You Tell Us: What Event Should Promote Baltimore?

A F James MacArthur May 2, 2012 at 02:21 pm

A bicycle criterium race series would bring lots of excitement, athletes of all abilities, and could be pulled of for a scant fraction of the price tag. Take a hint from the Baltimore Running Festival/Baltimore Marathon.
What started as a simple marathon is now a huge, nationally acclaimed, world renown, destination running event. Of course from the start, the event involved minimal tax payer dollars and is largely self funded by sponsors and entry fees. People forget the Tour De France has been a huge successful bike race for 99 years now. Bike racing is big & growing, if done right.

Adam Bednar (Editor) May 2, 2012 at 02:34 pm

That's a great idea. Do you know of a city similar to Baltimore that has hosted a successful criterium race series?

Christian May 3, 2012 at 01:18 pm

Baltimore has so much positive that it can use to publicize it, such as the museums which abound in the City and have some fantastic collections. There are great restaurants that represent most of the nations of the world and do it wonderfully. There is the architectural wonders of the city, the green lime Methodist Church on North Charles Street by the Washington Monument, which introduced battery powered electricity when it was build in the 19th Century. The wonderful old Belvedere Hotel and a walk along North Calvert Street that is being redeveloped and returned to a wonderful neighborhood. Baltimore is the ideal walking city and with the museums, restaurants and magnificent architecture, it is a city of many cultures and designs. One block you can be in Paris, while in another some Dutch city and another down town London. Much to see and much to enjoy.

Mi Letts May 3, 2012 at 01:41 pm

EXACTLY!!!!!!

Donna May 3, 2012 at 02:46 pm

I think the Baltimore city gov needs to focus on renovating others areas of the city like Howard Street corridor for starters. It is hard to bring people into your city and expect them to spend money, if you don't have a variety of things to do. That area could house retail stores, restaurants etc. Harbor East, the Inner Harbor and Fells Point have been renovated to death. Let's start investing in other rich, diverse areas of Baltimore. The Mayor helped put in a new crime camera yesterday, really, that doesn't help. I think Baltimore Has the potential to be a great city.

Rob Bennett May 3, 2012 at 04:27 pm

Combine this with a ciclovìa and I think you'd have a very popular event.

Mindy Lee May 7, 2012 at 09:23 pm

Baltimore City is a college town and the Monumental City. Stop and count the various types of educational institutions: Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Peabody Institute, Maryland Institute of Art, Morgan State University, Coppin State University, etc. What city in the country have that many colleges with so many disciplines. Even if the Grand Prix does well, its colleges should be promoted. Why is it that Washington, D.C. and Old Town Virginia has managed to preserve is houses built at about the same time so much more successfully. We seem to be obsessed with tearing down vintage houses all over the city instead of preserving what makes this town unique. In the suburbs, they try to build imitation traditional homes and stores with traditional looking facades, but Baltimore has the original buildings in existence but they are being flattened by the block. Take a ride down Druid Hall Ave and see what is being lost, check out the house allowed to fall apart at Gwynns Falls and Archentoroly Terrace. On Hilton and Edmonson Ave, there are homes that have real "bay windows". Some of the houses on North Ave. near Dukeland have pocket doors. Baltimore has ALLEYS - that's class. That enables garages to be behind the houses as well as trash being placed in the alley for pick-up as it should be - not on the front curb. Ever notice "modern" homes have the garages in the front so predominately that it appears the remainder of the house is as afterthought. There's alot here to love and promote.