CITY GUIDE
Baltimore
180 Miles
per Hour
Indy-style race cars
in the city’s first grand prix
sport’s top drivers (like
Marco Andretti and Danica
Patrick) to compete for
three days on a two-mile
loop past the Inner Harbor
and around Camden Yards.
Five races are scheduled,
the showpieces being the
Izod IndyCar Series race
and the American Le Mans
Series, which brings the
flavor of Monaco to Ameri-
can asphalt. Some 35,000
reserved seat tickets will
be available for each day,
along with many other types of tickets and
ticket packages. Sept. 2–4. 877-435-9849;
baltimoregrandprix.com.
This year is special,
though; it’s the first
celebration since a
new visitor center was
opened, and there’s
a new bronze of Scott
Key to greet visitors.
This year’s celebration runs Sept. 9–11,
and includes parades,
reenactments and the
flying of a very large
flag. If you can’t make
those dates, the park
is open just about
every day of the year.
410-962-4290;
nps.gov/fomc.
A New Home
Just imagine what it will be like to see cars
screaming through city streets—downtown
where the usual speed is about 30 miles per
hour. It’s the first Baltimore Grand Prix, and
the joint has been jumping for months. The
event brings Indy-style race cars, the most
sophisticated in the world, and some of the
It was the morning of
Sept. 14, 1814, when
Francis Scott Key
looked up and saw
that big American
flag “still there” over
Fort McHenry, after
a night of British
bombardment. Fort
McHenry is now a
national park, the
most visited spot in
Baltimore, and each
year a party is thrown
to remember that
triumph from 1814.
the
CAMden YArdS
Orioles
baseball
Through
September
ave
Date
The Birds play eight
weeknight home games
against the Jays, Rays,
Angels and Red Sox.
Last chance to see them
and their gorgeous park
in 2011, because there
isn’t likely to be an
October. 888-848-BIRD
(2473); orioles.com
LITTLe ITALY
Material Girls:
Contemporary
Black Women
Artists
Through Oct. 16
Three-dimensional
works by female artists
using a variety of mate-
rials. Reginald F. Lewis
Museum of Maryland
African American
History & Culture.
443-263-1800; african
americanculture.org
Moun T Vernon
The Second City
Does Baltimore
Sept. 15–Oct. 16
It’s back after a sold-
out engagement late
last winter. The geniuses
from the Windy City
offer their whacky take
on Charm City to kick
off the new season
at Centerstage.
410-332-0033;
centerstage.org
Moun T Vernon
Baltimore Book
Festival
Sept. 23–25
One of the largest book
festivals of its kind in
the East presents scores
of authors, books of
all kinds (including
children’s), live music,
crafts and lots of food.
Washington Square.
410-752-8632;
baltimorebookfestival.com
Around THe CIT Y
Free Fall
Baltimore
Oct. 1–31
Dance, concerts,
classes lectures, tours,
shows, art, exhibits,
workshops—more
than 300 activities,
and all free, as a way to
celebrate National Arts
and Humanities Month.
freefallbaltimore.com
