Sunday, Jun. 05, 2005
Bel Air run, posted at 9:39 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com I love dusk in the summer. On warm nights like tonight, the energy on the street doesn't die down even though it's late - people are still mowing, kids are playing, dogs are barking, hordes of frozen treat lovers are walking down to the snowballs place a block and a half from my house. I accomplished so much today - worked out, mowed the lawn, cleaned the house a bit, had softball practice, almost finished the ENG I final exam, watched Do the Right Thing - and this added to the feeling of satisfaction.I wanted to end the day with a good run, and the weather was perfect. Running is something I've been doing a little bit lately, and I've been reading even more about it, so I decided to head out with the dog tonight. It was 8:50pm - certainly dark, but not late. When I run, I tend to run down Walther a bit, and then randomly turn down a suburban street until I end up to another main road and then head back. It's pretty safe around me, with the 24-hour police guard on the mayor's house and a lot of families out on porches.
Tonight was no different. I'm running down some street whose name I don't know, passing a bunch of kids outside as I go. I'm running, running, running - not really sure where I'm going, but really enjoying it. I love the mystery of where I'll end up amongst these twisty streets with my terrible sense of direction. Eventually, I see some bright lights. I figure it's Walther, back to the street I live on.
Nope. It's Bel Air Road. And not just Bel Air, but Bel Air right in front of the scuzzy Earle Theater. This is not a nice area. In fact, it's used to film a lot of scene for The Wire. I'm running, and tired, and in a crime-filled area of Baltimore that Mayor O'Malley has been criticized heavily for ignoring when it's so near his house.
I'm not really that worried, because I've got the dog with me and Bel Air is a pretty busy road. But I'm certainly getting some stares. But, then, I hear this music soaring over the traffic. I stop in front of The Mojo Room, where it's coming from. It's beautiful. I stop and listen, allowing my out-of-shape dog to catch its breath. I feel much better now. This band was playing, and they were able to grab me across the street. I feel alright now. The folks standing around on the street were just spillage from the bar, for the most part. The stares probably have more to do with the fact that I'm a guy running with his fat dog at night on a busy road. I ran home from there, proud of my little adventure.
Patti Rothberg plays there on Thursday, the same night as my softball kickoff happy hour. I think I'm going to try to do both. She was so nice to me that I want to support her when she comes into town. Plus, her music is damn good.