Admissions Counselor: Shannon Miller
Territory: California, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii
Johns Hopkins Start Date: August 2005
Links to Previous Profiles: February 4, 2008; January 17, 2006
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
TOP 10: EVENTS TO VISIT BALTIMORE FOR
I'll admit it – I’m a tourist in my own city. I love to get out and take advantage of all that Baltimore has to offer. If you add the word festival or fair to any event, I’ll be there. So, here is a list of my favorite events that take place throughout the year in Baltimore ... you just might want to arrange your visit to Johns Hopkins around one of these!
10. The Maryland Film Festival – Each May, Baltimore hosts the Maryland Film Festival with its main location being the Charles Theatre. The festival has just about everything - feature length, shorts, documentaries, animation, foreign, and domestic. If you attend Hopkins as a Film and Media Studies major, you may want to consider submitting one of your personal works!
9. Holiday Extravaganzas – When it comes to getting into the holiday spirit, Baltimore does it right! The Lighting of the Monument is the season opener, and it only gets better from there. Throughout the month of December, you can go to various events including “A Merry Tuba Christmas,” The Lighted Boat Parade, or Handel’s “Messiah” presented by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Also, just a few blocks away in Hampden, 34th street puts on “Miracle on 34th” where all of the houses are decked out in holiday decorations.
8. Renaissance Festival – I’ll admit it, at first I was unsure about the Renaissance Fair …but then I went, and it was AWESOME. With everyone decked out in medieval attire, you can find jousting competitions, sword fighting, hand done crafts, and my favorite, giant turkey legs.
7. Fells Point Halloween – Fells Point is home to one of the largest Halloween parties around! Thousands of people gather on Broadway (the main drag) to celebrate and participate in costume contests. There is also always live music and food, which makes it a great time.
6. Music, Music, and More Music – Two of the more popular music events that come through town each year are Virgin Fest and Whartscape. Virgin Fest, a 2 day music festival held at Pimlico Race Track, includes all genres of music – from rap to hip hop to alternative rock, you are bound to find a band you love…they even have a dance tent! This past year, some of the more popular performers were: Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Lil’ Wayne, Moby, Paramore, Bob Dylan, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, and Taking Back Sunday. Wharscape, a four day DJ extravaganza, occurs in July around the same time as artscape. Past DJs include Dan Deacon, M.I.A., Girl Talk, and Matmos. Fun Fact: Drew Daniel, a Hopkins English professor and underground DJ, is one of the two people in Matmos!
5. Hon Festival – If you are thinking about coming to Hopkins hon, then you better check this one out. Right next to Charles Village, you can find the quirky neighborhood of Hampden, where at any moment in time, you will probably see someone walking around with a famous beehive hairdo. The Hon Festival includes everything excentric – hair, clothes, cars, floats, and the annual Miss Hon event … who knows, you could be Miss Hon 2009.
4. Baltimore Running Festival – If you’re interested in joining in on the fun, you can choose to run the 5K, team relay marathon, half marathon, or full marathon. With just under 18,000 participants last year, this is a huge city event! Not to mention, you can enjoy a scenic tour of the Baltimore – starting at Camden Yards, the race goes through many popular neighborhoods including Fells Point and Federal Hill and passes many historical spots such as Fort McHenry.
3. Red Bull Flutag – Located right downtown in the Inner Harbor, you can enter your hand made flying machine to be launched off a ramp. If Red Bull gives you wings, you end up on the other side. If not, you and your machine end up in the water. (FYI: I’ve never seen anyone make it to the otherside.)
2. Sporting Events – No matter what time of the year you are visiting, there is a sporting event to attend! Take part in Preakness, one of the Triple Crown Horse Races in May, Orioles Opening Day in April, or a playoff game in January with the Ravens. A great deal for students in Camden Yards – on student nights you can get an Orioles ticket for only $6!
1. Vaccaro’s Italian Pastry Shop – Dessert is, without a doubt, my favorite meal of the day! So, if you are thinking about visiting Baltimore, I would suggest you visit on a Monday. Why you ask…because every Monday night from 6-9pm, Vaccaro’s offers all you can eat dessert and coffee for just $12.95. Yes, they are serious when they say all you can eat – the list includes cream puffs, Tiramisu, éclairs, cheesecake, waffle sundaes, Italian cookies, Napoleons, and much more. My favorite by far is the cannoli chips-n-dip…crunchy cannoli chips with a pile of cannoli cream for you to dip them in!
Comments