? You want people seeing your feet while you're in the powder room? Unbelievable. So you can imagine what it was like. When I rehabbed my house, a coat of paint and some white tiles freshened it up...a bit... But the sink is still miniature, the washer and dryer were old and fritzy, and the IKEA storage cabinet is a bit worse for the ware after three moves and seven years. Hmm. I imagine this is a plight with which many of us have battled - things aren't ideal but they'll do for now, right?

But then my washing machine stopped draining and spinning. And soon after my dryer lost the ability to sense how dry clothes are - one day you might pull out a soaking wet sweater and have to run the cycle TOW MORE TIMES to make it work, and the next morning you might, say, awake to find the dryer still roaring from last night's laundry. Whoah. Talk about a waste of water and energy...

So, a trip to sears and some fantastic negotiating later (truly, people, I got a major deal. Go to Sears. Work with Mac. He's the nicest man ever), I bought these and stacked them:

So now I have room to get a normal size sink some storage for detergent, etc and a good looking mirror...maybe something like this:

It's all a work in progress and a big ol' mess now, but I'll keep you posted with photos and such. My deadline is the spring home tour so I have to get on it!

What are you working on at home these days?

love k

new tavern coming to three...'s location?

2010-01-22T18:13:00.004-05:00

I got a tip that a new sign was in the window at Three... so I stopped over as soon as I got home and snapped a photo - anyone heard of or recognize this tavern? Looks like the sign has been moved from another location as an "R" has come loose, but would read Bender's Tavern.

There is a Bender's Tavern on Bond street in Fells Point...not sure if they're related. Anyone know anything about this?

love k

swings, smiles, sunsets and a celebrity patterson parker

2010-01-22T18:06:00.004-05:00

Just a few things to make you smile this Friday evening while you unwind for the weekend...no particular order, no particular theme, just goodness:

I took my niece to the swings in the playground across the street the other day, and it was awesome. When was the last time you let a simple pleasure fill you so fully?

Rush hour ain't so bad when it's Friday and the sun and clouds add up to this image against downtown:

I nominated one of our very own for Baltimore Magazine's Top Singles and she won! Congrats, Amina - now we all have printed proof that our neighborhood has some real catches :). You'll find the full article and list in this month's Baltimore Magazine, along with a feature article on the best employers in Baltimore (and they're all hiring - and THAT is some good news!)

Have a save, restful, warm, fun weekend, Patterson Park!

love k

block buds unite to make taste buds happy

2010-01-22T09:48:00.003-05:00

Need something Spring-y on this gray day? In the same vein as my post about indoor home projects to keep you busy this winter, here is one to get your outside ready to rock, and your summer and fall table bountiful. If your back yard is anything like mine, there isn't exactly room for a full seasonal vegetable, fruit, and herb garden - you have to pick and choose. But then you end up with an unmanageable amount of rosemary, and more sage than anyone could ever need. Peppers and tomatoes are awesome but they all seem to ripen in waves...hmmm....

So while at a neighbors the other evening, I got to talking about herbs and flowers and he mentioned that he'd had an enormous crop of mint. Mint! I forgot mint last year! While adding it to mental thing-to-plant list, I had a though: Why not try to divvy up herbs etc over a few different households? A sort of uber-local CSA of sorts. Not only could you get an AWESOME variety of veggies, berries and herbs that you alone could not produce, but it might also do some nice neighborhood bonding along the way. Why not do a monthly pot-luck alley BBQ where you try to use the literal fruits of your labors?

Between a CSA, block CSA and the farmers market, you could really keep things local and delicious this summer! Make some friends, eat fresh food, share the work...what's not to love? So get out there and meet your neighbors and start brainstorming what you can bring to the table.

love k

good things for bad weather

2010-01-21T21:58:00.007-05:00

Late January gives me a big case of cabin fever - the novelty of cold weather has long worn off, the holidays are a distant memory, and the rest of winter still stretches endlessly onward. The feeling I get is really best described as "ants in my pants," with a constant agitation to get out and DO something or MAKE something. As someone who isn't much for TV watching (though I DO love a good Law & Order marathon as background to blogging!), I just get wild for a good home project.*

I am sure lots of you start feeling the same, so I thought I'd share a few easy, low-skill projects to take one to spruce up your house while you're stuck in it for the next few months. Depending on your personal penchant for cleaning, organizing, and styling you may find some of these more appealing than others. Use them as jump off points - maybe you'll be inspired to offer your home for the home tour?

Kitchen - These row houses leave many people begging for more storage in the kitchen. But take a moment to think: when was the last time you really got in there are organized things? Probably not since you moved in, and at that point you didn't have a good sense of how you'd be using the space! Over a weekend you could reassess your kitchen plan - what do you use regularly vs. rarely? Could you put some specialty bakeware/counter-top appliances in the basement and free up space? How about your pantry? Are there outdated spices or ingredients that could be past their prime? Some air-tight containers and a labeling machine could come in handy to create an organized cupboard of dry ingredients (IKEA has some great cheap options). Tackle the fridge/freezer with a good cleaning and restock on basics. Voila! Cooking is a pleasure

Living Room - If you're anything like me, it's easy to find that cupboards and shelves on the first floor can quickly become squirrel holes where small items and loose papers get quickly stuffed before company comes over, never to be seen again. Get in there and do a clean sweet, and chances are you'll find 2 things you really missed and 20 you can toss. Check our your walls, too - could you use a nice picture on the wall? Ebay and Etsy can be great places to find unique prints, and IKEA is GREAT for cheap frames that still look sharp.

Bathroom - You'd be AMAZED how far two new, fluffy, white towels and a matching bath mat go. Add in an attractive soap dispenser, small flowering plant on the sill, and a diffuser and you'll be AWESTRUCK. But while you're in there, go the whole hog and just pull everything out of the drawers and cupboards - just do it(I pulled out FOUR plastic bags' worth of junk two weeks ago). Old meds, expired make-up, half used body wash, the eight types of shampoo in your shower you kinda don't want anymore...toss it. And, oh my! What a lot of room there suddenly is ! It's positively spa-like, isn't it?

Bedroom - Ah, my personal favorite and room in which I just did a little transforming myself! Your bedroom should be your retreat, and the less stuff you have, the more serene you will feel. Declutter, declutter, declutter! Invest in some nice shelves, or baskets for the closet, but just get your bedroom free of excess stuff. Next, transform: does your bed cry out for a nice new duvet and pillow shams? I think crisp white linens and fluffy pillows paired with a bright, cheerful cover are just lovely. Lots of great sales these days, too. Compliment your bed with bedside tables (bit of an investment - strangely expensive as I recently found out!) an lamps. I personally like lamps that are similar but different - it adds just a touch of asymmetry that I find attractive.

I just completed a project of my very own tonight, of which I am totally proud. Several months ago I purchased two Mexican wrought-iron lamps from In Watermelon Sugar (Hampden) but didn't like, nor wish to pay for, the wall sconces with which they had paired them. Two months passed and nothing had struck my fancy. Then when at Home Depot (Dundalk) to buy my new lamps (my side - feminine, N's side - more manly), I figured I might as well look at their plant hooks. And voila! SUCH a cute one but all the wrong color and finish....but a coat of primer and a couple more of a flat black pulled the whole thing together. Two dark candles, some superb drilling by N, and ooo la la, do I ever LOVE my "new" bedroom!

Have you had any great home projects lately?

love k

*While I was forced to take on a BIG one earlier this month, thanks to an explosion of water through every light fixture, floor board, wall and inch of crown molding, it wasn't really something that was enjoyable to deal with since it was way out of my area of expertise...Long crazy story I'll tell anyone who asks! I'd like to take a moment to comment on how truly wonderful Allstate was, though. I could not have asked for better service and I really do mean that - I imagine you all are assuming there is dripping sarcasm but no!

open your hearts to haiti

2010-01-21T11:44:00.004-05:00

With the recent earthquake and subsequent turmoil in Haiti, there has been a tremendous outpouring of financial support. If you're still looking for organization through which to give, consider looking into David Bersch's (from Three...restaurant!) sister's organization that helps Haitian orphans. St. Josephs is, from all that I have read and heard, a true beacon for youth in need, offering a safe place and hope for their future. It is now St. Joseph's that needs help so that they can continue their good work.

While there are countless wonderful organizations out there doing fantastic work, consider giving to an organization to which many of us in Patterson Park have a connection through David. For more information, read the recent TIME Magazine article; I imagine you, too, will feel a desire to help these kids. The St. Joseph's family has temporarily moved to a rental property due to the destruction their facility has faced. Rebuilding will be a long road and we can help!

love k

we're at it again for home tour 2010!

2010-01-20T23:02:00.003-05:00

Were you at last year's Patterson Park Spring Home Tour? How awesome was it?! Well, it was so awesome that we're doing it again with nine new houses and a new slogan - "Patterson Park Home Tour: We're Blossoming!" Like it? You better because that is my little brain child there, people!

But we ARE blossoming in so many ways, with new home owners buying in, residents starting up renovations projects to invest in their properties, greening projects, alley gating, block projects, grant proposals... you name it, we're working on it.

So while our flowers and trees may not be blossoming just yet, they'll catch up with the rest of us by Home Tour 2010. So save the date! May 8th! Are you interested in helping out by opening your home or volunteering? Let me know (kimiya.aghevli@gmail.com) - I'll be needing help!

love k

who will be in the cdc?

2010-01-20T22:44:00.003-05:00

The former Patterson Park Community Development Corporation headquarters on the corner of Linwood and Baltimore is set to hit the auction block on January 29th at 10 a.m. (on the premise). I, for one, plan to be there.

With such a prominent spot in the heart of our neighborhood, I am sure we're all a touch apprehensive of what will come of that space. With a great restaurant space on the first floor, two double-wide levels of office space and a fantastic roof deck, this property could be used as a fantastic addition to foster continued growth in our neighborhood. Let's hope the winning bidder is someone with the heart, hands, and honesty to make that happen - I know we're all ready and willing to offer support!

Some stats on the building:

Three-Levels
Commercial Designation
Approximately 4,869 sq. ft. Gross Building Area
The building is divided into two units (1st floor restaurant - approx 1,800 sq ft; 2nd/3rd floor office space - approx 3,069 aggregate sq ft)
A deposit in the amount of $75,000 will be required of the purchaser at the time of sale

Members of our neighborhood have been brainstorming restaurants that may be intersted in opening another location, businesses that could be good additions and investors that could consider the purchase. With only a week and a half to go, take a moment to think if you might know anyone who would be a conscientious investor ready to work in our neighborhood. The possibilities for positive impact are endless!

love k

Three...strikes out?

2010-01-20T20:50:00.003-05:00

As everyone has noticed by now, our beloved neighborhood restaurant Three... is with us no more. I thought it would be a good opportunity to dry our tears and try something new. So! Without further ado, a list of my honest-to-goodness favorite spots within a one-mile radius of my front door:

1. Annabelle Lee Tavern - The whole Poe thing is just totally rad. Don't let the exterior fool you - everything inside is straight up lovely, from the food to the service.

2. Peter's Inn - Get there early or be prepared to wait. But so worth it, with a weekly changing menu of seasonal specialties.

3. Dipasquales - My mouth waters just saying the name. It's like the most amazing deli, corner grocer, and gourmet caterer rolled in to one adorable house. Go there. Immediately.

4. Mamma's on the Half Shell - Great for lunch or dinner, drinks with friends, or brunch with the fam. Large portions will never leave you hungry. Make sure you try the Orange Crush in summer!

5. Rosina Gourmet - Awesome lunch spot, and I LOVED their recent appearance on Groupon! For you harbor east workers, new spot coming soon in the Bagby Building! (If this was with a 1+ mile radius, I would be including Bagby Pizza FOR SURE!)

6. Bonaparte Breads- Fantastic espresso drinks and out of this world sweet treats, best enjoyed overlooking the water and Thames Street. Their breads are also fantastic...I especially recommend the whole wheat boule

7. Hudson Street Stackhouse - Gotta admit, I haven't actually eaten here, but love the bar vibe for a low-key catch up evening with friends. Neat Cannon Co. paraphernalia on the walls, so check it out before you start drinking!

8. Tutti Gusti - Oh, the pizza! This side of town, you'll find the best pizza here hands down (try the soup, too!)

9. Yellow Dog Tavern - slick bar downstairs, classy dining room upstairs. All yum, no stuffiness. Also love their brunch on weekends.

10. Patterson Perk - Grab a coffee and take a stroll around the Park! Or snuggle up on the couch with a borrowed book from their little library. This place exudes "neighborhood friendly"..one of my favorite friends and I have started meeting for knitting and coffee once a month here!

So those are some of my personal fav's around the 21224 and 21231. What about you guys? Where are you going to start hanging out to fill our lil' local void?

love k

lean, green, public transportation machine!

2010-01-20T20:18:00.004-05:00

By now you've probably seen one of the new Charm City Circulator (CCC) buses around town, and boy do they look slick! With the snappy slogan "Fast. Friendly. Free!" the fleet of 21 buses debuted about a week ago with the commencement of 3 different routes - Orange (go Orioles!), Purple (yeah, Ravens!), and Green (here's one for the environment!), each arriving at various stops every ten minutes. Ten minutes! Free! There are high hopes that this will ultimately lead to higher use of public transportation, lower congestion, decreased air pollution and more smiles all around.

And if that isn't enough, the fleet is entirely comprised of DesignLine 2009 EcoSaver IV LF Hybrid Electric vehicles— in other words, they're low emission and that's something we can all get behind these days. The Mayor (though her days may now be numbered) has introduced this anti-pollution piublic transportation posse as part of the Cleaner, Greener Baltimore Initiative.

Unfortunately, the CCC doesn't currently come over to our neck of the woods, but if you're up for a little westward walk, you can pick up the Green line on Broadway. Additionally, the CCC is integrating with a new Water Taxi Harbor Connector from Maritime Park to Tide Point and Canton Waterfront Park to Tide Point from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday (the CCC runs 7 days a week).

Have you had a chance to check out the new buses? What did you think? Oh, that one day they head just a tad farther East to us in Patterson Park!

love k

your moment of zen

2009-10-27T12:51:00.017-04:00

You all know how rad I think the Patterson Park Boat Lake is as a place to reflect and take a moment to get back in touch with nature. So what better way to unwind after THE busiest weekend of work and festival-ing than taking a loaf of (somewhat moldy) bread to the lake with N yesterday? The sun was slowly receding toward the horizon, but still emanating plenty of warmth on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Snagged my camera as I headed out the door so that I could capture a few shots as well as a video to help all you lovely people out on this dreary day - surely you'll find yourself smiling after a few seconds of duck-frenzy-feeding and looking at a gorgeous gorgeous sky over our lovely lake:

And if the photos are not enough...

love k

people on parade!

2009-10-27T11:44:00.007-04:00

Right as BARCStobefest was wrapping up, The Great Halloween Lantern Parade was kicking off! Also rescheduled due to rain, the Parade expanded to an afternoon-long affair this year, with a Magic Hat beer garden, lots of venders, street performers and food to get the crowd fired up for the post-sundown Parade. And what a sundown it was:

As the stilt-walkers and other crazy parade performers lined up, I snapped a few shots with that crazy sky behind:

There was Patterson Park pride with the neighborhood crew - check out these lanterns!

Finally, with a roll of drums and matches flaring, the parade was under way! We staked out a spot about half way around the Parade route and watched as the caterpillar of paraders headed toward us:

Hundreds and hundreds of paraders marched by, accompanied by drum bands and cheers. With fantastic lanterns showcasing amateur and professional artistic abilities all around, it was a true celebration of local creativity. Here's another video, just for good measure (and because I just figured out how to add them!)

What a great Parade, and so befitting for the Great Halloween Lantern Parade's TENTH anniversary! Congrats to the Creative Alliance for another successful year. And, once again, thank you to all those who came to my benefit to help make this event possible.

love k

dogs on parade

2009-10-27T11:43:00.000-04:00

BARCS annual fund raising festival, BARCStoberfest, was rescheduled for Sunday after being rained out two weeks ago, and boy did they luck out this time! Abundant sunshine, changing leaves, and warm weather made this a really fantastic day to "Strut Your Mutt." With vendors galore, doggy contests, and pets ready for adoption, it was a day all about dogs (and some cats!).

A coworker and I had a booth for our company and had the fortune of being right in the middle of things with a great vantage point for watching the contests and all the passing pooches. Here are a few photos from the day:

Our table had a bounty of furry-friend goodies!

Ravens' Cheer-dog - gotta love it :)

Remember that dog I found in the Park and returned? We had a reunion at the fest'!

The Mayor gave a great speech!

I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage people to consider adopting from BARCS or a similar local organization - our city is overwhelmed by homeless dogs brought to the shelter by those who find them or those who can no longer keep them. With today's housing crisis still a bleak reality for many, animals are being forfeited to shelters at alarming rates as owners lose their homes or are no longer able to care for their pets. Please take a moment to see if your heart and home have room for one more. Adopting an animal is rewarding and heart warming... just look at this face - how could I say no??

love k

benefit bonanza

2009-10-27T11:20:00.000-04:00

OH what a party it was! Friday night saw the culmination of two months of hard work for me, with my Masquerade Benefit taking place and raising about $1000 for the Creative Alliance! With cocktails, nibbles and masks galore, neighbors and friends celebrated until three in the morning.

Rather than prattle on, I think you'd all prefer a few pictures instead?

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came and donated so generously!  

love k

trains, planes and automobiles

2009-10-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

Last week, seven of us patterson parkers headed to Milwaukee for the annual NeighborWorks Community Leadership Institute conference, paid for by Banner Neighborhoods (thanks Eric!). Four of us took the train to Chicago - a 17 hour trip in and of itself - to take in the countryside and remind ourselves just how darn HUGE and varied our country is.

The conference was fantastic, with workshops, fieldtrips, lectures and action planning. All in all, it taught us all new skills for community organizing and development as well as presented us with different viewpoints and challenges that communities across the nation are facing. It was so inspiring to hear about all the fantastic efforts by volunteers and individuals in hundreds of neighborhoods in America. Take Enderis Park, a neighborhood of 1200 households, that raised over $50,000 in a few years to help revitalize their park, with home tours and other simple endeavors.

Having completed the CLI's conference, our team is now able to earn a grant of $2,000 to help our neighborhood's ongoing efforts to continue growing in a positive direction. As of now, we will be applying for the funds to help us positively market our neighborhood, build a snazzy website, and enhance our home tour (the Enderis Park home tour brought in over $15,000 in three years! Wow!). 

Of course we had some fun, too, with a train ride, a day in chicago, 4 days in Milwaukee:

Aaand I had to include the Victoria's Secret Runway wings portraits.. 

Funny how I'm making the same face in all three of these...I was just that excited!

The most important thing I took away from the conference was that we each do make a differece, that it is the accumulation of minor acts that bring us together in relationships of respect, reciprocity and trust. We can never see any act of kindness as too small, or any gesture of empathy as insignificant.

It all adds up to make our community, our neighborhood, our nation and our world a better place to live. 

love k

the doggy bloggy (aka puppy meets his twin)

2009-10-20T19:22:00.004-04:00

Oooooh what a day! As many of you probably saw on facebook and the yahoo group, I found a dog while stopping by home to take my dog (and yes, Puppy is his name) out for a quick walk, as I wouldn't be home from work til closer to 7. Long story short, I found a dog running wildly across the street and in to Patterson Park. But not just any dog - it was Puppy's TWIN in every way except being white instead of black...and painted teal toenails. They were instant friends, but I refused to even entertain the thought of keeping him - Puppy came to me in exactly the same way, so the odds were against me on that one.

So after checking with local vets, having him scanned for a chip, and following up a few local leads, I began the good ol' fashioned task of fliering the neighborhood and asking everyone I passed whether or not the dog was familiar. All to no avail. Somewhere along the way I passed a police officer waiting at a traffic light and gave him one as well, despite my friend's scoffing that it was a waste of a flier - what does a Baltimore City patrol officer care about an 11 pound lost poodle?

Within an hour I had a phone call from another officer inquiring about the dog and confirming that it was the same dog lost by the individual with whom he was currently meeting! Within half an hour the dog and I were in a cruiser heading 12 blocks NE to the owner (side note: by this time I'd named the dog Falcor after the flying dog-beast in The Never Ending Story - clearly my attachment level was reaching dangerous levels already!).

Nothing warms your heart like dog and owner literally writhing with happiness as they reunite - truly. After hugs and cheers all around, the owner and I agreed to reunite our pooches at this weekend's BARCStoberfest (blog to follow about this one soon).

A HUGE shout out to Officer Gabriel at the South East Police District - many would have thrown away the flier and forgotten it forever, but this officer took the time to call it in and have the information posted to the district. It is only because of his diligence that this had a happy ending.

Here are a couple of photos (taken by my laptop so not too great) of lil' Falcor and Puppy.

love k

a picture postcard for a post

2009-10-13T12:34:00.007-04:00

Today I am having a hard time concentrating because:

a. It's beautiful outside. But I am inside...lame

b. I am leaving for Chicago/Milwaukee tomorrow for the NeighborWorks conference with 8 other Patterson Park residents. I have not packed, or even thought about packing. Or done the laundry that needs to be done so I can think about packing.

c. We switched email platforms so life is in chaos at work. Ugh.

Luckily, I can share all the information I need to with two pictures of fliers from last night's PPNA monthly meeting:

I haven't gone a week without mentioning this coming up, but in case you need a visual to comprehend why I'm so obsessed, now you'll have one. As well as a schedule of events and lantern workshops! Hurrah!

Next up, there's going to be a Blessing Of The Animals in the park coming up! Also, take note of the weekly pick-up basketball that has been having a nice turn out:

Sooo, there's my lazy post for the day :) If I can scoot out of work early, do my laundry and organize my life I'm going to go take some fall foliage photos in the park so stay tuned!

love k

a stunning sunset and a carrot cake

2009-10-11T09:39:00.010-04:00

Did you see the sunset last night?

I raced home at about a zillion miles an hour from work to try to fanagle borrowing a camera and a roof deck to take a few photos - mission acccomplished:

Though, sunset photos never quite do the real thing justice, do they?

I was in such a good mood that I made this:

      
yum.
love k