Seltzer Tower

I was having lunch yesterday with a writer friend from New York City. Between bites of rigatoni, he was gushing about Baltimore.Yeah, a New Yorker knocked out by the urban charms of Baltimore. This All-Star spell was working.Of course it was working on him. He had a ticket.It turns out he loved the harbor, the ballpark, the warehouse, even the rigatoni."But, hey," he said, "I remember Baltimore when it was a dump. The streets were patrolled by big, ugly dogs and the tallest building was the Bromo Seltzer tower.

Dear Stadium Doctor:I've been meaning to send this letter for about three weeks.While at a recent game, I was sitting on the first-base side and noticed the view of Eutaw Street, including the Bromo Seltzer Tower, became increasingly drab. Maybe the owner of the building should take a look at the older buildings in Manhattan, many of which have colored lights reflecting off their tops.The Bromo Seltzer Tower adds to the atmosphere of Camden Yards and shouldn't be lost in the night.Chris CanningBaltimoreDear Chris Canning:Thank you for your illuminating suggestion about the Bromo Seltzer Tower, which happens to be one of my favorite downtown landmarks, rivaling Stadium Doctor Birthplace and Museum and the site of a chance meeting several years ago between myself and weatherman Tom Tasselmyer.

TELEVISION coverage of the Orioles' games these days finds the camera reaching out beyond the stadium to make the point that the stadium is, happily, located downtown, well within the old city. Frequently, the camera finds its way to, and comes to rest at, the old Bromo Seltzer Tower building -- sans the "blue bottle." All of which has been leading to suggestions from fans (and this newspaper) to the city fathers that they "bring back the blue bottle."That's not a bad idea, but it will take some doing.

From the fifth floor of the cast-iron building at Pratt and Howard streets, you'll be able to see a runner rounding third in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but you'll have to wait for the roar of the crowd to know if he scores. From the roof, you'll be able to see him get home, but you won't know who he is, even with a score card.This 19th century structure, renovated a couple of years ago and now known as the Marsh & McLennan Building, is one of several buildings in straightaway center field with views of the field at Oriole Park, or at least part of it.Among the other elite edifices are, of course, the Camden Warehouse, but also the Holiday Inn, the Marriott Hotel, the Bromo Seltzer tower, Mercantile Bank and Trust tower and the 24-story stair-step building known only by its address, 250 W. Pratt St.From Eutaw Street, south of Lombard, there are also places you can see into the ballpark, and there are spots along the Camden Street fence, behind center field -- and the picnic area -- where you can see the field and read the players' numbers.

From the fifth floor of the cast-iron building at Pratt and Howard streets, you'll be able to see a runner rounding third in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but you'll have to wait for the roar of the crowd to know if he scores. From the roof, you'll be able to see him get home, but you won't know who he is, even with a scorecard.This 19th century structure, renovated a couple of years ago and now known as the Marsh & McLennan Building, is one of several buildings in straightaway center field with unobstructed views of the field at Oriole Park, or at least part of it.Among the other elite edifices are, of course, the Camden Warehouse, but also the Holiday Inn, the Marriott Hotel, the Bromo Seltzer tower, Mercantile Bank and Trust tower and the 24-story stair-step building known only by its address, 250 W. Pratt St.From Eutaw Street, south of Lombard, there are also places you can see into the ballpark and there are spots along the Camden Street fence, behind center field -- and the picnic area -- where you can see the field and read the players' numbers.