As January 1st approaches, the question everyone starts to ask is, "What are you doing for New Year's?" Some people want to go all out with fireworks and champagne toasts, while others just want to hang out with friends and hear some good music. Here are some options for New Year's Eve in Baltimore depending on your mood:

Mega Parties: You know the types. Multiple bands, multiple floors, and clocking in around $100. My experience, though, is these are usually worth it as you enjoy live entertainment and close to five hours of open-bar time.

• The grandaddy of these parties is the 9th annual New Years Eve Deck Party on the U.S.S. Constellation. From 10 p.m.-1 a.m., guests dine on an all-inclusive menu and sip local beer, wine, and mulled cider. At midnight, watch fireworks and sip champagne from the deck of the ship.
• Right around the corner is Mother's Downtown Countdown at The Hyatt Regency. Guests enjoy a five-hour open bar, various buffet stations, and bands and DJs from the '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s. The event also features a comedy tent and a great view of the fireworks.
• Similarly, there's the Charm City Countdown, which will transform Port Discovery into a party venue. The event will feature six bands and DJs, open bar and food, and a five-story adult climbing structure. Proceeds will benefit EpiCenter Baltimore and Caring Communities.
• If you want to party Federal Hill-style, head over to Mad River's New Year's Eve Party. There will be top-shelf open bar, shooters, a buffet, champagne and party favors from 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Live Music: If enjoying some live music on New Year's is more your thing, there's plenty to do in Baltimore from major concerts to intimate shows.

• The Ottobar will feature local band J. Roddy Walston and The Business (which will be celebrating its recent sign with Farifax/Vagrant Records), as well as Young Sir Jim, Hollywood, and more. Guests can enjoy a free buffet, $2 Bohs and rail drinks, and the venue will stay open until 5 a.m.
• Over at The 8x10 Club, the North Carolina-based, eccentric group Southern Culture on the Skids will perform. From 3 a.m. to sunrise, the club will host another show with the band Second Self. This show is free with a ticket from the first 8x10 or one from this next event.
• Rams Head Live's Cosmic New Year will feature Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra playing three sets (including a rare acoustic one). Guests can also enjoy an opening set from Baltimore's own The Bridge, as well as finger foods, champagne, and party favors. Again, a ticket to the Dark Star show gets you in free to the late-night show at The 8x10.
• A little further up town, The Wind-Up Space is hosting a New Year's Eve Soul Dance Party with local cover band The Bellevederes, folk singer Tommy Tucker, and more. Plus, free champagne and hors d'oeuvres.
• Nearby, Joe Squared will host the JW Group, featuring Jeron White and his band's fusion of jazz and drum-and-bass beats.
• The party starts at 11 p.m. over at Golden West Cafe when indie-pop group The Matrimonials take the stage.
• One of the cooler things happening this New Year's is the Free Taxlo Party at Sonar. From 9 p.m.-4 a.m., the venue hosts local hip-hop acts the Get 'Em Mamis, Height and Friends, and Aasha Adore, plus DJs Simon Phoenix and Cullen Stalin.

Family Fun: If you are less interested in partying the night away and more interested in keeping the little ones entertained, then try these family-friendly events.

• Attend Midnight Noon at the Maryland Science Center, which will feature crafts, a puppet show, food, and a performance by local kids band (and Grammy nominees!) Milkshake. The fun runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. New Year's Eve day.
• Or you could head on over to Port Discovery for their Noontime New Year. The event includes MPT's host Bob Heck, milk and cookies, cultural programs from around the world, and a performance by the Hilltop Hightops.
• If your kids are creative types, head to The Walters Art Museum for its Winter Break Activities. On both New Year's Eve and Day—from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.—kids can create artwork celebrating everything from holidays to heroes using the museum's ArtCarts as a guide.

Now you have no excuse to say you haven't heard of much going on this year. Of course, I couldn't touch on all the events. Any you guys want to add?

[Image: courtesy of baltssc.com]

I got a tip that a new sports bar is coming to the Canton area. A bar called Field House is going in the building that once housed Ray Lewis' Full Moon BBQ. I don't know too many details about the place, except that they plan on having live music on the weekends (they've already booked some acts) and are set to open around January.

I ate at the Full Moon BBQ in Canton's Can Company once and, judging from the inside of the building, this place will be pretty big. There are two levels, with a bar on each, and plenty of open space. It will be interesting to see how the new sports bar uses that potential.

[Image: courtesy of thecancompany.com]

This past Monday, Annabel Lee Tavern in Canton celebrated its second anniversary. It seems like just yesterday I walked into the week-old bar on a brisk December night. And owner Kurt X. Bragunier couldn't agree more, saying that the past two years have absolutely flown by. The 44-year-old owner was the general manager at Brewer's Art for seven years before fulfilling his life-long dream of owning his own bar.

Always a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, Bragunier dedicated his bar to the prolific gothic writer. Poe's dark romanticism is echoed throughout the space, from the lines of poetry scrawled on the walls to the Poe-themed cocktail menu. The bar/restaurant is known not only for its incredible food, but also its inventive drinks and local beer selection. I got a chance to chat with Bragunier in order to commemorate the bar's second anniversary.

How did you get the inspiration for Annabel Lee?
It was my life’s dream to own my own bar and I am a big Edgar Allan Poe fan. "Annabel Lee" is my favorite poem. I feel like Baltimore has got "The Raven" down, but his other work is so amazing and "Annabel Lee" is particularly beautiful. To me, it's both romantic and really dark, so it speaks to me and captures Poe. He wrote that right before he died, so it's sort of the poem he went out on. Also, the popular consensus is that "Annabel Lee" is about Virginia Clemm, from Baltimore. She was the love of his life.

What have the first two years been like?
Very, very fast. It feels like just one year. I couldn’t have imagined this place turning out any better. We’re geared towards comfort, so I want it to feel like your grandmother’s living room. But, at the same time, it has a little bit of a creepy vibe in here. People have told me that it almost has a Shining-feel in here. It’s both comforting and creepy. Food critic Richard Gorelick said it feels like a really nice coffin. And I took that as a compliment.

Has it been challenging maintaining Annabel Lee in the recession?
Two things have happened since I opened. The recession really hit, which was bad. But also the City proclaimed it the year of Poe, which was amazing. This renaissance of Poe hit, and we really benefitted from that. I think what’s also helped us is our prices. You can get a chicken salad sandwich and a Natty Boh for $10. I have customers that eat here three times a week. I’m not chichi, I'm not pretentious, and our prices reflect that.

How do out-of-towners perceive Baltimore because of your establishment?
Because of all the Poe events, we've gotten people from all over the country. Also, we were on Ace of Cakes for our one-year anniversary, so that's gotten people from all over, too. People have said that this is the best part of their trip. They just fall in love with the place. We’re really warm and friendly and people respond to that. We don’t try to be anything but what we are. We're not trying to be D.C., we're not cosmopolitan. We’re a Baltimore place and proud of it.

What is it about Poe that fascinates you?
Well I’m a tortured artist, so I can relate to torturned artists. I'm also a romantic and all the artwork in the place is mine. He wrote really beautiful love poems, but he also wrote dark, twisted stories. And I can relate to both sides of that.

What can we expect next at Annabel Lee?
In the next week or so, I'm changing over to a winter food and cocktail menu. One drink we'll feature is called The Gold Bug, named after a Poe short-story. I mix brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon with hot cider, Captain Morgan's, and Myer's rum. It's delicious. But, really, after two years I feel like I'm still getting started.

[Photo: courtesy of La Kaye Mbah via urbanitebaltimore.com]

Because of the ubiquitous Cal Ripken Jr. ads from the 90s, we Baltimoreans know that milk builds strong bones. But a recent study in the journal Nutrition found that drinking beer may also promote bone density. Out of 1,700 women participating in the study, those that were considered moderate beer drinkers had the highest bone density. The women underwent ultrasound scans of their hands, because bones in the fingers are among the first to show signs of osteoporosis. The bones belonging to beer drinkers (those who drank 1-2 pints a day) were denser.

The scientists explained that there were a couple of possible explanations for this. Researchers said: "Silicon plays a major role in bone formation. Beer has been claimed to be one of the most important sources of silicon in the Western diet." The study also said that greater bone density could be a result of the plant hormone phytoestrogen, which is found in beer and keeps bones healthy.

However, the fine print basically advises us not to go crazy and that drinking in moderation is still key. But the bottom line is that an after-work beer (or two?) actually does a body good.

[Image: courtesy of rd.com]