Evening Celebration: BOWLING!

Who but Niko would want a unique and peculiarly Baltimore venue for her evening celebration? Join us all at Patterson Bowling Center (2105 Eastern Avenue) on Saturday evening from 6:00 to 9:00 (April 5, 2008). We'll be upstairs! Note that the space will be quite cozy, so be prepared to get very friendly with everyone. Parents and relatives: The party is mostly geared toward the younger set and may be a bit loud, though everyone is welcome to come and bowl their heart away. Parking is a real bear in the neighborhood, so plan ahead to carpool and/or leave enough time to stash your car. Plenty of pizza, soft drinks, music, and duckpins are provided. Poodle-skirts and leather jackets optional.

Accomodations for out-of-town guests

For out-of-town guests who prefer not to sleep under the stars, consider some of the following accommodations, listed in increasing distance from Congregation Beit Tikvah and the Marvit-Suyemoto house (sat photo before the trees fell down). We're sorry we don't have a large enough house to hold everyone. We also have no connection with any of these other institutions. If you need help, contact us directly. Everywhere is easily accessible by car, but public transportation can be a bit more difficult from anywhere; Baltimore is rather spotty for public transport, unfortunately. Click on the links to access their sites, or click here to see Hotels.com overviews.

• Mt Washington Conference Center Very convenient to local public transportation and quite beautiful, but rather expensive since it's normally just for meetings (~$170/person).
• Radisson at Cross Keys Close, though rather a walk to either stop of the light rail. Nearby a bus stop, though. A classic hotel connected to a small, upscale mini-mall and office park. (~$150/night).
• Econo Lodge Baltimore About 3.5 miles West of Chez Marvit-Suyemoto and about 4.5 miles west of the Congregation, it's... well, an Econo-Lodge. Cheap, clean, nestled on a main business drag. Not much to see nearby, nor nice walking, but good for the price. (~$66/night)

After that, there's a lot more around the Baltimore area but all will require much more of a drive and will vary considerably in price. If you're feeling extravagant, there are a bunch of places in the Inner Harbor, for example, for a truly touristy experience.

For Bed and Breakfasts, you might consider one of the following, though they are all somewhat south of us (closer to real downtown and the Inner Harbor), except for the amazing Gramercy Mansion. A somewhat complete area listing can be found if you click here:

• Hopkins Inn , near Johns Hopkins University and about 5 miles from our home. It looks quaint from the outside, but has gotten mixed reviews on hotel.com (~$120/night).
• Wilson House, a reconverted Victorian near a light rail stop and a few blocks North of the Maryland Institute College of Art and about 7-8 miles south. (~$80-140/night).
• Phoenix Risin' Bed & Breakfast, looks like an interesting and slightly funky spot with a grand piano and lots of "ethnic" art ($75-175/night).
• Gramercy Mansion Bed & Breakfast is probably the most extravagantly elegant (and most expensive) B&B around, located about 10 miles north of Chez Marvit-Suyemoto (~$150-375). Being the frugal Yankee, I don't recommend this, but include it in case someone has won the lottery....