Boston Street

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on Boston Street at Highland Avenue, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Route 27 at Lucabaugh Mill Road in Westminster and Liberty Road and Brenbrook Drive in Baltimore County. Traffic was slow on I-895 near the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in east Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted.

In its aim and ambition, Moonshine Tavern is nothing like the Gin Mill, the cozy Canton bar and restaurant it replaced after nearly 16 years of service. Like many of the nearby bars on Boston Street, the Gin Mill was more of a casual place for dinner and drinks than a hot spot. I talked to Moonshine Tavern co-owner Shanna Cooper in January, and it was clear that she and partner Jacob Millisock hoped to make Gin Mill a distant memory. "We're not looking to be a hole-in-the-wall bar," Cooper said.

Boston Street CafeWhere: 2322 Boston St., Canton.Hours: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Mondays to Saturdays, closed Sundays.Menu: Light fare, raw bar. Full-service restaurant opening in several weeks.Credit cards: V, MC, AE, Diners.Call: 558-2347.Wherever a gold coast develops, golden ale is sure to soon flow.So it is in Canton, the waterside community that has been radically transformed in recent years. The marina and condo crowd now break in their expensive boat shoes at the very waterfront sites where factory workers once toiled.

Two accidents with injury hampered the Monday morning commute, including a crash on US 50 near MD 97/Collingwood Road westbound that has the left lane and left shoulder closed as of 8:32 a.m. The state Department of Transportation also reported an accident with injury on Interstate 95 at Exit 49 northbound at 8:13 a.m. that closed the left lane and shoulder. Also reported was an accident on MD 100 where the highway connects to Interstate 97 at Exit 13 A-B, at 8:21 a.m. No injuries or lane closures were reported.

It came as no surprise when Flirt, the seediest club on Boston Street, closed a few months back. For me, one trip was enough: The place was grimy and empty, and the DJs bumped crunk hip hop and stared at my girlfriend like hungry hyenas. We bounced after a bit, just as a thugged-out crowd started trickling in. No, thanks. When word got out that a new owner took over and gutted the place, I was really looking forward to it - especially after talking to the new manager, Warren Hemenway.

Once a gritty neighborhood on Southeast Baltimore's industrial waterfront, Canton has transformed itself into a model of urban chic where million-dollar townhouses overlook the harbor and destination night spots surround O'Donnell Square. But many residents of the resurgent community worry that the city's preferred route for an east-west transit line would cut off Canton from the water, drag down property values and compound the area's already serious traffic and parking problems. They're organizing to oppose the plan known as Alternative 4-C - which has powerful support and could well be chosen when the Maryland Transit Administration decides this summer.

It wasn't long after opening in 1996 that Canton's GoodLove Bar became known as a rare gem in the region's sometimes drab nightlife scene. The sleek lounge was one of the first spots in Charm City to marry loungy, laid-back vibes with a minimalist look (a combination that's since become popular at other local joints, including Red Maple). And unlike some of Washington's upscale establishments, GoodLove had a welcoming, neighborly vibe that was as unaffected as its decor was trendy. Years later, however, flames would sweep through the Boston Street spot, bringing all of that innovation and good-time fun to an end. But to the delight of many local hipsters, the fire of March 2003 wouldn't stop the GoodLove party from continuing; and after a year of steady renovation, the corner bar is now back in business - or as its glossy new grand-opening flier states: "Love is Good Again."

A DRIVE INTO CANTON these days will test anyone's nerves.Here, you'll find the best and worst of Baltimore: a revitalized neighborhood, sparkling waterfront, historic churches -- and perhaps the most fouled-up road construction in the city.Residents of this trendy community have complained to Intrepid One for months about the $14.5 million overhaul of Boston Street that is expected to connect the Inner Harbor to Interstate 95 on the Eastside.If city Department of Public Works supervisors don't try to improve the painful situation soon, your wheelster fears that commuters will stage a Boston (Street)

In its aim and ambition, Moonshine Tavern is nothing like the Gin Mill, the cozy Canton bar and restaurant it replaced after nearly 16 years of service. Like many of the nearby bars on Boston Street, the Gin Mill was more of a casual place for dinner and drinks than a hot spot. I talked to Moonshine Tavern co-owner Shanna Cooper in January, and it was clear that she and partner Jacob Millisock hoped to make Gin Mill a distant memory. "We're not looking to be a hole-in-the-wall bar," Cooper said.

The groundbreaking for a Main Street-style shopping center on a 25-acre parcel just south of Brewers Hill is set for the middle of August, the developer said Monday. Preparatory work on below-grade utilities recently began at the Canton Crossing site, which used to be an oil terminal, said Neil Tucker, a real estate developer and broker with Chesapeake Real Estate Group LLC. The retail center, near the First Mariner Tower and Merritt Athletic Club, is slated to open in October 2013, Tucker said.

In less than a year, there will be a Target in Canton. The discount chain announced this week that it will be opening a 135,000 square foot store in the Canton Crossing shopping center in October 2013. The store will have groceries in addition to the "everyday essentials" that Target is known for, the company said in a statement. The Canton Crossing center, off Boston Street between Baylis and South Haven streets, will have two anchors (Target is one) and is expected to have 30 businesses in all -- including seven or eight restaurants and a bank branch, according to the developer,  Chesapeake Real Estate Group LLC . The only Target currently within the city limits is at Mondawmin Mall, in northwest Baltimore.

A few of the food trucks are back on the road but not all of them. Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon is at the University of Maryland, near Baltimore and Greene streets, until 3 p.m. Woody's Taco Island is in Mount Vernon, near the corner of Calvert and Monument streets, until 3 p.m. GrrChe is near Johns Hopkins University, on 33rd Street between Charles and St. Paul streets, until 3:30 p.m. -- and they're giving out Halloween candy....

Beware, residents of Fells Point. Again the Baltimore Running Festival will proceed through Lancaster Street and Aliceanna Street to Boston Street on Saturday morning, Oct. 13 ("Street closures for the Running Festival," Oct. 11). As usual the organizers have chosen to hold hostage residents of the Fells Point community by blocking all egress from south of the above-mentioned streets - unless you have a boat - from 8:10 a.m. to noon. The race starts at 8 am and travels to Druid Hill, Locust Point and then around the Inner Harbor before getting to Lancaster Street.

Streets throughout Baltimore will be closed temporarily Saturday for the 2012 Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival, which includes a 26-mile marathon, a half-marathon and a 5K race. According to the organizers, here is a list of street closures and approximate times. Organizers say that final decisions about when to open and close streets will be made by police officers at various intersections. They say there also may be "rolling stops," which means an officer may allow vehicles to proceed when there is a gap between runners.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on Boston Street at Highland Avenue, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Route 27 at Lucabaugh Mill Road in Westminster and Liberty Road and Brenbrook Drive in Baltimore County. Traffic was slow on I-895 near the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in east Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted.

The groundbreaking for a Main Street-style shopping center on a 25-acre parcel just south of Brewers Hill is set for the middle of August, the developer said Monday. Preparatory work on below-grade utilities recently began at the Canton Crossing site, which used to be an oil terminal, said Neil Tucker, a real estate developer and broker with Chesapeake Real Estate Group LLC. The retail center, near the First Mariner Tower and Merritt Athletic Club, is slated to open in October 2013, Tucker said.

The removal of pedestrian bridges at the General Motors plant will necessitate the closure of a portion of Broening Highway from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. today, according to city transportation officials. The affected area runs from Keith Avenue to Holabird Avenue. Northbound Broening traffic will be directed north on Clinton Street, east on Boston Street, south on Ponca, and then back to Broening. Southbound Broening traffic will be sent west on Holabird, north on Ponca, west on Boston Street, south on Clinton Street, east on Keith Avenue, and then back to Broening.

With a large fitness club on one side of Boston Street and new business on other side, the signs are clear that Canton is rapidly growing across a section of railroad tracks and into an adjacent industrial area. Cars routinely clog Boston Street, with traffic jams now reaching as far east as Interstate 95, frustrating residents and visitors. "It's already a nightmare," said Darryl Jurkiewicz, president of the Canton Community Association. The large, multitrack crossing used by three railroads that often switch from one track to the other increases delays and backups.

Welcome to Baltimore to the 10,000 new residents MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blakewants to attract. You get to enjoy a bottle tax that was recently increased from 2 cents to 5 cents, your kids can't go into stores that sell liquor to buy a soda or bag of chips, but they can encounter drug dealers standing outside, the bill for water just increased 9 percent, the schools are falling apart, but the tech department can afford new phones, and the city...

The following parking restrictions will be implemented on Saturday, October 15, 2011: ∙ Linwood Avenue from Eastern Avenue to Fayette Street 12:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ∙ Eastern Avenue (north side) from Linwood to Patterson Park Avenues 12:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ∙ Boston Street (north side) from Aliceanna Street to Lakewood Avenue 2:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ∙ Lancaster Street from President Street to Central Avenue 4:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ∙ 33rd Street from Hillen Road to Guilford Avenue 4:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ∙ Eutaw Street (west side)