Tolerance and assumptions are tested when black families adopt white children.
*Some names and details have been changed to protect privacy.
"Stop right there, ma'am!"
Helen Atkins* hadn't even noticed the police cruiser that pulled up as she put her son Robert in his car seat outside the Wal-Mart in Aberdeen. She was rushing to pick up another son, Zachary, from a friend's house. Bewildered, she asked "What's going on?"
"We had a report of a missing child in the area," the...
Need a break? Here are three weekend scenarios for friends, families, and couples.
If you have 72 hours to spare and a craving to flop on the sand somewhere, you’ve got the makings of a mini beach vacation. Consider the possibilities. Get away with old chums to wine, dine, and ride the Slingshot in Ocean City. Treat the family to kayak trips at twilight and stories around the bonfire. Surprise your soul mate with a weekend of sun, spa treatments, and candlelight dinners.
If you...
Baltimore's biggest R&B export stages a comeback.
The members of Dru Hill have gathered at the Belvedere Hotel's Owl Bar to discuss the logistics of a forthcoming tour to promote their reunion album, InDRUpendence Day, the quartet's first new music in eight years.
As they talk, Larry Anthony Jr.—known as "Jazz"—orders a Long Island iced tea and a crab cake to take home to his wife. All three of the original members still in the group have kids,...
At the Aquarium, things really start hopping (and crawling and swimming) after visiting hours. See what happens behind closed doors.
This article originally appeared in print in our May 2010 issue. Included here are extra entries and photographs that did not appear in print. Where possible, this additional content is noted with an asterisk.
Have you ever wondered what goes on at the National Aquarium after closing time? Or been tempted to open doors marked "Personnel Only" to see what actually happens behind the scenes? I know...
Whether you’re a sports fanatic or film buff, a time traveler or an explorer, we’ve got a ton of FREE things for you to do this summer.
ART LOVERS
Out of the Way Arts
Some of the city’s best cultural offerings are in off-the-beaten-path spots that often get overlooked. There’s a stunning display of graffiti down a Howard Street alley, just above North Avenue. Tucked behind Load of Fun Studios, it features some of the finest aerosol art you’ll ever see, and it’s all legal thanks to a deal between the City and Load of Fun’s...
The inside scoop on Baltimore's booming burgs.
Baltimore has always been a city of neighborhoods, each with its own character and charm. Over the years, once-glorious blocks fall into disrepair, abandoned burgs are built up, people move in and move out, and the essence of a neighborhood evolves. In recent years, despite difficult economic conditions, several parts of Baltimore have grown by leaps and bounds. Harbor East, once an industrial...
Meet the five rookie players who are shaping the future of the Orioles.
It's amazing how quickly this city changes from purple to orange.
Nowhere is this more evident than FanFest, held just one week after the Ravens were ousted from playoff contention. On an unseasonably warm afternoon in January, more than 12,000 O's fanatics filled the downtown Convention Center to get photographed with The Bird, wait in staggeringly long lines for autographs, and even get a...
We surveyed 2,000 dentists to find the ones you’ll actually like going to.
How We Did It
We surveyed 2,000 dentists in Baltimore and the five surrounding counties over the course of a month and received an astounding 75 percent return of our surveys, an unheard-of response rate for unsolicited mail. Assisting us were our two advisors, Drs. David S. and Donna M. Querido (they were therefore ineligible to be on the list). Dentists were occasionally nominated by the name...
A recovering addict offers eyewitness accounts of homeless life on Baltimore's most fascinating blog.
"In a recent survey, 100% of all the homeless bloggers polled concurred: COLD WEATHER SUCKS!! Okay, it was so cold out last night, 15 degrees at 3 a.m., that when I finally was forced to crawl out of the bag after 35 minutes of fighting the need, I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital and explain how I got frostbitten on a part of my anatomy where one never wants to be 'bitten' in...
Paul Reed Smith has joined the likes of Fender and Gibson in the pantheon of electric guitar makers.
"Guitars are almost like iPods," says Paul Reed Smith. "I've never seen anybody in a bad mood with an iPod in their ears. It's a mood adjuster. It's almost like really sophisticated, expensive OxyContin."
Smith is musing on the power of the six-string "mood adjusters" he's been creating for 35 years, the last 25 as the pioneer behind Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Guitars, now the third largest electric...
