Avenue.

I've ranted about how much I like what's going on with The Avenue in Hampden, where I grew up. Here, here and here. Hip and urban and all those other buzz words the cool kids like. But it means that it's safer. Good coffee (best in Baltimore actually). Book stores. Etc. But why get rid of this cool mural? I remember that it used to scare me when I was little. Then it was restored and lovely. I took this from the second floor of the Royal Farms headquarters, within a block of each house I lived in when I was a kid. Seems that some dude who's gonna come in and pretend that he "saved" Hampden (like I here a certain restaurant owner, er, accusing of claiming) is putting in lofts and did away with the mural -- not to mention displacing local gems like New System Bakery. How much is too much? And, dude, any chance you need a philosopher-type fella to live in your lofts in exchange for starting a blog about how you're making a ton of money, I mean, saving Hampden? Just saying, you know, I might know someone...