Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco
celebrates after winning Super Bowl XLVII.
Caves Valley Golf Course
148 ;rrıve • November/December 2013 • ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;.;;;
Final Stop
FROM LEF T: SIMON BRU TY/GE T TY IMAGES; LC LAMBRECH T
GRAB A SLICE
Chazz
1415 Aliceanna St. • “They
have wood-fired pizzas,
and I always get the Margherita pizza with fresh
burrata,” Flacco says.
WATCH A
RAVENS GAME
Federal Hill
South Charles and West
Cross streets • “I have no
idea what bar to actually
direct you to, but if I put
you in that area you will
have a good time.”
HIT THE LINKS
Caves Valley Golf Club
2910 Blendon Road,
Owings Mills • “They have
big greens, and I usually
go out with a caddie, thank
God, because I think the
putt is going to break 5 feet
to the left and they tell me
to hit straight, and they are
always right.”
MEET A
SUPER BOWL MVP
M&T Bank Stadium
1101 Russell St. • “I always
enjoy the walk to and
from my car on Sundays.
Being able to reach out
and touch our fans, take
pictures and show how
much we appreciate them
is amazing.”
The best
places to …
Why I Love …
Baltimore
Where can you find Ravens
quarterback Joe Flacco
when he’s not on the field?
Enjoying a few favorite
spots in his adopted
hometown
JOE FLACCO had never been to Baltimore
before the Ravens drafted him in 2008.
Originally from New Jersey, he entered
his NFL rookie season third on the team’s
quarterback depth chart, but injuries and
illnesses to the starter and the backup
opened the door for him to take the start-
ing job right away. He has never relin-
quished it, leading the Ravens to a Super
Bowl victory last season. Shortly thereaf-
ter, he signed a six-year, $120 million con-
tract extension that will likely keep him in
his adopted hometown for the remainder
of his career. “That is the plan,” he says. “I
can’t see it any other way.”
Flacco admits he lives a relatively
monkish existence: eating, sleeping, foot-
ball and maybe dinner and a movie with
his wife, Dana. When he does have a day o;
from practice—usually on Tuesdays during
the season—he likes to walk around Balti-
more’s Loyola University neighborhood.
“It is on the edge of the suburbs but still has
a city feel,” he says. There he’ll stop at local
favorite Miss Shirley’s Cafe, known for its
seafood and Southern fare, or he will hit up
Alonso’s, a sports bar featuring a long list of
craft beers and pub grub.
The Ravens’ practice facility is in the
northern suburb of Owings Mills, about
a half-hour from downtown, so Flacco
often finds himself moving between the
urban and the rural. “The biggest thing
that surprised me about Baltimore was
how quickly you can go from a city atmosphere to horse farms, rolling hills and
countryside,” he says. “I really like that.”
Football-mad Baltimore was temporarily left without a professional team when
the Baltimore Colts surreptitiously left
for Indianapolis in 1984. The Ravens franchise, named after the famous poem of
onetime resident Edgar Allan Poe, started
there in 1996. As goes the team, so does the
spirit of Baltimore. “You can definitely tell
in the city when we win or lose,” Flacco
says. “But at the same time, it’s not like if
we lose I can’t go out in public or they will
crush me. It’s an awesome, blue-collar,
hardworking town.” —MATT MCCUE
