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2018 Baltimore Pen Show?


tmenyc

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I don't see anything here, and the website is still looking forward to the 2017 show. Is it happening? When? did I miss a listing?

 

Many thanks,

Tim

Tim

 timsvintagepens.com and @timsvintagepens

 

 

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I would email Bertram's Inkwell - I think they're one of the main vendors at that show - they can let you know the status.

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Bert Oser is the organizer and promoter of The Baltimore Pen Show. He is also the owner of Bertram's Inkwell pen shop in Rockville, Maryland. I talked to Bert this afternoon. The show is firmly scheduled for March 2 - 4, 2018. He hopes to nail down the new hotel paperwork this coming Monday. An announcement will be made on the show Facebook page.

Edited by joe120
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  • 2 months later...

I'm thinking of heading down to the Baltimore Pen Show next month, coming from Philadelphia. The Philadelphia show (last month) was my first. I've read the Baltimore show is slightly larger, with more evening activities offered. What else should I expect from the Baltimore show? For this who have attended in the past, what was your favorite aspect of the show?

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PK,

 

I have attended the DC Supershow a few times and the Baltimore show the past two years. If you check the Baltimore Pen show web page you will see quite a few large pen dealers as well as pen repair people. While the DC show is huge, you will be hard pressed to get in line for repairs. The lines appear to be shorter at the Baltimore Pen show. After a few times at the DC show I really appreciate my time spent at a smaller but well run show.

 

The show is getting close and I look forward to attending. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Regards,

Craig

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This will be my first time at the Baltimore Show. Looking forward to it (especially since there will be some vendors new to me), but I haven't heard back from the organizer about the deal with parking and how much it's going to cost (especially since I might *also* end up having parking charges at the hotel I'm going to be at :().

Depending on weather, the distance between the site hotel and where I'm staying might be walkable -- at least in the daytime. Or not (since I have to carry stuff). Anyone know if the Marriott has a shuttle service -- or, barring that, how much trouble I'll have getting a cab? I'm used to both NYC (where you just hail a taxi) -- and Pittsburgh (where you have to call ahead for one, since there just aren't as many in comparison....).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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This will be my first time at the Baltimore Show. Looking forward to it (especially since there will be some vendors new to me), but I haven't heard back from the organizer about the deal with parking and how much it's going to cost (especially since I might *also* end up having parking charges at the hotel I'm going to be at :().

Depending on weather, the distance between the site hotel and where I'm staying might be walkable -- at least in the daytime. Or not (since I have to carry stuff). Anyone know if the Marriott has a shuttle service -- or, barring that, how much trouble I'll have getting a cab? I'm used to both NYC (where you just hail a taxi) -- and Pittsburgh (where you have to call ahead for one, since there just aren't as many in comparison....).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

You can't seriously expect Marriott will provide you with free transportation so you can stay at another hotel! And have you never heard of Uber?

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This will be my first time at the Baltimore Show. Looking forward to it (especially since there will be some vendors new to me), but I haven't heard back from the organizer about the deal with parking and how much it's going to cost (especially since I might *also* end up having parking charges at the hotel I'm going to be at :().

Depending on weather, the distance between the site hotel and where I'm staying might be walkable -- at least in the daytime. Or not (since I have to carry stuff). Anyone know if the Marriott has a shuttle service -- or, barring that, how much trouble I'll have getting a cab? I'm used to both NYC (where you just hail a taxi) -- and Pittsburgh (where you have to call ahead for one, since there just aren't as many in comparison....).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Hi Ruth,

 

Check out Parkopedia at https://en.parkopedia.com/ and browse Baltimore. As an example, I found the Redwood Street Garage:

 

https://en.parkopedia.com/parking/garage/redwood_street_garage/21201/baltimore/?arriving=201802130900&leaving=201802131100

It's not exactly across the street, but it looks like a large garage. I'm also not sure why the organizer suggests not parking at the Marriott, whether it's due to price or maybe it fills up fast.

 

I plan to be at the show at least on Saturday, so I can offer to pick you up on the way in if that helps you (I'll be driving up from the DC area).

 

Marc

Edited by MightyEighth

Ink 'em if you got 'em!

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Well thanks, but I'll be at the show on Friday. I may drive over on Saturday morning and then leave directly from the Marriott (or the garage across the street, at any rate). I have to be back home Saturday night to go to a baby shower on Sunday afternoon (hoping that we can then go from there to the local IMAX theatre at the Pgh Science Center for the "Monty Python and the Holy Grail showing and sing-along" that evening.... :P)

As for pararis' comment about Uber, well, I'll call a real cab first. And that's with someone I know driving for Uber.... Uber has a nasty little policy about routes. They have plotted out the "optimum" route in advance. And if a driver has to suddenly detour because of an accident or something, well, the extra charge to the rider doesn't go to the driver -- it goes to UBER. So, no, I'm not overly inclined to call Uber....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Marc,

 

Thank you for providing the parking link. I like that it provides availability, price, and distance.I

 

Parking wasn't an issue the past two years as parking at the hotels near BWI airport was free at both venues.

 

I hope you enjoy the show.

 

Regards,

Craig

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+1 on that. The parking link was very helpful. It may be better (depending on what the deal is at MY hotel (which says valet parking only in the associated garage) to just drive over to the site hotel and park in one of the garages for Friday (the all-day rate, assuming I get there by 10 AM and leave at 6 PM, is certainly no worse than what we've run into in NYC -- where we once paid $21 for a lot (not even a garage) the block behind my sister-in-law's apartment when we stopped in for lunch on the way back from my parents' house in New Jersey on our way home to MA (that lot is now gone -- they built a hotel on that site a few years later, and a lot of the tenants in my S-i-L's building (including her and her husband) are somewhat grumpy about no longer having afternoon sun. And that parking rate was for maybe 2-3 HOURS, tops, and over 20 years ago at this point.

And driving back over to the site hotel certainly is likely to be the case on Saturday morning, should I decide that I haven't hit all the tables I want to the day before.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Marc,

 

Thank you for providing the parking link. I like that it provides availability, price, and distance.I

 

Parking wasn't an issue the past two years as parking at the hotels near BWI airport was free at both venues.

 

I hope you enjoy the show.

 

Regards,

Craig

Glad to help. Parkopedia has a mobile app as well.

Ink 'em if you got 'em!

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As for pararis' comment about Uber, well, I'll call a real cab first. And that's with someone I know driving for Uber.... Uber has a nasty little policy about routes.

I'm not thrilled by Uber as a company - that's why I use Lyft.

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This will be my first time at the Baltimore Show. Looking forward to it (especially since there will be some vendors new to me), but I haven't heard back from the organizer about the deal with parking and how much it's going to cost (especially since I might *also* end up having parking charges at the hotel I'm going to be at :().

Depending on weather, the distance between the site hotel and where I'm staying might be walkable -- at least in the daytime. Or not (since I have to carry stuff). Anyone know if the Marriott has a shuttle service -- or, barring that, how much trouble I'll have getting a cab? I'm used to both NYC (where you just hail a taxi) -- and Pittsburgh (where you have to call ahead for one, since there just aren't as many in comparison....).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

What hotel are you staying in? You should use Google Maps to plot walking, driving and mass transit options between your hotel and Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards, the show venue. For instance, I'm staying at the Radisson Hotel Baltimore Downtown-Inner Harbor, and Google Maps tells me it's a 9 minute walk (about 5 blocks). The immediate area is safe.

I hope we run into each other. I enjoy reading your posts.

Tadas Osmolskis

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What hotel are you staying in? You should use Google Maps to plot walking, driving and mass transit options between your hotel and Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards, the show venue. For instance, I'm staying at the Radisson Hotel Baltimore Downtown-Inner Harbor, and Google Maps tells me it's a 9 minute walk (about 5 blocks). The immediate area is safe.

 

I hope we run into each other. I enjoy reading your posts.

Tadas Osmolskis

 

What a coincidence -- that's where I'm staying as well (deal on Priceline -- of course after reading some of the reviews of the place I'm starting to wonder if I've made a horrible mistake).

I looked on Google Maps and it's more like about 8 blocks (if you consider that some of them are long blocks. That's fine during the day (if the weather is good) but I'm going to be carrying stuff -- plus I'm going to be then on my feet for most of the day at the show. And that's after having driven a good chunk of the day on Thursday (I can't sit in a car for more than about two hours after my back surgery about a decade ago, or I'm completely crippled; but I'm planning on breaking up the trip with at least one antiques mall stop en route). Not sure about the trip home yet -- it depends on whether I leave directly after breakfast or go back to the show for Saturday morning. It always seems I have to juggle hobbies/activities (I have a baby shower to go to on Sunday of that weekend) -- plus I'm missing a major SCA demo at the Pittsburgh Science Center Friday night that I didn't know about when I planned the trip to the show. Wonder if my husband will go to the demo....

I suppose I should really get all extraneous stuff out of my basket before I leave town, but I'm likely to throw in a small lunch bag with a cold pack as well). And of course my lumbar support towel.

It's really amazing that for a two night trip just how much stuff I'm going to be hauling to Baltimore and back -- suitcase, laptop bag, basket, purse, and the bag of CDs for the drive (and just picked up a couple more yesterday at the local Half Price Books (including one I've wanted for a while now -- Forever Changes by the old 60s group Love... :thumbup:). Clothes for two days, changes of shoes, toiletries, snacks and drinks for the car, pens to maybe have worked on, pens to write with, pens to use for color comparisons (Is that 51 Burgundy or Cordovan Brown -- nope, Burgundy...). My journal, other notebooks, the research I'm SUPPOSED to be working on instead of reading FPN.... Sweating out the weather so I'll maybe have to thrown in snow boots and a raincoat.... :wallbash:

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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It's really amazing that for a two night trip just how much stuff I'm going to be hauling to Baltimore and back -- suitcase, laptop bag, basket, purse, and the bag of CDs for the drive (and just picked up a couple more yesterday at the local Half Price Books (including one I've wanted for a while now -- Forever Changes by the old 60s group Love... :thumbup:). Clothes for two days, changes of shoes, toiletries, snacks and drinks for the car, pens to maybe have worked on, pens to write with, pens to use for color comparisons (Is that 51 Burgundy or Cordovan Brown -- nope, Burgundy...). My journal, other notebooks, the research I'm SUPPOSED to be working on instead of reading FPN.... Sweating out the weather so I'll maybe have to thrown in snow boots and a raincoat.... :wallbash:

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

It's funny, but I was thinking just the opposite - two changes of socks and undergarments, a dopp bag with razor, toothbrush, etc. plus prescriptions, my journal, plus the stuff I'd normally carry to a pen show- Kindle, checkbook, pens to write with, magnifier (old camera lens). It'll all fit in a small bag.

 

I'm also taking three or four 48-pen portfolios, plus some ink for the half table I'm getting in the "weekend trader" section. I plan to have several Esterbrooks with different nib models inked up for folks to try, whether they buy some of the Esties I'm trying to sell or someone else's. That'll fit in another smallish bag. I'm going to be taking the MARC commuter rail from DC to Baltimore, so I can't have too much.

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For those attending the Baltimore show on Friday - the local Lithuanian community holds a dinner every Friday from 4PM to 8PM at the Lithuanian Hall, not very far from the venue. Here's your chance to pig out on great, cardiologist-condemned Eastern European cuisine.

 

Here's a pretty descriptive review from 10 years ago (it's a long-standing event): http://uniqueculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2008/06/friday-dinner-at-lithuanian-hall.html

 

I've confirmed that it's being held from the Lithuanian Hall's calendar:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?eid=NGRxbTEybDNtaWRlZHZkNmJhMjdzbmYwdnFfMjAxODAzMDJUMjEwMDAwWiBpNTVpcXRxMW9wajVxbGVncjZuMjVzZHIwY0Bn&ctz=America/New_York

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For those attending the Baltimore show on Friday - the local Lithuanian community holds a dinner every Friday from 4PM to 8PM at the Lithuanian Hall, not very far from the venue. Here's your chance to pig out on great, cardiologist-condemned Eastern European cuisine.

 

Here's a pretty descriptive review from 10 years ago (it's a long-standing event): http://uniqueculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2008/06/friday-dinner-at-lithuanian-hall.html

 

I've confirmed that it's being held from the Lithuanian Hall's calendar:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?eid=NGRxbTEybDNtaWRlZHZkNmJhMjdzbmYwdnFfMjAxODAzMDJUMjEwMDAwWiBpNTVpcXRxMW9wajVxbGVncjZuMjVzZHIwY0Bn&ctz=America/New_York

 

Hmmm. I can honestly say I've never had Lithuanian food (although my best friend all through college was half Lithuanian (IIRC the other half was Irish).

I looked at their website and it seems to be a (nominally) members-only thing. Does being 1/4 Polish on my dad's side count? B)

As opposed to early May in Pittsburgh, when the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Oakland (the neighborhood which includes Pitt and Carnegie-Mellon, as well as the main branch of the Carnegie Library) has their annual Food Festival and EVERYBODY is semi-officially Greek (you have to get there early for dinner because the line WILL be out the door... after wrapping back on itself in the hallway outside their big auditorium and halfway up the stairs to the entrance and parking lot...). I take the bus (one less car to have to park) and that way I can have a glass of retsina with dinner and don't have to drive home...). Every year my husband takes a sip to see if his opinion of the stuff has changed.... and every time the answer is along the lines of, "How can you drink this swill? It's DISGUSTING!" And every year I just smile and say, "it's an acquired taste...."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for formatting

Edited by inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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I looked at their website and it seems to be a (nominally) members-only thing. Does being 1/4 Polish on my dad's side count? B)

 

From the review article I linked to: "Despite a "members only" sign, anyone whose presence is perceived as non-threatening can count on being politely received. ". Note that the author's last name is "Slagle", and he mentions going with a "Mrs. Yi" - neither name sounds very Lithuanian.

 

In any event, say "Labas" ("Hello") when you go in, and say Tadas sent you, and you'll be fine :)

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