The new “branding” for Port Covington is now the Baltimore Peninsula.
We’re thinking the new developers (from New York and San Francisco) may not understand the actual geography of a peninsula. The South Baltimore Peninsula, Baltimore’s peninsula, is the land between the Inner Harbor and Patapsco River on the north to the Middle branch of the Patapsco River on the south. It is so much more than the narrow piece of land south of Interstate 95, the area known as Port Covington, on the south shore of the peninsula.
Here is a nearly two-decade old photo of the “Baltimore Peninsula” as seen from the Harborview Condominium tower in 2004. The water in the foreground is the Inner Harbor/North Branch of the Patapsco River. The water in the top right is the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. This is “the” peninsula as defined by geography and the people and businesses living and thriving here.
Port Covington nearly a decade ago. The photograph is from the deck of a cruise ship departing the Cruise Maryland Terminal on January 31, 2014.
Regardless of the thinking or the geography, having a proper domain name is certainly better than the PC.city (dot-city) domain that was used for the last few years. The new Baltimore Peninsula actually uses baltimorepeninsula dot-com as the URL address. The old PC.city and PortCovington.city now redirect to the new domain and website. We’ll award kudos for that part of the change.
It is what it is and we sincerely wish the best for the developers and hope that the project moves forward rapidly and successfully. The impressive amount of new urban development will be beneficial for all of the people of Baltimore and for the communities surrounding the Baltimore Peninsula.
Now on to the humorous part of the rebranding.
Of course, any radical change brings forth the humorous memes on Social Media. One of the most creative is from the talented people at the website called Baltimore Memes.
This will be completed soon….or not…to include the basic tenets of the main meme and various “rebranding” comments gleaned from Facebook and Twitter.
Well, OK, here’s one: National Aquarium = Place with All the Fishes and another: Little Italy = PastaVille and one more: Fells Point = Cape Beer
If you have another – please post in the comments.
A recent panorama photograph or the South Hanover Street Bridge to the west of Port Covington, now Baltimore Peninsula. This bridge connects South Baltimore with Curtis Bay, Brooklyn Park, Glen Burnie and other points to the south. Yes, this photograph is available as wall art.
South Baltimore boasts some world class boating facilities from the Inner Harbor to the Port Covington Marina.
Sail your boat, dock your boat (transient dockage or yearly slip lease), service your boat, take a boat ride, charter a boat, repair your boat, go fishing…all in (or from) the Baltimore Inner Harbor, Patapsco River and on the Chesapeake Bay.
Drop anchor at a Baltimore marine facility.
MARINAS AND DOCKING FACILITIES
Baltimore Harbor has a fine selection of marinas. Whether you want to call this your home port or find good transient dockage for your Baltimore visit, you will find several world-class facilities in our waters.
Port Covington Marina – formerly Tidewater Yacht Service Center and Marina at Winan’s Cove on the Patapsco River, 321 E. Cromwell St. Baltimore, 410-775-8856
A modern example of “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” perhaps?
The South Baltimore Peninsula’s Cross Street Market is certainly not what it used to be. However, that is to be expected for a place dating back to the 19th Century. Time marches on and things do change. Once a place to shop for produce, fresh meats, and seafood, you could also grab a snack during your shopping run. And, it still is like that – sort of. Well, not really…
Before 2018 the Cross Street Market was colorful and bustling. AFTER( April, 2022), nearly three years after the reopening.
Older entrance of the Cross Street Market on Charles Street.
Once, the Cross Street Market was a place where you could get farm-fresh produce, meats, and seafood from several different stalls. You could buy food from local vendors from every culture in Baltimore, and you could grab a bite to eat as you ran your errands. It was a thriving, bustling place where people loved to shop in an almost “open air” market environment – albeit with walls, a roof and HVAC. The key element that we loved was the “open” feeling of the place. The crowds. The culture. The history.
As recent as a few years ago the list of merchants included more than 20 unique businesses, all being part of a thriving open-space market. Some are listed here. Do you remember any of them?
Entrance facade of the Cross Street Market prior to 2018.
Baltimore’s Best BBQ – Rotisserie chicken and barbeque
Big Jim’s Deli – Best overstuffed sandwiches in the market
Buttercream Dreams Bakery – Bakery
Cheese Galore & More – Cheeses
Cross 10 Grocery – Grocery
Cross Street Cafe – Famous for Bruce Lee’s chicken wings
Now, that’s all still true… sort of. The Cross Street Market has been through some changes over the years—but it’s still alive and kicking. Find out what’s new about one of Baltimore’s oldest landmarks!
The new market is “sterile” when compared with the old. Upon entering it appears more like a hospital than a thriving market.
The new Cross Street Market Website is shiny and fresh (like the produce in the many stands a few years back). The site claims, “22 independently owned and operated businesses,” yet lists only 14 merchants. That means almost a 40% vacancy rate. Indeed.
Entrance to the Cross Street Market on Light Street (April, 2022)
Listed Cross Street Market merchants (as of April, 2022)
A refreshing sight is one of the original and popular merchants, Fenwick Meats.
Atlas Fish Market – Fresh seafood market w/ raw bar
Blowfish Poke – Hawaiian cuisine
Ceremony Coffee Roasters -Sharing amazing coffee
Chicken Lab – Korean fried chicken
Crepe Crazy – European crepes
Fenwick’s Choice Meats – Quality meats ( a wonderful carry-over from “before”)
Gangster Vegan Organics – Eat healthy
Pizza di Joey – New York style brick oven pizza
SoBeachy – Haitian restaurant
Southside Burger Bar – Local family business with burgers and dogs – done right.
Steve’s Lunch – Breakfast and lunch for over 50 years in the Cross Street Market (another wonderful carry-over)
Taco Love Grill – Authentis Taqueria
Taharka Bros. – Confections
Watershed – Seafood restaurant/crab house
What happened to the Cross Street Market that many of us used to know? Progress? Maybe not…
This is what greets you as you enter the Cross Street Market from Light Street. Note that the area on the left is currently empty (April, 2022).
