Good morning, Baltimore!
Posted by Yadim Medore on Fri, Sep 09, 2011 @ 04:01 PM
Although the Pure Branding offices are located west of Boston in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, we can't wait to be back in Baltimore for Expo East next week. Boston just never was able to capture the connection and community that one experiences in Anaheim, and certainly it never quite jelled in Boston — enough to have New Hope break their contract. Chalk it up to Yankee reserve.
Needless to say, Baltimore holds a number of surprises, if you know where to look.
The alternative art scene's crown jewel is the American Visionary Art Museum (800 Key Highway, 410-244-1900), whose goals include "expanding the definition of a worthwhile life, engendering respect for and delight in the gift of others, and increasing awareness of the wide variety of choices available in life for all." They house a double life-size revolving sculpture of Divine, the late star of all of local hero John Waters's Baltimore film oeuvre. It's also the venue for this year's Celebration of Angels, the annual Expo East event for Vitamin Angels that we're proud sponsors of. It's on Friday, September 23, at 7 pm, and it's both a great event and a great cause. Call us for more information; we'd love to see you there!
If you're staying through Sunday and want some local flavor, check out The Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar (underneath the Jones Falls Expressway at Holliday & Saratoga streets), a 34-year-old producers-only market that can attract over 8,000 visitors each weekend.
If your delights take you more in the (unappetizing?) realm of John Waters, you may want to wander down to Atomic Books (1100 West 36th Street, 410-662-4444), which carries a field guide to the shopping carts of eastern North America and many unprintable titles. Also housed there is Mr. Waters's personal postal box, so if you're inclined, you can leave him a note of admiration.
For dining pleasures, nothing can compare to our favorite seafood restaurant, The Black Olive (814 South Bond Street, 410-276-7141), located in the historic Fell's Point neighborhood (not unlike Boston's Beacon Hill). You'll start your meal with a guided visual tour of the fresh catches of the day, followed by a meal assembled of organic and local produce, and their simple Black Olive lemon fish sauce. (Ooops, forget we told you. We want to keep this one to ourselves to make sure we can get a reservation!)
For more Baltimore tips from Beantowners, feel free to give us a call and we'd be happy to meet while we're at Expo, and perhaps talk about how we can help you with our branding innovation process over a delicious dinner at a restaurant I'm sworn to secrecy about. Contact Yadim Medore at 413-548-9900 x301, or yadim@purebranding.com.
