I Love....Baltimore

Happy Leap Day! It means I get one more day to write about this month's theme....Love.

I was inspired to write today by a weekend visit to my sister's house in Baltimore. I spent most of my twenties living in Charm City - a city that's colorful and quirky, full of grit and heart-ache but ever so hopeful. Baltimore....you still have my heart....

One of the things I love about Baltimore is it's small-town feel. On Friday, I walked into a children's store I have never been to in Hampden called Soft and Cozy Baby...and  who was working there? A friend I haven't seen since I was a few months pregnant! Small town, right?

On Saturday, my sister and I went to our old stomping ground, the 32nd Street Farmers' Market. The Thai Tea Guy recognized us and said it had been ages since we had visited his stand. It's good to be missed.

And what I miss is....

Making my Sunday pilgrimage to the Baltimore Farmers' Market and later on Sunday night sweating out all those toxins at the $6 Community Hot Yoga class at Charm City Yoga.

I miss....

Counting down the days until the First Thursday Concerts in the Park begin. Free music, wine, crab-cakes and running into many of my friends....what's not to love?

I miss...

Popping over to The Charles Theater when I feel the itch to see a film. Maybe one of these years I'll be able to participate in the 48 Hour Film Project.

I miss...

Long walks in Patterson Park and dodging Charm City Rollergirls roller-skating around Montebello Lake.

I miss...

Spending countless hours picking out books for my library at the Pratt Library Book Sale, Normals, Breathe Books, Red Emma's and Red Canoe. Baltimore is the City that Reads.

 

I miss....

Hitting up all the annual Fun like....the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Baltimore Pride, Artscape (my favorite event hands-down), Baltimore Powwow (not to be confused with this event which I have never been able to catch),  Baltimore Book Festival and the Great Big Halloween Parade of Light and Luminaria.

I miss....

Watching friends perform at the Ottobar, 2640 and the Creative Alliance....to name only a few of Baltimore's countless performance spaces. 

I miss....

Being in the audience at a Baltimore AfroBeat Society or Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey or Fluid Movement or a Charm City Boys show.

I miss you....Baltimore. I think the American Visionary Art Museum symbolizes you the best....intense, down-to-earth, unpolished and breath-taking authentic. You are the real-deal and I love you.