The Fitzgerald | Art in itself

As The Fitzgerald is Art In Itself, we’re delighted to be partnering with Nana Projects and Artscape this weekend.  Please join your neighbors and Artscape spectators outside in the front plaza to enjoy one of the performances of projected shadow puppetry on The Fitzgerald bridge!  Performances will take place on Friday from 9:30-10PM, Saturday from 9:30-10PM and Sunday from 7:30-8PM.  Please check out the below link for more information on this amazing performance and Artscape!

NANADU – A Panorama of Parades and Spectacle

LET’S EAT! Charles Street is back again this year for another day of Baltimore fun. On Saturday, May 14th, cruise up and down N. Charles Street between Saratoga and Mulberry, enjoying live music, delicious food, chilly beverages, family activities, and of course, some quality shopping! The event is from noon to 5pm, and it’s going to be a wonderful day. Make sure to stop by Barnes and Noble at UB, our favorite vendor,  and come say hello to The Fitzgerald too! For more information, visit their website or email Michele. See you there!

If you have recently acquired a new puppy and aren’t quite sure how you are going to squeeze his walks into your busy schedule, don’t stress! Walk The Dog is an amazing local company that provides dog walking and pet sitting services for people in the Baltimore area who work all day, or have planned a vacation that they can’t bring their pooch on.

Walk The Dog comes highly recommended not only by their clients, but by veterinarians as well. Their staff is professional, bonded and insured, but best of all, they are just as passionate about your four-legged friend as you are.

If you are stuck working long hours at the office and can’t sneak home to show your pet some love, sign up for the daily dog walking service which will provide your pet with midday relief, playtime and exercise, food, treats, and fresh water, plus the love and attention they crave. If you have a puppy or an elder dog, you know how important frequent potty breaks are.

Don’t feel guilty about planning a vacation without your pet ever again. With Walk The Dog’s pet sitting service, your pet never has to leave the comfort of your home! While you are away, the pet sitting service will give you peace of mind. It includes: maintaining your pet’s daily exercise and diet routine, administering any necessary medications or vitamins, preventing any exposure to illness, keeping your pet comfortable and stress-free in their own environment, and any other special needs or requests you may have. Other benefits include: having your mail brought in, your plants watered, and knowing that you’re not imposing on your friends or neighbors to watch your home while you’re away.

All you have to do is make sure that your pet is up to date on all shots and flea and tick treatments. Also, your pet must wear an identification tag with your contact number while  in the care of Walk The Dog. This service is not just for dogs, but all pets – cats, birds, and fish, as well. Check out their website for more information, or connect with them via their Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

Attention residents of Baltimore: it’s time for another Charm City Scene roundup full of ideas on what to do this week. Check out some Medieval relics, catch an exciting variety show, and then enjoy a mellow Sunday with the family creating colorful art projects.

Going on now through May 15th at The Walters Art Museum is an amazing exhibit called Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe. Medieval Christians worshipped saints and displayed their bodily remains in special containers called reliquaries. These reliquaries were covered in silver and gold and decorated with semiprecious stones and gems to announce the important status of their sacred contents to all who came to worship. This exhibit has over 130 sculptures, paintings, and manuscripts that were gathered from respected collections including from The Louvre and The Vatican. General admission to the Walters Art Museum is free and you can purchase tickets for this exhibition online; prices range from free for members to $8 regular admission. The museum is open Wednesday – Sunday, from 10am – 5pm.

This Saturday at The Creative Alliance at The Patterson, Titled Torch celebrates their 2-year anniversary with “The Bipolar Show,” which is a throwback to their very first performance ever. Titled Torch is known for being a wild and extreme fire variety show in DC and has now been exciting audiences for two years. The cast is skilled in dance, circus arts, acrobatics, comedy, burlesque, music and, of course, fire! Miss Joule and Malibu have a few tricks up their sleeves and are excited to celebrate this momentous occasion with you, their audience. There will be games, raffles, and prizes so be sure to dress in your bipolar best, whether that be crazy, interrupting colors or polar opposites,  black and white. Tickets are $11 for Creative Alliance members or $16 for non-members.

Every Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Art is “Free Family Sunday.” This month, the museum is experimenting with clay, painting the flowers in bloom outside, and drawing from a live, costumed model in the gallery. This Sunday, April 24th is “Family Tour – Back to Basics,” which will begin at 2pm, so be sure to get there before then. The BMA is open on Sundays from 11am-6pm, so enjoy a fun-filled day, all day, for free!

Your Scene at a Glance:

• Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe
  • When: Now-5/15
  • Where: The Walters Art Museum (click for directions)

• Tilted Torch: The Bipolar Show – BALTIMORE EDITION
  • When: 4/23; 8pm
  • Where: The Creative Alliance At The Patterson (click for directions)

• Free Family Sundays
  • When:  4/24; 11am-6pm
  • Where: Baltimore Museum of Art (click for directions)

April 16th-23rd is Baltimore Green Week, and we are jumping on board here at the Fitzgerald! This is Baltimore Green Week’s 8th year of hosting a week full of educational workshops, lectures and events geared towards giving Baltimore a chance to be educated and take action on serious environmental issues. Some of the main topics to be covered will include sustainable food and agriculture, climate change, efficiency at home, and water conservation.

The Fitzgerald will be participating with our very own Baltimore Green Week Event on Thursday, April 21st from 4-7pm. We have teamed up with Mahan Rykiel Associates (MRA) to offer guided tours of their MTA Green Track Test Area as well as green tours of The Fitz. We hope these tours will help to educate Baltimore residents on current trends in “green building design” and “green transit.” Following the tours, there will be a reception with light appetizers and drinks at The Fitz while MRA gives a speech, and a PowerPoint presentation, with time for questions afterwards.

And if you haven’t already, check out The Fitzgerald’s green page, which talks about everything eco-friendly we are doing here. We are proud to say that we built this building with energy-efficient walls and used energy-efficient glazing in our windows, which helps to insulate your apartment and keep it warm or cool, depending on the season. We are also working to reduce our water usage by: installing Energy Star-label appliances, low-flow shower heads, dual flush toilets, low-flow urinals, and sink aerators. All of these factors combined result in The Fitzgerald saving about 40% more water than other base-line buildings. Other amazing green features here at The Fitzgerald are: our ZipCar service, plentiful bike racks encouraging you to commute, a green roof, and Electrical Vehicle (EV) chargers installed in our garage.

For more tips and information about greening your home, check out TerraLogos Energy Group, a local home energy audit company. We’re already green at the Fitz, but if you’re looking for ways to make your humble abode more sustainable, check out TerraLogos, which works to help Marylanders cost-effectively retrofit their homes with green building practices. TerraLogos has more than 30 years of experience in green building design and technologies, providing their customers with an integrated, whole-house approach to not just finding, but fixing, the energy leaks in their homes. Sign up for an Energy Audit now at TerraLogos Energy Group to start saving money and our environment!

How are you  getting green in Baltimore this week? Please share in the comments!

The month of April at The Fitzgerald is all about books! We’re hosting a book drive for Baltimore Reads to support Books For Kids Day, which is the organization’s biggest event, held on May 7th, 9a-2p, rain or shine.

How can you help? Just donate new and gently used books in the donation boxes at The Fitzgerald, which will be donated on Books For Kids Day to children who have no books of their own, and to teachers and students as well.

Books For Kids Day will be held in the parking lot of Poly Western High School on Falls Road at Cold Spring Lane in Baltimore. The goal is to collect 75,000 books to be distributed to schools, families and children in need of books.

You can also volunteer to help sort books, host your own book drive, or make a donation to support family learning. Get more information by calling Mark Feiring at 410-752-3595, ext. 1118, emailing, or checking out their website.

So, keep an eye out for the donation boxes around The Fitzgerald and donate the gift of reading to a child in need!

That’s right, The Fitzgerald is bringing the first Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging stations to a residential building in the Mid-Atlantic region! We’re partnering up with SemaConnect and The Bozzuto Group this Thursday, March 31st, from 10-11am to show off the two new EV charging stations inside The Fitzgerald Garage. You’ll have the opportunity to demo the EV stations, test drive the newest electrical vehicles on the market, and of course, tour The Fitzgerald apartments! We’re excited to offer this groundbreaking sustainable technology at our community, proving that you don’t have to own a home to own an electric vehicle. What are you waiting for? RSVP today!

If you aren’t already participating in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program at The Fitz, it must be because you haven’t heard about it yet! CSA simply means that you are buying locally-grown produce and in doing so, making a great contribution to your community.

Participating in a CSA program provides you with the freshest produce possible, reduces the environmental cost of food production and transportation, reduces your own costs by purchasing directly from the growers, and supports local food production in the Baltimore area! The produce you will purchase is literally harvested and delivered to you within 24 hours, which means you will get the most amount of nutrients possible from your fruits and veggies. As we’re sure you’ve noticed, healthy and organic foods are much more expensive than mass-produced industrial food products, which is why the CSA program is working to offer you the most reasonable prices possible.

The farm where all the produce is grown is less than 25 miles from all delivery destinations in order to reduce their ecological footprint and run as “green” of an operation as they possibly can. When you buy into the CSA program, you are investing in a farming method that is healthier for our environment, our soil, and our planet in general.

The CSA program plans to include carrots, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, other leafy greens, onions, garlic, both hot and sweet peppers, cabbage, broccoli, beets, turnips, and a few late season surprises. Whatever is ripe on the farm is what you will receive and you will get a weekly e-notice informing you of what your next delivery will include along with suggested recipes on what to prepare with your produce. Your delivery will include 4-8 pounds of vegetables every week, weather permitting, for approximately 18 weeks.

You also have the option of visiting the farm in person to pick raspberries and cut fresh flowers and herbs, as long as you contact them in advance. You can call 410-925-0962 to schedule a date or click HERE to sign up for the CSA program.

Join before all the shares are sold out and take advantage of a special discount! If you mail your check before April 30th, you will save $20.00 off the regular share price of $425.

Located just two blocks away from The Fitzgerald, there are two businesses dedicated to bringing you the freshest natural and organic foods.

OK Natural Foods is a small, family-owned business that has been serving the Baltimore area for more than 25 years. The store sells organic foods, supplements and bulk foods as well. They are well-known for their delicious vegan donuts (wink wink), organic produce, spices and macrobiotic diet selection,  and you can also find a nice variety of vitamins, essential oils, books, toiletries and incense. They’re open Monday through Friday from 9:30am-8:30pm, Saturday 10am-8:30pm and Sunday 11am-7pm.

Just upstairs from OK Natural Foods, is Soup’s On, a gourmet soup company that buys most of its fresh ingredients from the health food store downstairs. Soup’s On is also a family-owned and operated business, which runs on the belief that soup should be made fresh daily with only the freshest of ingredients. They make over 200 varieties of soups including vegan, vegetarian, meat, seafood, and even dessert soups made from fruit blends, which are also great for breakfast! But they don’t just make soups; their menu also includes freshly-made sandwiches, salads, and desserts.

At Soup’s On you can even bring your own beverage of choice to enjoy without a corkage fee! Soup prices range from $4 for a cup and $5 for a bowl, to $6 for a pint, which includes all taxes and even gets you some bread to enjoy along with it. Soup’s On is open Monday through Saturday from 11am-8pm and on Sunday from noon-6pm.

So, if you’re not already a regular at both establishments, take a short walk down the street and start eating healthier and fresher foods, which aren’t just good for you, but actually taste delicious as well!

It’s time for another Charm City Scene roundup for Baltimore and we have some great suggestions on how to spend your free time this week. If you are a bride to be, you will not want to miss out on Baltimore’s biggest wedding event of the season. We also have a suggestion for a live theater performance that is getting rave reviews and an authentic St. Patty’s Day celebration to keep you busy.

The Everyman Theatre in Baltimore is debuting Stick Fly, which will run from March 16th through April 17th. This production centers around a wealthy African-American family whose sons bring home their girlfriends to meet the parents for the first time. What unfolds is a comical, intelligent, and moving story about this complex family set in Martha’s Vineyard. Stick Fly was written by Lydia R. Diamond who has been called “one of America’s freshest and most dynamic voices” and playwrights today. Tickets range in price depending on the day and time; for some showings tickets are $10 for students, $25 for seniors, and $30 for adults, other showings are only offering $42 adult tickets. Follow the Everyman Theatre on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date with their 2011 season.

St. Patrick’s Day is this Thursday, so be sure to celebrate accordingly! Sláinte is an authentic Irish pub and restaurant in Baltimore with daily specials on Irish fare and drinks. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, they will have live Irish music and even more specials than usual on Irish beers and food all night long. There is no cover charge, so it will most likely be packed. Come down early and be hungry and thirsty for specials on Guinness and corned beef and cabbage! Everyone is Irish for one day out of the year, so don’t miss out! Learn more about their daily deals via their Facebook and Twitter pages.

If you are planning an upcoming wedding, you will not want to miss out on the Aisle Style Wedding Event presented by Baltimore Bride Magazine this Sunday at the Hilton Baltimore from 1-4pm. Mix and mingle with Baltimore’s best wedding professionals and check out everything from dresses to cake and flowers – and everything in between, too! Enjoy live music from the Perfect Harmony String Quartet Group, and hors d’oeuvres and desserts from SugarBakers Cakes while you enter for the amazing prize giveaways and check out the vendors beautiful ideas for your big day. Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the door. Don’t miss this chance to add the finishing touches to your wedding and make it a day you will never forget!

Your Scene at a Glance:

• Stick Fly
  • When: 3/16-4/17
  • Where: Everyman Theater (click for directions)

• St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
  • When: 3/17
  • Where:  Sláinte Irish Pub and Restaurant (click for directions)

• Aisle Style Wedding Event
  • When: 3/20; 1pm-4pm
  • Where: Hilton Baltimore (click for directions)

Got something you want to see in the Charm City Scene? Email chris {at} fitzgeraldbaltimore {dot} com, and we’ll blog about it!