As is routine here at Baltimore, our editors have spent the past 12 months getting to know our city’s most interesting people and places.
We’ve had intimate sit-downs with dignitaries (Governor Wes Moore and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi, to name a few), embedded ourselves into communities (see: “Ashes to Ashes: Dust to Dust”), dug deep into local history and culture (“The City That Cures” and “In Boh We Trust”), and gone on some fascinating field trips—including sailing, skateboarding, swimming in the Inner Harbor, visiting with chimps and giraffes, and even stopping by a gun range. Of course, we’ve also curated our many lifestyle guides—from dining and arts to travel and outdoors—along the way.
As the year winds down, we asked our editors to choose their favorite reporting experiences of 2024. Here’s what they had to say:
Better Call Barry
Everything you ever wanted to know about Baltimore’s pugnacious TV-advertising lawyer (and maybe a few things you wish you didn’t.)
By Ron Cassie
Writing a couple stories each month for a City/Regional magazine, especially in an unendingly interesting place like Baltimore, takes me all over the map. This past year that included in-depth pieces on the budget crisis facing Governor Wes Moore, Maryland’s one-time colony in Liberia, the sudden rise of the Orioles, a hard look at the horse-racing deaths in the state, and the troubling environmental history of Curtis Bay.
But my favorite story? The profile of Baltimore’s most indefatigable TV-advertising lawyer, Barry Glazer, a man who is all over the map himself and pretty transparent about it. He’s also just fun to hang out with.
The Classics
From mounted marlins to paper-wrapped picnic tables, long live the iconic crab houses of The Land of Pleasant Living.
By Lydia Woolever
Reporting our July cover story, “The Classics,” was a literal trip. I drove from the southern tip of the Eastern Shore to the mountain ranges of Western Maryland to find the state’s most real-deal crab houses, covering hundreds of miles, eating dozens of crab dishes, downing at least a few cold beers.
The best part was a local tip about an old-school donut shop that served their offerings up hot every evening in Hagerstown. It was a hot summer night and I’d just gorged myself on seafood, but I got a small paper box filled with a half-dozen—glazed, jelly, boston crème—for the windows-down drive back home.
Family Roots
How Tulkoff Foods built a horseradish empire in Baltimore.
By Janelle Erlichman Diamond
I love being reminded of the real people behind businesses, especially one in our own backyard.
Like most Jews, I grew up eating horseradish as part of the ritual of my Passover Seder. First a tiny speck and then more and more as my taste buds evolved. One day when I was Googling “horseradish” for another piece I was working on—yes, the strange Google history of writers—the name Tulkoff Food popped up. It was, I realized, a horseradish company based here in Baltimore on the brink of a century in business. (As the daughter of two Brooklyn Jews, I had grown up eating Gold’s.)
In researching this story, I got to spend time at the Tulkoff headquarters, now in Holabird, with third-generation owner Phil Tulkoff. My favorite part was not only the factory tour, but all the memorabilia the company has acquired from 98 years in business—including a sepia toned photograph of Sol Tulkoff, Phil’s uncle, clad in a tiger-patterned sports coat, peeling horseradish root. (Read on to find out how this led to what we now know and love as Tiger Sauce.)
That Girl
Natalie Wynn’s provocative, wildly entertaining YouTube videos have earned her millions of fans—and her fair share of haters, too.
By Max Weiss
I was nervous to meet Natalie Wynn because I admire her so much. The YouTube social critic has a razor-sharp wit, seemingly limitless creativity, a gimlet-eyed view of social media, and, frankly, she’s cool as hell.
It was that last bit that scared me. What if I wasn’t as cool as her? (Spoiler alert: No one is as cool as her.) But in person, I found Natalie to be self-effacing, warm, and eager to share her story. We talked for hours, laughed a lot, and bonded over common enemies—mostly small-minded people on the internet. I hope I did her justice.
Little Nancy Comes Home
The first female speaker of the House returns to reminisce about the place where she was born and raised.
By Jane Marion
My favorite story to report and write this year was my piece on former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The iconic Speaker accepted my lunch invitation to meet me at Sabatino’s in the heart of Little Italy, just a stone’s throw from where she was born and raised. The Speaker still has a clear affection for Charm City and has never forgotten where she came from, even if she did arrive in a armored Suburban with a posse of protectors and press secretaries by her side.
Without question, my favorite piece of this past year was the story I wrote about sailing on the Pride of Baltimore II, in which I guest crewed on the Baltimore tall ship for a three-day sail up the Chesapeake. I’ve loved this ship for years and had been on a few of the day sails, so when I heard about the opportunity to come aboard, I emailed my editor within minutes to pitch the story.
It was hugely fun to learn how to tie knots, coil rope, take down sails, etc.—all while peppering the crew with endless questions—but the most fun was climbing 50 feet overhead and having the most spectacular bird’s-eye view of the Chesapeake. Sailing under the Bay Bridge at midnight was pretty spectacular, too.
Scents and Sensibility
For the lost or missing in Maryland, these search dogs really are humankind’s best friend.
By Christianna McCausland
My favorite story to report and write this year was “Scents and Sensibility” about the incredible work done by search and rescue dogs and their handlers. I loved spending quality time with these gifted canines and learning the remarkable scent capabilities they have that can literally save a life.
Honorable Mentions: I also really enjoyed my pieces “Home on the Range” (about Black women gun owners), “Hot House” (about climate change and gardening), and “Jill of All Trades” (about women moving into male-dominated fields). It was an enlightening year with many great stories to choose from.