 While slogging away at our computers the other day, Tom asked me out of the blue if I wanted to go with him to the BMA for a couple of hours. Sure, I love art and even better, there's no entrance fee! Even the main exhibit, Print by Print: Series from Dürer to Lichtenstein, is free! For those who've never been to this local gem in Charles Village right next to Johns Hopkins University
Add Comment  Hampden's 34th Street at Christmas time is a stunning masterpiece. Now in it's 64th year, this is the penultimate example of Baltimore kitch and we LOVE it!!! Every single house on the block is lit up to the hilt, lights are strung across the road from house to house and plenty of amazements pay homage to our beloved Baltimore.  A purple Raven's tree (new this year), metallic crabs, Mr. Natty Boh and of course the tree made from old vinyl albums with a pink flamingo on top! I'm sure John Waters loves this street--maybe he secretly lives in one of the houses. One talented resident is artist Jim Pollock, known for the hubcap Christmas tree displayed prominently on his lawn, along with his white snowmen made of bicycle wheels. Gosh, I'd die for one or two of these on my suburban lawn.
 A Surreal Trip to Dietzen & Sons Believe it or not, my Dad, Chris Dreja, in addition to being a world-class photographer, is a founding member of the British rock band The Yardbirds. "The Yardbirds, perhaps more than any other group, brought guitar pyrotechnics to rock & roll in the 1960s. By introducing Clapton, Beck and Page to the world, and giving them plenty of space to create, the band set the template not only for Cream, the Jeff Beck Group and Led Zeppelin, but for virtually every rock group featuring distortion, feedback and in-your-face electric-guitar virtuosity."  Recently, he was on tour in the U.S. and performed at The Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis. He had a couple of days off so we commandeered him and brought him up to Baltimore. He still lives in London and so the only time we really see each other is when he comes over to perform and this was the first time he would see our new house. He knows I like to
 I love walking into The Vu skate shop on Harford Road in Parkville.-- just up the street from the Holiday House, memorialized by John Waters' 2004 film "A Dirty Shame". I look so obviously out of place with my aviator sunglasses and highlighted blonde hair (sans dreadlocks and tattoos), but a friendly smile works wonders. Plus the owner, professional skater Gary Smith, is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and oh so...
 I’m embarrassed to admit, after living in Baltimore for 22 years, I never stepped foot inside Patterson Park. Even though I lived in Federal Hill and worked on Gay Street (yes, just around the corner from the infamous “Block”) and had experience fending off drunks and panhandlers on my way home each evening, I was afraid to enter the large park. I had always wanted to visit the fascinating Victorian era Pagoda that looms from the top of Hampstead Hill, so a couple of weeks ago, overcoming this irrational fear, my husband, two sons (13 and 4) and I ventured on a quest through the 137 acre urban retreat. We entered.....
A Mom's Review of Charm City Skatepark 07/15/2011
 If you're looking for a modern indoor skate park with pristine bathrooms, a cushy waiting lounge and a fancy snack bar...go somewhere else! But If your kid's a serious skater with a strong bladder and not afraid of a bit of grime definitely visit the authentic Charm City Skatepark (located in |