More Baltimore

Since getting back from my first wedding* last weekend, I've been spending a lot of time in Baltimore, my home-city! It's the closest metropolitan-type area around, and was a big part of my childhood and high school years. Now that I can go out, my relationship to it is a bit different - in short, I'm loving it! Here's what I checked out this week...

The Golden West Café in Hampden. What a laid-back, eclectic, awesome diner. I can't say I've ever received a deal on wine (on Wine Wednesday, of course!) and had it be appropriate in such a place before going there. It was the perfect location for catching up with a camp-loving friend I haven't seen in ages. It's also cool to be old enough to know people living in nifty places like Baltimore's center of all things Hon..

I also hit up the Honfest, scoping out some B-more kitsch in the same quirky 'hood. There were hons abounding with freshly-fixed up beehives, leopard print stretch pants, and neon cat's eye glasses - the throwbacks didnt end at the pink flamingoes, thats for sure. They also had garage sales on the Ave, charm city-specific food, and cover bands playing Cash and Evil Ways (while I was there, anyway). And dancing!

Earlier in the week was a Volunteer Central info session-cum-café chat at Xando/Cosí in Charles Village. That's another excellent neighborhood, supported by the hard-working folk at JHU and home to excellent haunts like The Book Thing , many ethnic restaurants, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.

Speaking of museums, I checked out a Walters Art Museum lunch'n'learn with my dear old mum. A materials science graduate lectured and was surprisingly science-y for an art event. Some of the pieces presented in the lecture on Thai pigments were really beautiful and ornate - I'd love to see more. Afterward, my mom and I wandered around the museum, picking up a half-price Patricia Wells cookbook on bistro cooking, which turned out to be a great buy. One of her (many) potatoes au gratin recipes made a delicious addition to dinner tonight. The Walters also has a quilting exhibit coming soon that I hope I'm around to see, as well as related workshops. I'm hoping my Mom will be motivated enough to go to some of them, as she was making noises about wanting to try quilting. I'm not holding my breath, though -- she did the same for knitting and all that came out of that was a scarf that's holed up in a closet somewhere. Oh well, more knitting needles for me.

I made it to a dance party and sushi but just missed seeing Paris, je t'aime at the Charles Theatre. Oh well, you can't win them all...

By way of a recommendation, if you'll be in the area in July (when I'll be off in Europe!) be sure to check out Artscape, which will be going down around Mt. Vernon. That's always a good time.

* Well, I've been to weddings before. I played the music for that of my cousins in CA a few years back. But now - my friends are starting to get married! This is huge.. and a little overwhelming / crazy. But way fun, too.