I met with the great local writer and Patch contributor Rafael Alvarez at Spro in Hampden on Thursday morning with the intention of just talking shop. Alvarez, wearing a dress shirt, slacks and crab-adorned tie, said we would only be able to talk for about a half hour because he had a funeral to attend. He said he was going to the funeral of Edward McNally—a priest and former executive director of the Franciscan Center—at Ss. Phillip and James’ Catholic Church in Charles Village. He mentioned his obituary had been in The Baltimore Sun. I hadn’t noticed. But this being Smaltimore I’d been …

When the city installed a roundabout at 32nd Street and Guilford Avenue, the Department of Transportation probably couldn't foresee it becoming a target for guerrilla decorators. But since the roundabout was installed about a year ago, it has been decorated with everything from a single potted plant to a toilet with champagne bottle inserted in it. Initially, residents said they thought the deocorating of the roundabout was a way of voicing displeasure with the new traffic calming devices in the area. But it appears the decorating has become a kind of ritual separate from its roots in protest…

Around noon Wednesday, as temperatures began to soar into the upper 90s, Beth Albright was outdoors planting purple irises. But Albright—the self-proclaimed “guerilla gardener of Newland Road”—wasn’t phased by the stifling weather. "I love the physical labor, even in the heat," Albright said. Since retiring five years ago, Albright, 63, has made it her job to maintain the gardens in the 3500 block of Newland Road, which were once overrun by weeds. Now, the Guilford street’s gardens are adorned with plants donated by neighbors. Despite often finding herself covered in poison ivy and sweat, the…

For a few weeks now a memorial for "Melody" has been posted on the fence blocking the CSX rail road tracks at the intersection of St. Paul and East 26th streets.  I assumed—because of its location—that the memorial was for Stephen Pitcairn, who was stabbed to death in 2010 at the same intersection.  But upon closer inspection, the banner reads "We Love You Melody" and "Vita Aeterna."  There are stuffed animals placed below the banner and a milk bottle with flowers.  I ran the name, neighborhood and address through a few search engines and was unable to find anything about this apparent …

  As the cliché goes, the devil is in the details. And even the smallest details can send the wrong message. On Thursday Maryland Housing Secretary Raymond A. Skinner and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake held a news conference to promote low interest mortgages and the neighborhoods of Old Goucher and Barclay, which served as her backdrop. The mayor said she had a personal investment in Barclay—her mother had grown up only a "stone’s throw" from the neighborhood, and that her “church home” had been at nearby St. Mathews United Methodist Church. The properties for sale were immaculate, the street…

Late Tuesday morning,  Baltimore Department of Public Works crew members were working to clean out a storm drain at Roland Avenue and 36th Street. I know these storm drains get clogged—we're warned by city officials to try to keep them clear before major rain is expected—but the amount of crud being pulled out was amazing. Most of the debris coming out looked like dirt, which surprised me because this drain was in a fairly urban area. Follow North Baltimore Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

A few weeks ago I wrote about stumbling on to this monument in Hampden/Medfield. A reader alerted me to this video clip on YouTube via Twitter. I was extremely excited to see this footage and it helped me put the monument in some historic context. When I wrote the original piece on Feb. 15, I noticed the inscription had a certain New Deal flair to it: "Freedom of Worship and Speech Freedom From Fear and Want." If you watch the video closely a young woman marches by carrying a Democratic club banner. Follow North Baltimore Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

Just on the west side of Falls Road where Elsa Terrace turns to a traffic circle, and in the shadow of the antennas on Television Hill sits a monument that may be easily overlooked. If you're not looking for the memorial as you're driving along Falls Road, it's easy to pass, unnoticed, unless you turn your head at exactly the right moment. On the side of the monument facing Falls Road it announces the reason for the memorial. On the side facing west it reads: "Freedom of Worship and Speech Freedom From Fear and Want." I'm not exactly sure about the history of this marker. Is there anyone out …

Lou Catelli stood at the corner of Elm Avenue and West 36th Street late Wednesday morning showing off his handiwork from the night before. At the intersection were three freshly spray painted crosswalks and stop lines at the intersection Catelli painted himself. After Hampden residents and businesses grew tired of asking the city to repaint the street following a repaving this summer, Catelli decided to take matters into his own hands. At about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, armed with some Sambuca, a striper and four cans of white spray paint bought from Falkenhan’s Hardware, Catelli went to work …

Businesses in the 3100 block of St. Paul Street in Charles Village were victimized when a spate of counterfeit bills were passed last week.  The counterfeiter paid for small purchases in the businesses with $100 bills that were later discovered to be fake. Some establishments, such as the Charles Village Pub, have stopped accepting $100 bills as a result of the counterfeit bills.

Freshly painted walls are usually prime targets for graffiti. But whoever was wielding this particular can of spray paint at least had a sense of irony. Or maybe they just destroyed something at mom's house recently. The message reads: "This is why we can't have nice things." Indeed.  

Now many people like to gawk at Christmas decorations this time of year. They like the pangs of nostalgia caused by all the pretty lights and Santas adorning yards and homes.   I’m not a total scrooge. I like Christmas decorations too. It’s just that I’m a little particular about my lights, faux snow and inflatable snowman combinations. To me Christmas decoration ought to be tastefully restrained. The decorations should include candles in the window, a wreath on the door and maybe some bunting on the windows. But if you can’t go the restrained route you better come with something completely …

A reader asked the other day about the construction going on along Falls Road. Well, one email later to the Department of Public Works and here is what Patch found out: Baltimore City is replacing water mains on Falls Road from Mattfeldt Avenue to Kelly Avenue and from Asbury Road to the city/county line. The work is expected to continue through the summer of 2012.  A letter from the Bureau of Water and Wastewater calls the work “very important” Follow North Baltimore Patch on Facebook and Twitter.

The holiday shopping season is just around the corner and some Hampden merchants are facing an unusual problem. There are no lines painted on the street designating parking lanes and crosswalks along West 36th Street. Some merchants are worried that without parking spots being clearly marked, some motorists will be confused and customers may be discouraged from shopping in the area. In July, the asphalt on the street was ripped up so “utility structure adjustments“ could be made. At that time, the Baltimore Department of Transportation anticipated the work taking “a couple of weeks.”    Since…

The 3000 block of Guilford Avenue is a colorful place, literally. But on the day of the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, it’s more than just the paint of the houses that shine. The marathon route comes right up the street, and the residents embrace the event. Some residents held tailgate like gatherings on their front porches sharing Bloody Marys with their neighbors and cheering runners on. Others socialized on the sidewalk and danced to music pouring out onto the street. John Spurrier, who lives in Charles Village, DJ’d from the deck of a friend’s house in the block. He said he has been …

You can get good life advice just about anywhere. But getting it from a street sign? Well, in Abell one stop sign at the corner of 32nd Street and Abell Avenue offers some solid advice. Someone has altered the sign slightly to let you know that you need to "stop being lame." Duly noted halting red octagon.

It’s a bright, breezy and warm fall afternoon. Jody Burke of Hampden can’t think of a better way to spend it than playing his guitar. “It’s fun and it makes people smile,” Burke said. So Burke, 51, picked up his accoustic and headed out to The Avenue. He sat with a couple of friends on a bench in front of the SunTrust Bank.  He closed his eyes, nodded his head and strummed the chords to Hocus Pocus by the band Focus. There’s no jar or guitar case out seeking a donation. There’s just a guy who likes to play guitar for people.   Burke, who works at Port Discovery, only recently picked up the …

Gary Godbey, 34, and a friend planned to have a yard sale Saturday in Roland Park off Falls Road. But Hurricane Irene forced them to move up their plans by a day. So Godbey decided to call out a little extra help and used his life-sized cutout of Katie Couric and Matt Lauer to help draw costumers in. “It gets attention,” Godbey said late Friday morning. Godbey said a friend gave him the cutout as a going-away present when he moved from Kentucky four years ago because he was “obsessed” with Couric when she was on the Today Show. Godbey said the cutout has been used for practical jokes and was …

A quick glance at this ballot and there's nothing obviously wrong with it. There are no egregious spelling errors. All the logos attached are appropriate. But take a second look and there is one big problem.