Upscale

It used to be that a Greek restaurant was where you went when you were young and penniless and wanted a lot of semi-exotic food for not much money. The food could be good, but one thing it wasn't was upscale. Now that's changed. Not the food part. Mostly it's still not upscale. But who would have thought we'd be eating taverna food in a restaurant as elegantly decked out as the new Karabelas? The change has its roots in the success of Taverna Athena, a now-defunct restaurant in the Inner Harbor.

WHY IS IT so difficult for politicians to deal with The Block? When Alex. Brown was thinking of relocating its headquarters from downtown in the mid-1990s, then-Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke pledged to phase out the red-light district. But that goal has been lost, and the authorities have pretty much adopted a hands-off attitude. This noninterference started three years ago. In an action hailed for toughness at the time, the zoning board ordered three clubs permanently out of business and six others closed temporarily.

Well, it's time to move on up.I'm putting the "For Sale" sign out front, collecting cardboard boxes and setting aside those things that need to go out for the garage sale.I've got my eyes on a $1 million manse -- that's mansion for the uninformed -- that's going to be the latest addition to the housing landscape in Columbia.The Rouse Co. is planning an upscale -- emphasis on the "up" -- housing development on a 61-acre parcel flanked by the Hobbit's Glen Golf Course and the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area.

HELLERTOWN, Pa. -- By the time Stephanie Fiscella dropped off her husband, Lou, at the park-and-ride lot here near Allentown at 6:15 on an icy Wednesday morning, all 100 parking spaces were filled. Several cars sat in unmarked slots or stopped on a snow bank. Some commuters left handbags and briefcases on the curb to mark their places on the bus line while they huddled inside their cars. Fiscella has been making the two-hour commute to Manhattan for the three years since his family moved from Staten Island to the Lehigh Valley.

One of the first things they tell you in journalism school is to avoid sweeping generalizations, since they often prove to be inaccurate at best and patently offensive at worst.Aw, what the hell ...Snap profile of an Orioles fan: Spends half the game on his cell phone yakking with his broker. Wine-sipper. Gucci-tassel-loafer-wearer. Doesn't want to get on the opposing team too loudly, lest others in his section put down their Wall Street Journals and turn around and stare.If he's in a luxury box, he's raking a shrimp the size of your thumb through cocktail sauce while asking his buddies: "Which one's Cal Ripken again?"

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.

Always, there were those lovely old country estates and gracious manor taverns with roaring fireplaces, but in the old days fine dining was associated with the city. Not so anymore. Now, there are more compelling reasons than ever for diners to cross county lines for a good meal. The 50 best county restaurants in Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County is a mix of the old and the new, destinations for special occasions and joints for Monday night suppers, the chef-driven and crowd-pleasing.

Remember all those photos of Colin Powell decked out in his general's uniform? Chances are good it was made by a century-old Baltimore firm.Also on the Haas Tailoring Co.'s client list: Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, George Bush and -- in a few weeks -- golfer Tiger Woods.For 100 years, Haas has been making clothing in the city. The company has spent the last few decades tailoring custom suits for high-end retailers that cater to the powerful, wealthy or just plain big. Over the years, Gen. George S. Patton, the Temptations, Gov. Parris N. Glendening and most of the Baltimore Ravens have sported Haas' threads.

Nordstrom Rack will open its planned store in Columbia today at 9 a.m. The discount format of upscale department store Nordstrom Inc. celebrates the opening of a 41,000-square-foot space with "Rally at the Rack. " The retailer promises music, breakfast treats and gift card prizes. When the store opens, the first 1,000 shoppers to buy something will get a free tote bag. (While supplies last.) The Columbia store , in the former Room Store space, will be the fourth Rack in the state, joining others in Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Towson.

High Point, N.C. -- Alexander Julian is rarely at a loss for words. But when the famed menswear designer was asked to come up with a generic label for his newest venture -- furniture -- he was stumped.First he tried "traditional modernism" as a way to describe his Home Colours collection, which combines elements of formal 18th-century antiques with more rustic painted and wicker pieces and colorful, contemporary fabrics that might have come from one of his suits or ties.That phrase didn't go over well at Universal Furniture, the High Point manufacturer that is producing the line.