Bar

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

Last November, after months of campaigning - and millions spent on advertising for and against gambling expansion - Maryland voters decided the allure of live table games at local casinos was too enticing to ignore and Question 7 was approved by a narrow margin. On a recent Friday night, Maryland Live Casino - the state's largest and most extravagant casino, located in Hanover - appeared to be reaping the benefits of democracy. At around 9:30 p.m., the crowded and energized floor offered enough sights and sounds to keep eyes darting in all directions.

If the Black Eyed Susan were a race horse, it would be a sprinter. It makes one strong move, then fades quickly. The strong move occurs this weekend when the cocktail will be in demand at Pamlico Race Track, during both the running of the Black Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday and the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Over these two days, about 25,000 servings of the libation, poured into commemorative glasses, will be sold at $8 apiece, track officials say. But as soon as Preakness weekend ends, so does the does the local thirst for the Susan.

The city's spending panel on Wednesday approved a $72,000 payout to three family members who accused Baltimore police of assaulting and falsely arresting them outside of a Federal Hill bar. The Board of Estimates voted to award the money to Rony, Ronnie and Eileen Reyes to settle a $99 million suit brought against the police department after a 2010 incident at Mad River Bar & Grille. On Oct. 16, the Reyes family went to the bar and stayed there until closing time, according to board documents.

Even if you're not yet ready to retire, San Miguel de Allende is perfect for a vacation or long weekend getaway. Getting there United and American airlines offer connecting flights (via Texas) to San Miguel's two closest airports, Leon/Guanajuato (BJX), 90 minutes away, and Queretaro (QRO), one hour away. Round-trip airfares start around $600. Multiple airlines offer flights to Mexico City, which is three hours from San Miguel. When to go January may be the sole inclement month to travel, and even then it's nothing compared to a typical Baltimore winter.

Stillwater Artisanal Ales is opening its own bar in Brewer's Hill this year, and it isn't just lending its name to the effort. To be called Of Love & Regret, the bar is a creative and business collaboration between Stillwater founder Brian Strumke and Ted Stelzenmuller, chef and co-owner of restaurant Jack's Bistro in Canton. Its opening underscores the success the Baltimore microbrewer has had in the past two years. Strumke said he expects production of Stillwater beers to double to 5,000 barrels in 2012.

These can be lonely times for an Orioles fan in New York City. But just like the team they love, Orioles fans always find a way. Orioles fans enisled on Manhattan have started flocking to the Horsebox, a two-and-a-half year old bar on Avenue A in the East Village. "I was born in Baltimore, grew up in Annapolis," said The Horsebox's owner David Pettebone. "And my partner, Noel Foley, who's from Carlow, Ireland, fell in love with the Orioles, too. We always have on our O's caps behind the bar. " Patrons, some of them Marylanders attending New York University, took notice.

Locust Point was sleepy last Friday night, mostly. Few cars zoomed down Fort Avenue. The sidewalks were empty. The brightest neon sign on the peninsula didn't come from a bar but from the Domino Sugars factory. Music emanated from some bars, but the only noise came from three of us in our 20s walking down the pockmarked sidewalks, past a McDonald's, a strip mall, some warehouses, on a bar crawl in the neighborhood. Locust Point's bar scene got two additions recently — Barracudas and 5 Points — that suggest an infusion of much-needed new blood.

It's Wednesday night in Upper Fells Point and I'm sitting at the bar of the restaurant Salt. The restaurant has entered its chilled-out mode; dinner service ends in a half-hour at 10:30 p.m. A jazzy score - Charles Mingus and Roy Hargrove - murmurs in the background, and a mute TV is ignored in a far corner. A dozen or so green-colored lamps that look like a squadron of flying saucers give the bar a cool, moody glow. Though the atmosphere is serene, the bar, which seats about 12, is full.

A 29-year-old man remained in critical condition Wednesday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center after being assaulted over the weekend outside a Baltimore County bar. Officers from the Woodlawn Precinct summoned to the Corinthian Lounge & Restaurant early Saturday found the victim suffering from severe head wounds, police said. Detectives said two people may have followed the man out of the bar in the 7100 block of Windsor Mill Road and beaten him. Police said they did not know of a motive and are asking for the public's help in finding the two suspects.

For Baltimoreans of a certain age, the name "Admiral's Cup" conjures up images of boozy Fells Point nights and dirty bathrooms. The legendary dive bar closed in 2007, reopening last fall under the ownership of Kali's Restaurant Group, the company that oversees Fells Point neighbors Mezze and Kali's Court. Old fans looking to relive their youths at the bar might be disappointed; thanks to a face lift, Admiral's Cup has lost its gritty edge. With a focus on local beer and capable takes on bar-friendly food made with local ingredients, the restaurant feels fresh and current.

A task force appointed last year by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to study the city's speed and red-light camera program violated Maryland law when it met behind closed doors in March, the state Open Meetings Compliance Board ruled this week. The task force also violated the open-meetings law by not giving reasonable advance notice of meetings and by failing to take proper minutes, the board said in the ruling published Monday. While the decision carries no penalty, a judge could assess a $100 fine on members who "willfully" participated in the meeting.

Meeting behind closed doors, the city's Board of Finance on Monday approved more than $100 million in taxpayer assistance to help fund a massive, waterfront development project that will host energy giant Exelon Corp.'s regional headquarters. After barring the public from the 90-minute meeting, board members voted 4-0 to approve a developer's request for $107 million in tax increment financing to pay for roads, utilities and parks for the $1 billion Harbor Point mixed-use development on the waterfront between Harbor East and Fells Point, according to Stephen M. Kraus, the city's chief of treasury management.

The following is compiled from police reports. It is the Baltimore Messenger's policy to include descriptions only when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Baltimore City Police Department's Northern District at 410-396-2455. Amberly Way 100 block, between 3 and 4:15 p.m. May 14. Handbag, ID, credit cards stolen from vehicle. Art Museum Drive Unit block, between 6:15 and 7:30 p.m. May 14. Toshiba laptop stolen from vehicle.

As the founder of KIPP Baltimore, which operates two high-performing public charter schools in the city, I am heartened and encouraged by our progress over the past six years under schools CEO Andrés Alonso. As I move to a new role as executive director of MarylandCAN - the Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now - I am hopeful that many of the policies and approaches that have driven this progress will be replicated in other Maryland school systems. But the work in Baltimore is far from over.

The following is compiled from police reports. It is the Baltimore Messenger's policy to include descriptions only when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Baltimore City Police Department's Northern District at 410-396-2455. North Calvert Street 2500 block at 3:50 p.m. May 9. Pedestrian knocked down and robbed of back pack, two rings, passport, iPad, clothing, medications. Cedarcroft Road 700 block at 4 p.m. May 5. White iPod stolen from vehicle.

A 29-year-old man remained in critical condition Wednesday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center after being assaulted over the weekend outside a Baltimore County bar. Police officers from the Woodlawn precinct who responded to a call about an assault outside the Corinthian Lounge & Restaurant early Saturday found the victim suffering from severe head wounds, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the department. Detectives said that two suspects may have followed the man out of the bar on the 7100 block of Windsor Mill Road and beaten him. No motive has been determined for the attack.

For those who claim it's hard to find a sports bar in Mt. Vernon and Midtown, there's Turp's . Named not for the Maryland Terrapins but for John Turpin, the bar's former manager, Turp's has nicely filled out that niche in the area. Yes, Terps games are broadcast, but the bar caters to sports fans of all stripes. On Ravens game days, it offers several drink specials. The bar opened two years ago, replacing bistro Neo Viccino, and has become popular with students and neighbors who were tired of going to the other quasi-sports bars around, namely Mick O'Shea's and the Midtown Yacht Club.

Owner Haluk Kantar has big plans for his pizza-focused sports bar. Last April, he opened the first HomeSlyce Pizza Bar in Federal Hill. Six months later, a second location came downtown to North Charles Street, next to Mick O'Shea's. Kantar - who also owns the Turkish restaurant Cazbar in Mount Vernon - recently said Canton and Hampden are likely the next neighborhoods to get their own HomeSlyce. After the city, he wants to expand south to Columbia, College Park and eventually D.C. Kantar has ambitious plans for HomeSlyce, and based on a recent Saturday night at the downtown bar, it made sense why. The atmosphere was approachable and laid back, and never boring.

The necessity of a two-income family today often leaves parents scrambling for child care and juggling countless responsibilities. It is no wonder that young parents today may feel overwhelmed. There is good news, though, and a place to go to find some much-needed guidance. Jewish Community Services is offering a new parent discussion series that addresses some of the challenges of parenthood. These groups are free and open to the public once a month on Tuesdays, meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center at 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue.