Greetings from Mount Vernon, Baltimore: elisa_rolle

Mount Vernon is a neighborhood located just to the north of downtown Baltimore, Maryland. Designated a National Landmark Historic District and a city Cultural District, it is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and originally was home to the city's most wealthy and fashionable families. The name derives from the Mount Vernon home of George Washington; the original Washington Monument, a massive pillar commenced in 1815 to commemorate the first president of the United States, is the defining feature of the neighborhood. (Picture: City Cafe by Robert McClintock)

This Baltimore neighborhood has a reputation as a gay village. A number of Baltimore’s most prominent gay bars are located here so there are plenty of things to do, and the sight of same sex couples holding hands and showing affection is very common.

The Baltimore City Planning Commission defines the neighborhood as being bound by Eager Street to the North, The Jones Falls Expressway (JFX) to the east, Franklin Street to the South, and Eutaw Street to the West. The Commission also considers the northern section to be the Midtown-Belvedere neighborhood after the Belvidere estate of John Eager Howard, the Revolutionary War patriot. The Inner Harbor is about half a mile south of Centre Street.

Being close to downtown, Mount Vernon is well-served by public transit. Many area major bus routes head through the neighborhood on their way to the financial district including the Purple line of Charm City Circulator which runs through Mt. Vernon on Northbound on Charles Street and southbound on St. Paul street. The Light Rail line runs down Howard Street on the west edge of the neighborhood, and the Metro Subway runs beneath Eutaw Street a block west of that; both have stations within easy walking distance of the neighborhood. Penn Station, served by Amtrak and MARC commuter rail, is also one block to the north past Mount Royal Avenue and over the JFX.

Baltimore, Mount Vernon

Although mainly residential, Mount Vernon-Belvedere is home to a mix of institutions, including the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Walters Art Museum, University of Baltimore, Maryland Historical Society, Contemporary Museum, Maryland Institute College of Art, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore School for the Arts, Lyric Opera House, Center Stage, Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch, Spotlighters Theatre, Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute, and Theatre Project. (Picture: American Brewery by Robert McClintock)

In the decades after World War II, the neighborhood has also become home to many professional service providers, including medical and legal offices, publishing firms, architectural firms, insurance and financial institutions, and fund managers. Art galleries, retail stores, hotels, and bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) also populate the neighborhood, and Mount Vernon has a rich nightlife, with many fine restaurants, cafes, and bars located along Charles Street and throughout the neighborhood.

Mount Vernon is home to some of the most beautiful and well-preserved 19th century architecture located in the East Coast of the United States. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the area around the Washington Monument, where stately homes face onto four small parks that radiate from the monument. The parks, which have survived almost intact, are considered to be the finest existing urban landscapes by the beaux-arts architectural firm of Carrere & Hastings, who also designed the New York Public Library, portions of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the residence that houses the Frick Collection. Elsewhere in the neighborhood are many older apartment buildings and three- and four-story rowhouses; most of the latter were originally single-family dwellings. Though many have been broken up into multiple apartments, a growing number are being restored back to single family use. The historic beaux-arts Belvedere Hotel, opened in 1903, was converted to condominiums in 1991. (Picture: Belvedere Hotel by Robert McClintock)

On the northeast corner of Washington's monument sits the Mount Vernon United Methodist Church. Conceived as a cathedral of Methodism, it was built on the site of the Charles Howard mansion – the house in which Francis Scott Key died. The southeast corner is occupied entirely by buildings comprising the Peabody Institute, and the southwest corner includes three buildings forming the Walters Art Museum. (Picture: Bolton Hill by Robert McClintock)

About the artist: Robert McClintock was born in Brattleboro, Vermont in 1958, the son of a hairdresser, actor, artist, musician, singer, dancer father and a Arthur Murray dancer, fashionista mother from Brooklyn NY. His parents met in New York City and moved to Vermont. He grew up in Wilmington, VT not far from the Mt Snow Ski Area where skiing was second nature to him.

He has shot over 40,000 digital pictures and created over 500 “Photo-Digital Illustrations” wherein he paints and colors directly onto his photographs in Adobe Photoshop on a Macintosh using a Wacom Tablet. Robert is adamant that his work is not computer generated and NO stock photoshop filters are used! His experience with Photoshop was not extensive but he learned quickly while freelancing at a busy digital photo studio in Baltimore and after many hours of experimenting at the computer he developed this distinct and new style wherein each image is worked on inch by inch as a traditional painter would do. His strong composition skills learned as a commercial photographer go a long way in making a great image. (Picture: Central Station by Robert McClintock)

In 1999 he began selling his work at many local outdoor street fairs and festivals including Baltimore’s Artscape and The Fells Point Festival, as a money making venture and somewhat as a market test to see how the work would be received by the public. (Picture: Charles North by Robert McClintock)

His success in capturing what the people wanted led in November of 2002 to his opening a studio and gallery in Baltimore’s historic Federal Hill at50 East Cross Street featuring over 150 images from his “Baltimore Seen Collection” plus his unique Cat and Dog images. The retail gallery proved to be a success again leading to an expansion to a second space on Charles Street. He kept the Cross Street gallery open as the “showroom” and the Charles St address turned into his working studio and production space.

As Robert’s collection grew and with the new addition of large canvas pieces he again needed more space. Federal Hill was a great location but he really needed to consolidate the two locations and also expand.

After a short search he found a great new location in Fell’s Point on the waterfront which was actually 10 times larger than the Fedral Hill locations. In April of 2006 he opened a new space at 1809 Thames Street near the Anne St wharf. The new space has proven to be a great move and has introduced his work to a much wider audience both locally and to tourists visiting Baltimore from all over the world. (Picture: Charles Street by Robert McClintock)

Robert lives with his wife Sue and their 4 cats in the Charles Village neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. (http://robertmcclintock.com/)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vernon,_Baltimore

Charles Theatre by Robert McClintock

Donna's

Geri's Liquor by Robert McClintock

Hippo Bar by Robert McClintock

Left of Center by Robert McClintock

View from Monument Hill

Mount Vernon Hotel

Peabody Library by Robert McClintock

Peabody Spirals by Robert McClintock

Penn Station by Robert McClintock

SotoSopra by Robert McClintock

Stafford Hotel by Robert McClintock

The Engineers Club by Robert McClintock

Washington Monument

Further Readings :

The Baltimore Waltz and Other Plays by Paula Vogel
Paperback: 300 pages
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group (November 1, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1559361093
ISBN-13: 978-1559361095
Amazon: The Baltimore Waltz and Other Plays

In this remarkable 1992 play, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, author Paula Vogel goes inside the soul of her central character, a woman caring for a brother who has AIDS. Exhausted, the woman sleeps and dreams that she is the one with the incurable disease, and she's dragging her healthy brother along on one last grand tour of Europe to see all the wonderful things she'd always longed to see--and to find a mysterious doctor who may have the cure for her illness. Many scenes have the peculiar logic and sidestepping transitions of a dream. The reader's imagination is called upon to supply sets and costumes for the many strange and wonderful locales of the play. Vogel supplies the empathy and heartbreaking love that only a sister can have for a precious baby brother who is slipping away between her helpless fingers. Also in this collection are four early Vogel works: Hot 'N' Throbbin, And Baby Makes Seven, The Oldest Profession, and Desdemona.

Mr. Mount Vernon by Will Christopher
Paperback: 230 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (March 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1441493204
ISBN-13: 978-1441493200
Amazon: Mr. Mount Vernon

Mr. Mount Vernon takes you on a journey into the heart of gay culture. As seen and told through the eyes of a young man in his twenties, this story plants you on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. Read along as Volume 1 goes into the depths of everyday city life in the gay haven that is Mount Vernon. Experience the addiction, sex, friendships, and loves that come and go. It's a tale that is sexy, funny, emotionally gripping and will leave you wanting more. Simply, a great read. A portion of my proceeds go to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Buy the book and help a great cause.

Let Them Try by Reno MacLeod & Jaye Valentine
Publisher: M&V Tailz (June 19, 2010)
Amazon Kindle: Let Them Try

The police motto "To Serve and Protect" takes on all new meaning in LET THEM TRY by authors Reno MacLeod and Jaye Valentine.

Twenty-six years of dedicated duty as one of Baltimore's finest should earn a man some reward. One autumn night in a dark cemetery, Officer Rick Baker is forced to reflect on his lonely, closeted life when he meets a strange young man under peculiar circumstances.

Diego is unlike anyone Rick has ever met, and Rick has to face a new reality he's never imagined in his wildest dreams. Couple Rick's deeply rooted need for love and companionship with Diego's remarkable gifts, and even the threat of hell might be too tempting to resist.

Greetings from Mount Vernon, Baltimore

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