offManhattan

Dozens of famous authors, including Edgar Allen Poe, H.L. Mencken and David Simon, have lived in and drawn inspiration from Baltimore, making it a wonderful place for a literary escape and a fitting host for the 15th Annual Baltimore Book Festival in September. In advance of the event, which is scheduled for September 24-26, squeeze in some summer reading with some titles from these four used bookstores that honor the literary heritage of the city.

Normal’s Books and Records: This perennial award-winner ranks as John Waters’ favorite Baltimore book shop, and the collectively owned operation has been selling esoterica for 18 years. In addition to philosophy, classics, metaphysics and contemporary fiction, Normal’s has a ton of vinyl and indie ‘zines from around the world. (425 E. 31st St., normals.com)

• The cozy creative nook of Philly’s Piazza at Schmidts in the Northern Liberties neighborhood now looks to be heading in the direction of a strip mall. [philly.com]
• NYC Performing Arts Spaces is looking for composers in Queens. [NYCSpaces]
• All ambitious creative types should head to the Work It Brooklyn networking event on Wednesday. [BrooklynBased]
• Love to shuck? The Chesapeake Oyster and Beer Festival takes place this weekend in Baltimore. [Thrillist]
• The experiential opera-theater-concert music organization Opera Cabal will perform at Galapagos Art Space on Monday. [Galapagos]

What: Flea Market Finds in Historic Fells Point

Where: 812 S. Ann St., Baltimore, MD

When: Every second Sunday of the month, April-October 11

Why: If you didn’t get your fill of vintage and repurposed at Baltimore’s six best second-hand shops, check out the final antique flea of the year, Second Sunday Antique Markets, in the heart of Historic Fells Point. One of Baltimore’s original neighborhoods, it’s the perfect setting for a market selling everything from the very, very distant past to the not-so-long-ago. (Where does a vinyl copy of Michael Jackson’s Bad for $20 land on that timeline?)

It is the height of crab season in Baltimore, which means it’s the very best time to try the city’s most famous culinary creation, the crab cake. But since just about every place in town serves them, we’ve rounded up the six best places to try the city’s trademark dish.

What: Yellow Bricks and Emerald Cities

When: Now through December 2009

Where: Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, Baltimore

Why: If you’re in town for a Yankees vs. Orioles game or some blue crab, add this to your activity list. 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of the release of The Wizard of Oz, and Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is celebrating with a special exhibit featuring first editions of 40 Oz books, by creator and author L. Frank Baum as well as by children’s writer Ruth Plumly Thompson and illustrator John R. Neill who continued the franchise after Baum’s death in 1919. Movie-inspired merchandise like posters, dolls and even board games round out the show of vintage mementos.

What: Fort McHenry’s 70th Anniversary as a Historic Shrine

Where: Baltimore, Maryland

When: Tuesday, August 11; Summer Saturdays & Sundays

Why: While Fort McHenry was built in 1803, and shelled by the British in 1814, it wasn’t until 1939 that it was granted special status by the US National Park Service. Now the country’s only National Monument and Historic Shrine, it’s recognized as the home of the original star spangled banner—commissioned by the fort’s commander to taunt the British Navy—that Francis Scott Key saw “by the dawn’s early light.”

Big buzzwords at this year’s mega outdoor art festival Artscape were re-purposed and recycled—which fit nicely with Baltimore’s ongoing urban renewal. While farming vacant lots and joining bike shop co-ops are perhaps better suited to residents, visitors can embrace re-use at the city’s many second-hand shops.

Here are six of the best:

What: Baseball—Yankees or Mets—away from New York

Where: Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore; Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia

When: August 31, September 1, 2 for the Yankees playing the Baltimore Orioles; September 11, 12, 13 for the Mets playing the Philadelphia Phillies

Why: Okay Yankees and Mets fans, we know you’re tired of paying a fortune for seats in the glitzy new stadiums. It might be time to switch up the playing fields a bit and save some money in the process. (Don’t panic people, we’re not asking you to root for another home team.)