SoBoBlog: News, rumors and oddments by and for the people of South Baltimore
by Colleen Wolfe
soboblog@baltimoreguide.com
Is Federal Hill becoming the new Fells Point for the college crowd?
I have plenty of friends who live in Federal Hill and for some time I have been hearing them complain that the weekend drinking crowd was getting younger and rowdier. Parking was worse than ever and the streets were trash-strewn and dirty by Sunday.
People complain of finding the flowers trampled in the tree wells outside their houses when they go out to pick up the paper on Sunday morning. I hear these complaints more and more frequently.
At the same time there are more and more changes taking place in Fells Point: bars closing, new restaurants opening up, development plans for upscale apartments, maybe even a new hotel, all plans that don’t cater to the young drinking crowd.
If you went to college in or around Baltimore in the last 25 years, then chances are you partied in Fells Point on many Friday and Saturday nights. Crowds of young girls and skirt-chasing frat boys would cram themselves into every hole-in-the-wall bar in and around Broadway and get three sheets to the wind.
Then they would puke in some poor guy’s geraniums on the way home. The neighborhood very often smelled of stale beer and trash.
Times are changing, though— Club 723, which was a major meat market, closed a few years back and the Admiral’s Cup, a Fells Point institution right up there with the Cat’s Eye and The Horse, closed late last year.
So now that Fells Point is in the midst of gentrification, where have all of those youngsters been going to quench their thirsts? Looks like Federal Hill may be absorbing at least some of the displaced youths.
Back when I was in college, Fells Point was for the college crowd and Federal Hill meant young professionals, those that had already gotten out of college and weren’t into the drunken frat boy scene anymore but were still young enough to go out and enjoy nightlife. The fact that there were more actual restaurants and fewer watering holes in Federal Hill probably kept the scene was a bit more sedate.
Not that Federal Hill hasn’t had its share of drunk kids, but the complaints I’ve been hearing lately definitely tell me there are more of them now. Add to that the fact that another major college-age pick-up joint, Baja Beach Club, closed recently, and you can surmise why more and more college kids are descending upon Federal Hill.
I first got the idea to do a column on the changes in Federal Hill last September when my husband and I were out with friends for drinks and then dinner. We met around 7 p.m. at Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar on Cross Street.
We grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered some drinks and oysters. There were plenty of people there, but not overly crowded and most people were doing exactly what we were doing, grabbing a bite to eat with friends.
Eventually we moved to a table for dinner. The hostess showed us to a nice table right next to the open French doors facing Cross Street. It was a perfect table to enjoy the warm night and watch the passers-by.
After awhile I started to notice that the place was naturally getting more crowded. By 9 p.m. the entire makeup of the crowd had drastically changed.
It seemed we were the last table of diners to still be finishing up our food and the bouncers were hovering over us, anxious for us to finish up so they could move our table to make room for more people.
One burly guy actually told me I would have to move because the back legs of my chair were sticking out over the threshold of the French door. Never mind that I was still eating and there wasn’t anywhere else for us to move to since the place had gotten so packed with drinkers that the bouncers had moved all of the tables out of the way.
I was annoyed at the incident to say the least. But what really struck me was how young the faces were. It really reminded me of my college days in Fells Point.
On Saturday I stopped by the Cross Street Market to check out the new book stand. It was about 2 p.m. and I realize it was the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, but many of the bars were already crowded with people in green shirts and cheap plastic shamrock necklaces.
Maybe I’m just getting older. I have to admit that I was never enamored of the whole barhopping scene even when I was in college.
Give me a true neighborhood hole-in-the-wall bar where you can kick back with your friends and actually carry on a conversation and not worry about fending off really bad pickup lines.
Federal Hill is a neighborhood with a lot of bars, restaurants, shops and other businesses, but it’s also a neighborhood of young families.
I love the neighborhood, the people, the fact that I live so close I can zip up Fort Avenue in just a couple of minutes and stop by the library or shops or the market.
But I am afraid that if Federal Hill becomes the college kids’ drinking hangout then people might make it a point to stay away. And if the rowdiness gets out of hand, people and businesses will start moving and more bars will move in.
I’d like to hear from neighbors and business owners alike if I am off base here. Please share with me your opinions on how Federal Hill is changing.
E-mail me at soboblog@baltimoreguide.com. I’d like to share your opinions with other readers.
March 21st, 2008 at 9:48 am
send this to MAYOR@BALTIMORECITY.GOV
hopefully she will “get in on it!”
“it” being………..insane for the premier neighborhood in Baltimore City to be like this!!!
shameful!
March 21st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Not only is Federal Hill becoming the new Fells Point it’s becoming so much worse. At least in Fells Point there is some standoff distance, minimal as it may be, from the bars and the residential area. I live 1 block south of Ropewalk and on any given weekend (and sometimes weekdays as well) I can find drunkards peeing in bushes, littering, fighting, oh and my personal favorite the drunk boyfriend/girlfriend fight. Not to mention the horrendous parking situation we now face. My wife and I just found out that she’s pregnant and I’m afraid of having a child in this environment. Please go back to your frats!
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Your thoughts caught my attention, like you my wife and I walking back from church on good Friday decided to stop for lunch at Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar. It wasn’t crowded and we had a very nice lunch. It however did not take much imagination to picture what happened to you. Another line of yours that caught my attention was “It really remined me of my college days in Fells Point.” Oh how quickly we forget about how we partied in those days. I believe this problem is a enforcement problem, and the community (both the residential and business need to insist the city government enforce the laws. If the bars are packed beyond the legal limits, you shut them down. If the bars are selling to minors you shut them down. If the bars don’t change you pull their permits from both them and the community. Yes, there is still those baby face college kids. If they are drinking outside on the side walks or streets, arrrest them and put them in jail. If they are drinking under age arrest them and put them in jail. This will give them good stories to tell when they have grown older. Last but not least let not forget us old folk who also walk down the street with our glass or bottle of unknown spirits.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 am
When my wife and I moved into the neighborhood a year and half ago we knew we were moving into a house near the bar scene and parking would be tough Friday and Satuurday nights. We also have a baby on the way, and weve found the neighborhood has been safe and alot of fun and are excited about having a baby in a neighborhood where we can walk to everything. The drawback has been the noise Friday and Saturday nights.
I think places like Illusions, Juniors and Ryleighs are slowly turing the tide of frat type places. The expansion at Mothers kinda scares me alittle, especially in light of Baja closing.
I really think the clever “Historiclly Hip” campagin needs to be expanded with signage and possibly patrols by the civilian police youll see on Cross and Charles reinforcing this is a neighborhood where people live, not an adult romper room. Signage posted to telephone poles welcoming visitors and asking them to respect the streets and neighborhood they have so much fun on?
Maybe its time to establish a Federal Hill Night Live type of thing? Reduced parking rates at the garage and stepped up enforcement by the parking authority?
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Ms. Wolfe,
You’ve hit things pretty squarely on the head here. As recently as a couple years ago, the area around Cross St. market had developed a healthy and attractive identity as a place that offered some nightlife, but kept a balance between that nightlife and restaurants and other businesses. I used to note with pride that it was not a raucus party scene like what you’d find in Fells Point. As a result, the Federal Hill neighborhood and the adjacent neighborhoods thrived and grew, atracting many new residents, increasing civic participation, and home improvement. Indeed, this revitalization had been fanning out, and we saw real progress in the revitalization of the city, at least in the nearby areas.
Unfortunately, a college-bar scene has suddenly proliferated here in the last year or two. As you describe, it is now routine on Friday and Saturday nights for college kids and a young, suburban post-college crowd to come streaming into the area in the late evening. Around 9 or 10, Light St. becomes clogged with this bumper-to-bumper influx, and by 11 Cross St. is bustling with reveling youngsters, bouncing between bars, congregating in the streets, and (inevitably) spilling over into the previously peaceful residential areas. I live several blocks away from Cross St., far enough that I never used to be affected by anything going on Cross St. Now, though, it is routine for me to be awakened at 2am by these revelers stumbling to their cars (which they apparently often have trouble finding), screaming at each other (apparently convinced that most people are riveted enough by their personal dramas to welcome an early-morning rousting), and contributing other forms of mayhem (vomit and other bodily fluids are often deposited, but it is also apparently fun for this crowd to break things).
These behaviors are pretty common to the college crowd. Like you, I was once a college student myself, and I certainly went through a phase where I had immature attitudes about alcohol and the world around me. But it’s worthwhile to ask (ask you have) how we got to this point. I’d add a follow-up: how to we get out of it? As you suggest, the decline of the Power Plant Live area as a haven for these shenanigans may have driven the problem out of its containment. You also point out the closing of some places in Fell’s Point. I have thought the demise of Bohager’s may have been particularly influential. Another factor is that colleges seem to be much less tolerant of extensive revelry on their own campuses. Across the country, the town-gown clashes that have resulted are visible.
But if this is the explanation of what we are seeing, then it suggests a solution: more policing and better enforcement of the zoning and liquor licensing laws that do and/or should govern the neighborhood. In fact, we are starting to see some of this action. Earlier this year, the police set up a mobile station on Charles St., which seemed effective at chilling some of the worst behavior. Although for some reason they have moved the station out, there appears to be an increased presence of police walking the beat. These efforts help turn back the atmosphere of anything-goes lawlessness that otherwise pervades the scene. We will see if the zoning and liquor licensing enforcement agencies also step up; there has been some progress in this regard. We are also seeing the communities begin to get more vocal in asserting their rights. After all, we do have a right to expect the private enjoyment of our own properties. We’ll see where this all winds up going. Bohager’s, I believe, was eventually shut down because of the repeated and steady protest by the nearby residents.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I’d just be curious to know - how many of these bar owners, who think all the neighborhood does is complain - actually LIVE in the neighborhood. All of the ones I have met, live in the county. Hmmm, makes you wonder if they’d like bars like theirs (and so many in such a small area) in their own neighborhood? Maybe they’d think twice, or is the almighty dollar sign the only one they read??
March 24th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I have been a frequent visitor to Federal Hill over the years, mainly because I enjoy the diversity of the neighborhood and a couple of the fantastic retail establishments. As an outsider looking in, I see a neighborhood that does not seem to take much pride in itself. It would be nice to see more of the commercial establishments take an interest in the appearance of the street. Federal Hill looks dirty which may be one of the reasons that the bars have to attract young patrons who do not really care about the neighborhood aesthetic. The local businesses need to make an effort to clean up the steets and sidewalks. It is absolutely absurd that the bars in Federal Hill allow their customers to leave their establishment and urinate on their neighbors buildings, plants and steps. They should be ashamed of themselves for conducting business in such a thoughtless and rude manner. Whenever I am in Federal Hill, as I walk along the sidewalks, the smell of urine permeates the streets. It is apparent to me whenever I visit Federal Hill that there is little pride in business ownership and that there is not a cohesive group of business owners who have similar visions of what Federal Hill could really be. Business owners in Federal Hill need to wake up and learn how to market themselves properly. I have money to spend and don’t want to spend it in a neighborhood that is dirty and smells of urine. I can go anywhere to eat and shop. Federal Hill needs to do more to attract the right kind of business that will benefit everyone in the neighborhood.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Your concerns are well founded, though you hit a particularly bad day on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s. A couple of times a year some of the less responsible bars sponsor a pub crawl in which the drunks pay one fee and drink all day or evening at several bars. It attracts a rowdier crowd than usual.
I’m a relative old timer in Federal Hill (24 years)and have a different generational approach. The influx of young professionals that you welcome are a mixed blessing to me. With them has come a loss of the sense of community — a village in many respects — that initially attracted me here. Those who remain — and, especially, put their kids in our schools rather than flee to the suburbs — and put down roots are needed as my generation ages. But some of the institutions that held us together are dying off. That applies especially to the Cross Street Market, which served as the village green, especially on Saturdays. My wife and I used to spend a half hour or so shopping for foodstuffs to take home, and another hour or more having lunch and shmoozing with neighbors we did not see during the week. No longer. The market is turning into a cluster of fast food joints and, more recently, nonfood vendors. We know fewer of our neighbors — though one young professional has shoveled my walk a couple of times since I am unable to do so.
But your concerns are likely to get worse. The current revision of the city zoning code (Never heard about it? That’s the price of the declining Sun.)is likely to open the Cross Street area to live entertainment (8×10 is grandfathered). Already one Charles Street bar is blatantly violating the zoning and liquor laws. We can’t depend on the business association, which despite often good intentions won’t oppose another business, or the city’s zoning or planning agencies, which aren’t even enforcing the laws already on the books.
I never thought I would ever say this, but I would move out of the neighborhood if we could afford the whopping tax increase that would result.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I have to tell you that I really think that Colleen and Mike have it all wrong. (or they just need a quick lesson on the cart before the horse theory) Federal Hill…like Annapolis and other Historic Neighborhoods w/ bars, pubs and restaurants is a very popular destination. I can agree that sometimes it may be a burden being in a “hot spot” but ultimately that is why MOST people presumably move to the neighborhood right? I highly doubt any of the complainers were in the neighborhood when there was no “Federal Hill” and it was SOUTH BALTIMORE. The bars that were here in the 90’s….WOW…I doubt any of you would have stepped foot in. The only remanants of pre- “Federal Hill” are dives like Turner’s. How many of you local’s go there?
All of this said…bars came investments were made, restaurants came, then boutiques, shops, then….”RESIDENTS”. If you think it was in reverse order you are all wrong.
Track any revitilization of any neighborhood…(New York, Chicago, Boston, DC) and you will see the same trend. I think you should all be very careful what you wish for because w/ out visitors…AT ALL HOURS…our neighborhood will be dead in the water. Yes it can be a bit out of hand at times…but you chose to move here. IT’s the CITY!
Lastly, the places that have gone away….like Banjara…have not paid the price of updating/investing in the properties and the commitment to rise to the next level. Colleen…you can have your hole in the wall bar…I remember what they were like in Federal Hill in tha 80’s and 90’s and I would much rather drink wine at a Junior’s or eat oysters and small plates at Ryleigh’s Oyster, or for that matter cheesesteaks at Magerk’s!…sure as heck beats Lush’s, Turner’s, and De ja vue!
Rod
March 26th, 2008 at 4:02 am
Dear Colleen,
My name is Brian McComas from Ryleigh’s Oyster and I would like to thank you for your post that has caused a re-stirring of so many of the issues in and around Federal Hill and specifically the market district.
I have been forwarded your blog link and the corresponding posts at least two dozen times at this point and I figured now that there has been a pretty diverse number of responses, it may be a good time to jump in! So here I go…
Let me state it right up front…Federal Hill is having growing pains. That does not mean the neighborhood is imploding. It means now is the time to re-focus and draw up a community plan (A business plan in the 9-5 world) w. benchmarks, goals and initiatives to be addressed at 3-5-10 year intervals. This plan needs to be a living and breathing document that is addressed and updated each and every year by the community and its leaders. The great news hear is that Federal Hill and its surrounding communities have so many interested residents, businesses, associations and community leaders that this should be relatively easy! However to date, and w/ out going in to specifics, this coming together has not occurred for so many different reasons. (I’ll come back to this point)
Now that said, each and every blogger has very legitimate points to consider in this process of addressing the issues at hand. Depending where in the spectrum your opinions fall (it does appears that we have both ends of the spectrum particpating) the tolerence to specific issues appears to be quite different and thus creates many challenges. But nothing that appears to be insurmountable in my opinion.
Specifically though, I as a business owner and someone who is concerned about Federal Hill (no matter where I actually reside) agree that enforcement, cleanliness, parking and the Market’s decline are all at the core of so many issues and need to be well incorporated in the community “business” plan. To all of your specific comments…
- Civic Pride is deplorable in Federal Hill as a whole. We ALL need to mind the sidewalks and streets better. IE. Light Street. Unsightly most days. How about citations for that??
- Bar scene has been here for 20+ years. It is has changed for better in many ways and I agree that enforcement of many things is a huge part of a positive future and outcome.
- The level and quality of estblishements is on the rise! See 70’s and 80’s version of South Baltimore.
- In general times change. Neighborhoods need to evolve or they face decay as this neighborhood has experienced before the latest boom. Dollar houses anyone?
- Where a business owner resides is a non-issue. I live in the county and I care as much as anyone about this neighborhood…and BALTIMORE for that matter. Lets put those kinds of comments to rest.
- Yes send emails to the Mayor! The use of our tax dollars is a disgrace. Our infrastructure and maintenance levels in Federal Hill are deplorable. We don’t even have a real street cleaning machine…the kind with water scrubbing and brushes.
Now, for those of you that don’t know, the restauarants, bars and pubs have officially formed the Federal Hill Hospitality Association. I am the current President and I personally welcome constructive, forward thinking exchanges of ideas from residents and other business owners alike. The FHHA is addressing many of the points raised in this blog and I welcome hearing from you directly anytime. email-brian@ryleighs.com or stop in and ask for me and I would be happy to share what the FHHA is working on!
I will personally be attempting to organize a meeting in May w/ community leaders to begin developing the community plan idea I raised earlier. Without such…blogs like this will continue to be nothing more than a b@$%! session leading to divisiveness and ultimately nowhere, as interested parties choose sides. I know we all want bigger and better things for Federal Hill. Lets work on it together!
March 26th, 2008 at 11:38 am
It’s always been about greed without concern for residents and other businesses. Unlawful and unchecked expansion without consequence, nefarious community leaders, corrupt city officials, pub crawls (now pub strolls LOL!), drinking events on Charles St. during football games, concerts that block Cross Street on Fridays are some of the reasons why Federal Hill is in the state it is. The bar and restaurant owners will not be happy until Federal Hill has turned into another Bourbon Street, with entertainment licenses and open until 4:00 am for all.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
I have been a resident of Federal Hill for 11 years now and I have seen a drastic change in our neighborhood and not one for the better. I chose to live in Federal Hill because of the community spirit. I chose not to live in Fells Point at that time because it was just a big party area. Today, I would prefer to live in Fells Point.
Parking has gotten much worse (if that is possible), speeding traffic has increased to the point that one takes a life threatening risk when crossing the street, and the drunken pedestrian traffic has also worsened and has lead to vandalism and destruction of resident’s property not to mention a constant weekend disruption to sleep. And I suspect that the growing drunken bar crowd has also brought even more drug dealing and crime to our neighborhood.
It is time to take our neighborhood back and restore a sense of community.
March 29th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Rod,
I want to thank you for your post. Otherwise, there is not much of a spectrum participating here so far. But I think it’s imperative for the community to come together on these issues, or at least to try.
I don’t agree with your cart-horse analogy, nor your chronology of development here and elsewhere. But I do strongly believe in perhaps a lesser version of what you are saying. I think there is a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship between residential development (some would say gentrification), community building, and the growth and prosperity of many types of businesses. Such pro-community businesses include shops, boutiques, and local service providers, as well as restaurants with and without liquor licenses and (indeed) appropriately-run bars and taverns. I agree with you that many of the establishments we have here in South Baltimore fall into this category, making it much nicer to live here than if they weren’t here. So I think we have to be careful not to lump all the bars and restaurants together.
The key is to distinguish between them, and to find ways to encourage the places that help build the community and discourage or set limits for those that tear it down. Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of the latter going on right now, which what I think the original article/blog was about. In particular, many bars have decided to target a crowd that is very young, only visits the area between 10 and 2 (when all the other businesses are closed), does not live here (let alone buy houses here), and is too immature (and drunk!) to treat the neighborhood with any respect. How do they target this crowd? They serve beer at volume discounts; they push jello shots; they subsidize buses that bring kids from the nearby colleges in (and right back out) for the night; they host “parties” that violate the zoning code with live, amplified entertainment; they advertise on campuses. They rush community members out if their dining experience starts running into party hour. They expand their buildings way past the size needed to accommodate the dinner scene, adding bland party space instead.
In short, I agree with you that we should accept, support, and thank the many business owners in the community whose enterprises enrich our lives here. But I disagree that we should turn a blind eye to the several who do not, especially “at all hours.” The CITY has room for many different kinds of places, and (in principle) enforces this diversity through zoning and planning. As a B-2 business area surrounded by residences, the Federal Hill business area is not supposed to be a playground where throngs of college kids learn the ropes. When I moved in, I didn’t sign up for that, and I don’t think many of my neighbors did, either.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:46 am
I’m actually 25, and moved to Federal Hill 3 years ago because I enjoyed the neighborhood very much during my late college years. I specifically chose to live near Riverside Park, because one it would be away from the bar scene but close enough to walk to and easier parking(not much tho). Anyways, as of lately, the bar scene has definitely exploded. Sobo sports is ever increasing which also inturn brings a large number of people to the area. My favorite time to visit the bars now in federal hill is afternoon time on the weekends. These bars are really great, and I think many owners have cleaned them up very nice, but late at night they get so packed it’s just not enjoyable to go out, we generally go out to some of the bars along fort ave. Luckily that has more of an older crowd. I’m not really sure what the solution is. I could say that it definitely stinks on a Saturday or Sunday morning, and at least if the businesses or city pitched in for some sidwalk street cleaning that would definitely help. Maybe more trashcans around the area too. Since I always see trash everywhere. You would think the more trashcans there are, the more likely someone would be to use one.
As far as parking, generally I see the garage getting full. Maybe they could clean up one of the parking lots around M&T Bank, and have it very well lit, so at least you could get the bar patrons that don’t live in the area all parking in one area and not on our streets.