The 13th Floor grand unveiling

Jess Mayhugh — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:30:00 +0000

On Wednesday, I, along with other members of the media and selected guests, attended the unveiling of The 13th Floor, which is now open to the public after undergoing six months of renovations. The updates, which started in April, were intended to modernize the swanky space in The Belvedere.

As soon as the elevator doors opened up, the change was undeniable. There were stained-glass motifs, steel beams, and fuchsia and gold accents—giving the place an upscale, industrial feel.

The most prominent change was the bar, which was relocated from the center of the room to the front, where the dance floor used to be. The bar is also now a long, white marble L-shape, instead of its rectangular predecessor. The evening featured some of The 13th Floor’s new signature cocktails, including the Hemingway Daquiri, a delicious concoction of rum, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit juice.

Curiously, they didn’t install beer taps, but instead featured bottled beers like Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, Evolution Lucky 7, and Flying Dog Atlantic Lager. The local nods were a very nice touch. The menu also features nearly 40 wine selections.

In general, the new space has a much more sophisticated feel (no more animal-print carpet, though some booths did have a snake-skin pattern) and, it seems, the owners are trying to attract a more upscale clientele. One thing hasn’t changed, though: The skyline views are just as stunning.

[Image courtesy of Merkle Photography]

Source

HBO series Veep Being Filmed in Baltimore

Jess Mayhugh — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Baltimore isn’t like New York City for a lot of reasons (we’re okay with that), like when we see movie trailers on the side of the road, we’re taken aback and we usually ask someone on set, “What’s going on?”

The answer to that question recently has been Veep, an HBO series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays a Maryland Senator turned U.S. Vice President. The eight-episode season was shot locally and filming wrapped in December.

“Everyone who’s been working on this show said how great the set is, how nice the people are,” says casting director Pat Moran. “This can hopefully give Baltimore a chance to compete in the industry again.”

While Baltimore is acting as a stand in for D.C. (à la Live Free or Die Hard and Enemy of the State), natives will surely recognize Veep’s filming locations when it premieres on HBO in the spring.

A scene in the pilot episode was filmed outside of MICA’s main building. The grand, white-marble stairs were able to mimic D.C.’s architecture. The crew even put a fake metal detector in the entranceway to add to that government feel.

There was also a scene at The Ottobar with about 200 people. Moran couldn’t reveal much, though she said that Veep is a comedy and this was a “big, funny scene.”

Another filming location that got attention (especially as many thought Mad Men was in town) was the Belvedere, which was the backdrop for a law enforcement retirement party.

“The Belvedere is a grand dame,” Moran says. “I don’t care about any standards of any city. It was a perfect place for this over-the-top event. We used many local retired law-enforcement folks for that scene.”

Other locations included Donna’s in Charles Village, a Dillon Street row home in Canton, the offices of DLA Piper, and the show’s soundstage in Columbia.

But Moran stresses that this show means much more to Baltimore than just glitz and glamour.

“In a city like ours, we need the revenue,” she says. “We were once top five in the nation in the film industry. Now people move to New York, New Orleans. Hopefully, this will help bring our crew base back.”

Source

The Belvedere – Baltimore Magazine

The 13th Floor grand unveiling

HBO series Veep Being Filmed in Baltimore