May 22, 2006
Morning Roundup: Dirty Potomac Edition
Large Sewage Spill Sours Potomac River: Some 17 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Potomac River on Saturday, reports NBC 4. The spill was caused by a three-hour power failure at the Blue Plains sewage treatment plant on the eastern back of the river. And though 17 million gallons sounds like a lot, the EPA has predicted that the spill won't have a major impact, a claim countered by the Anacostia Watershed Society, that warns of a coming "cloud of death" for river wildlife. Given that the EPA has also told us that a little arsenic in the diet is ok, we'll trust the environmentalists on this one.
Baltimore Just Can't Get Good Slogan: Baltimore may be a great city, but it can't seem to come up with a good city slogan to save its life. According to the Washington Times, a new official slogan -- "Get In On It" -- has been tepidly received by some current and former city officials. Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer may have said it best when he noted, "I've seen some dumb ones in the past, but this is the dumbest." Though the slogan isn't yet official -- it is to be presented on Wednesday -- the article notes that the city paid a consultant some $500,000 over nine months to come up with the slogan, which competed against other possibilities such as "The City You Savor," "Breeze Into Baltimore," "All City, No Hurry" and "Enjoy the Pace." Baltimore has in the past been known as "Charm City," "The City That Reads" and "The Greatest City in America."
Traffic Citations on Federal Lands Thrown Out: If you're going to speed in Maryland, make sure you're on federal property -- you may well get your ticket thrown out. According to WJLA, a quirk in the law concerning traffic violations on federal lands in Maryland has forced judges to throw out many a cases for tickets given on secured roads around installations such as Andrews Air Force Base, Ft. Meade, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Briefly Noted: Kentucky Derby winner emerges from successful surgery on ankle ... Apple orchards in Eastern Maryland Panhandle of West Virginia slowly fade away ... Nasty Virginia soybean finds market in Japan ... Banks compete for space in fast-growing region ... Young sniper to testify against partner.
Picture snapped by LaTur.
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This sewage spill is awful...I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it already. Thanks, DCist for keeping me informed.
The park benches in Baltimore that say "Greatest City in America" are one of the single funniest things in the world.
What's so wrong with using "Get it on in it"? That's not so bad, is it?
maybe the new slogan for baltimore should just be "Baltimore Sucks."
Apple orchards in Eastern Maryland slowly fade away
Article actually appears to be about West Virginia...
In all honesty, why not "Baltimore: Not as bad as you thought"
I dont mean it in bad spirits. I love Baltimore and go there all the time.
But i've truly heard that quote from every new arrival to Baltimore that i've met.
The Blue Plains water treatment facility is downstream of the Anacostia River confluence. The same Anacostia River that accepts raw sewage overflow anytime it rains. I don't think that part of the Potomac needs to worry about an oncoming "cloud of death." Everything should already be dead.
Yeah, 'cause it's not like there are any of those at EPA.
Isn't Baltimore's old slogan "Greatest City in the World" -- not just "in America"?
Why so many Baltimore news items lately? The name of the site is DCist right?
I guess its true though that Baltimore isn't cool enough to deserve its own "ist" site. Plus "Baltimor-ist" just doesn't have a good ring to it at all.
Does it really offend your poor little eyes so much to read about our dear neighors to the north, Jim? Does it take away from the smug, elitist feelings you have that most of us understand is just gas?
As an actual District resident, I care a lot more about what's happening in Baltimore than I do about, say, Tyson's Corner.
Some of the people I know who are native to the area (about equidistant from DC and Baltimore) describe the two cities in this way: Baltimorians have a pretty good feel for and an attraction towards Washington, wheras Washingtonians couldn't give two shits about their northern neighbor. Without knowing any Baltimorians, I can't confirm the veracity of the former, but as a District resident, I can definitely vouch for the latter.
I wonder if B-more considered a slogan playing on the Harbor...like "Harbor Warm Feelings for Baltimore!"
Oh yeah...I forgot. Baltimore isn't in a particularly warm climate. I guess luke-warm will have to do.
I'm moving to northern Baltimore County from SC soon and nobody I know in Baltimore really cares about DC, then again they never go downtown in Baltimore either. I guess it depends more on which part of Baltimore you live.
i guess "the city with crabs" didnt go over well...
I agree with GhettoBurbs. I grew up in Baltimore County, and while people don't really go to DC that often, everyone knows people who live in the DC area and does think of Baltimore and DC definitely as 2 separate cities. When I moved to DC and first heard people sort of treating Baltimore as just a remote suburb of DC (at best) or a void between Baltimore and Philly (at worst), I was initially offended but have now gotten used to it. I think it's similar to how DC cares a lot about NYC but NYC doesn't care about DC.
As for cminus's comment... why? What happens in Baltimore really has very little impact on your life, unless something happens to screw up MARC train service and you can't get to BWI. What happens in Tysons Corner does matter a lot to you, whether it's housing values (which are regional, not specific to your neighborhood), more people moving to the area and filling up restaurants/roads, etc.
I agree with GhettoBurbs. I grew up in Baltimore County, and while people don't really go to DC that often, everyone knows people who live in the DC area and everyone does think of Baltimore and DC as 2 separate cities. When I moved to DC and first heard people sort of treating Baltimore as just a remote suburb of DC (at best) or a void between Baltimore and Philly (at worst), I was initially offended but have now gotten used to it. I think it's similar to how DC cares a lot about NYC but NYC doesn't care about DC.
As for cminus's comment... why? What happens in Baltimore really has very little impact on your life, unless something happens to screw up MARC train service and you can't get to BWI. What happens in Tysons Corner does matter a lot to you, whether it's housing values (which are regional, not specific to your neighborhood), more people moving to the area and filling up restaurants/roads, etc.
Sorry for the double post... and "a void between Baltimore and Philly" should obviously have been "a void between DC and Philly"
John Waters still has the winning entry in my book: "Baltimore, Come and Be Shocked." Why not use it? He's probably the city's most famous resident.
Jay:
1. I have friends who live in Baltimore, but don't really know anybody from Virginia west of Arlington.
2. I sometimes go to Baltimore for recreational reasons (sporting events, parties, concerts). Seeking these things in Tyson's Corner is largely futile.
3. I own an apartment in the District within walking distance of work, don't own a car, and don't plan on changing any of that. Real estate prices and traffic matter very little to me. As for crowds at restaurants, museums, theaters and the like, my experience is that people are just about as unwilling to come into the District from Tyson's Corner as they are from Baltimore.
4. Baltimore has John Waters. Tyson's Corner, um, doesn't.
Why not use it? He's probably the city's most famous resident.
I think a writer lived there once. Can't place the name, but he was big time.
cminus: Good explanations. However, 1 & 4 don't seem to relate to DCist coverage. I mean, I have friends in NYC, and there are cool directors from there. But that doesn't mean I expect NYC coverage on DCist.
#2 and 3 are good points, and I'd actually enjoy seeing more "day/evening out in Baltimore" recreational coverage here, especially since friends always expect me to have good ideas for things to do in Baltimore, but I don't since I haven't lived there for a while. The recent DCist posts have been more local-headline focused than recreational, though.
vor, how long did he live there? I've always thought Baltimore's claim over Poe was tenuous at best. Sure he died and was buried there; and maybe a dead Poe is more a source of legitimacy than a living one, but I doubt he'd think of Baltimore as his primary city.
Babe Ruth is from Baltimore. I'd say he's more famous than John Waters. Although he is not quite so intertwined (or really intertwined at all) with the city as Waters is.
i thought vor was talking about menken
Oh yeah, H.L. Menken probably is more Baltimorean than Poe and more famous than Waters.
I wouldn't be surprised if Waters was the city's most famous resident, but a fair number of celebrity types were born there or lived there for at least a little while: David Byrne, Billie Holiday, David Hasselhoff (just had to include him), Frank Zappa. Can't they rip off a Barry Levinson film for their new slogan?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_people_from_Baltimore
H.L. Menken probably is more Baltimorean than Poe and more famous than Waters.
Actually, I was referring rather obliquely to both, and while I agree that Baltimore's claim to Poe is far from air-tight, The City That Reads does have a rather substantial creative tradition for a city of its size (kind of like Asheville, NC.)
One not mentioned already: F. Scott Fitzgerald had strong roots in the area, obviously, and he spent a lot of time there while Zelda was falling apart. He wrote Tender is the Night in Towson.
Philip Glass, too.
vor, that was Bolton Hill
Wasn't F. Scott Fitzgerald from Minneapolis?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_people_from_Baltimore
of course may not be completely accurate.
bmore's population was highest in the 1950 censujs at about 950k making it the 6th most populous city in the country.
ried, yes. st. paul, to be really anal; although he had really obvious ties to maryland... hence “f. scott.” Buried in Rockville. Lived and wrote in Baltimore very briefly, and had very positive things to say about the city, but that was probably just because he was a big drunk. ;)
vivo, (or in agreement with vivo). Those stats are correct. I think baltimore is strong enough in size and identity NOT to be folded into the coverage of a smaller city, with which it shares nothing in common other than being a little less than an hour away.
vor, that was Bolton Hill
Granted again, although I was referring specifically to La Paix. I don't know exactly how much work he did at either location. Accounts seem to differ.
vor, I just looked it up. you were right. I guessing zelda was locked up at sheppard pratt?
I guessing zelda was locked up at sheppard pratt?
As far as I know, although I've heard a lot of people say that she was admitted to Johns Hopkins (?) In those cases, I assume they just hear "hospital" and "Baltimore" and assume "Hopkins."
It's amazing how fuzzy facts can get, even less than a hundred years later.
again, you’re right. Phipps Clinic, Hopkins.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html
POPULATION OF THE 100 LARGEST CITIES
AND OTHER URBAN PLACES IN THE
UNITED STATES: 1790 TO 1990
this is from the census bureau
bmore was the 2nd most populous city in the 1840, 50 and 60 census's. in the 1850 census the population was 169, 054. bmore was in the top 10 until the 1990 census. until the 1900 census brooklyn and ny were separate. cities areound the country are coming back. hopefully bmore will continue to come back and gain people in the 2010 and/or 2020 census.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027.html
POPULATION OF THE 100 LARGEST CITIES
AND OTHER URBAN PLACES IN THE
UNITED STATES: 1790 TO 1990
this is from the census bureau
bmore was the 2nd most populous city in the 1840, 50 and 60 census's. in the 1850 census the population was 169, 054. bmore was in the top 10 until the 1990 census. until the 1900 census brooklyn and ny were separate. cities areound the country are coming back. hopefully bmore will continue to come back and gain people in the 2010 and/or 2020 census. in the 1950 census at least for density bmore was the 2nd least dense after la amongst the top 10 though. in 1980 it was #5 due in part to sprawlish cities. the density in 1950 was 12,067 per sq mi.