The Inner Harbor neighborhood is centered on a tourism-friendly plaza that surrounds part of the harbor

The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world.”^[1] The Inner Harbor consists of the end of the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River and includes any water west of a line drawn between the foot of President Street and the American Visionary Art Museum. The name "Inner Harbor" is used not just for the water but for the surrounding area of the city, with approximate street boundaries of President Street to the east, Lombard Street to the north, Greene Street to the west, and Key Highway on the south. The harbor is within walking distance of Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium and has a water taxi that connects the Inner Harbor to Fells Point, Canton, and Fort McHenry.

History[link]

The Inner Harbor is framed by both the city's skyline and its parks.

While Baltimore has been a major U.S. seaport since the 18th century, the historically shallow water of the Inner Harbor (prior to manipulation through dredging) was not conducive to large ships or heavy industry, most of which was concentrated in Locust Point, Fell's Point, and Canton.

In the first half of the 20th century, Baltimore shared the disastrous decline of central cities around the world – dragged down by urban sprawl and the abandonment of the old harbors by the arrival of container ships after World War II. Then, in the second half of the century, the old harbors were rediscovered as focal points where public space, tourism, business and housing could create mixed-use economic engines for revitalization.^[2]

During the 1940s, John H. Threadgill, the head of the Steamship Trade Association, spearheaded a study on the idea of a cross-harbor bridge.^[3] A bridge across the Inner Harbor of Baltimore was one idea that was discussed frequently. In his capacity as head of the association, Threadgill ultimately recommended that the idea for a cross-harbor bridge be abandoned, due to the fact that Baltimore relied heavily on a shipping trade and fears that the bridge would negatively impede the flow of shipping traffic at the Port of Baltimore.^[4] Threadgill was named head of Baltimore's Port Commission during the 1950s.^[5]

However, in the 1950s, economic shifts ended both the freight and passenger use of the Inner Harbor, such as the Old Bay Line's steamers. Rotting warehouses and piers were eventually torn down and replaced by open, grass-covered parkland that was used for recreational purposes and occasional large events.

The waterfront was gradually transformed with award-winning parks and plazas surrounded by office buildings, hotels and leisure attractions, which reversed the city's decline and became a model for urban renaissance in cities around the world. ^[6] The renewal of Baltimore's Inner Harbor area began with the adoption of the 33-acre (13 ha) Charles Center project by the City Council and Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro in March 1958. Between 1958 and 1965, Baltimore renewed the center of its business district by rebuilding Charles Center with office buildings, hotels and retail shops.

At the beginning of mayor Theodore R. McKeldin's second term in 1963, the redevelopment program was expanded to include 240 acres (97 ha) surrounding the Inner Harbor, where corporate headquarters and hotels were built around the shoreline of the Inner Harbor, which was transformed with a public park and promenade for leisure activity and community gatherings.

On July 4, 1976, following the rendezvous of Tall Ships in New York for the U.S. Bicentennial, eight ships from other nations visited Baltimore, where they attracted a huge outpouring of tourists and launched the creation of a critical mass of tourist attractions – including the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, Baltimore Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Baltimore Hotel and the Harborplace festival marketplace, which opened on the Fourth of July, 1980.^[7]

With the success of the Inner Harbor in the 1970s and '80s, Baltimore became a worldwide tourist destination and model of urban planning and development, influencing more than 100 other cities and winning more than 40 national or international awards, including a citation by the American Institute of Architects in 1984 as “one of the supreme achievements of large-scale urban design and development in U.S. history.”^[8]

Baltimore harbor from Federal Hill in 1849 with the Washington Monument in the background

In recent years, the area along the waterfront to the east of the Inner Harbor (in the direction of Fells Point and Little Italy) has been developed with condominiums, retail space, restaurants, and hotels – an ongoing project known as Harbor East.

While little development land remains around the Inner Harbor, what land is available has attracted many plans, which have not been realized. Recently completed projects include mixed-use developments incorporating office space, street-level retail, and condominiums as well as hotel projects such as the Ritz Carlton Residences, a condominium project on Key Highway at the southeast corner of the Inner Harbor.

In September 2003, the Inner Harbor area was flooded by Hurricane Isabel. The Baltimore World Trade Center remained closed for a month, but all the other buildings were saved from flooding by the Inner Harbor development controls, which were created by the master developer team of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management, Inc.

In March 2004, a water taxi capsized during a storm on the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River near Fort McHenry. While occurring over a mile downstream of the Inner Harbor, it nonetheless was associated with the Inner Harbor by news reports and casual observers. A total of 5 passengers died in the accident, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was caused when the small pontoon-style vessel encountered unpredictable strong winds and waves.^[9]

Panorama of the Inner Harbor taken at night from Federal Hill

Attractions[link]

View of Inner Harbor Marina^[10] and Lighthouse

Museums[link]

• Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African-American History and Culture
• American Visionary Art Museum
• Baltimore Museum of Industry
• Geppi's Entertainment Museum (opened September 2006)
• Jewish Museum of Maryland at the Lloyd Street Synagogue – one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.
• Civil War Museum at the President Street Station
• Port Discovery Children's Museum (on the site of the historic Baltimore Fishmarket and the 1988–1989 Fishmarket dance/music complex)
• Sports Legends at Camden Yards
• Museum of Dentistry

Ships[link]

• Baltimore Maritime Museum:
  • USCGC Taney – last fighting ship still afloat that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor
  • USS Torsk – Tench-class submarine; last ship to sink enemy vessel in World War II
  • Lightship Chesapeake
  • Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse
• USS Constellation – last Civil War-era ship still afloat

• Vessels on active/reserve status:
  • USNS Comfort – US Navy hospital ship
  • SS Wright – US Navy Aviation Logistics Support (roll-on/roll-off) container ship

Entertainment venues[link]

Sports[link]

• Camden Yards Sports Complex
  • Baltimore Grand Prix (street race for Indycar and American Le Mans Series)
  • Oriole Park at Camden Yards (home of the Baltimore Orioles)
  • M&T Bank Stadium (home of the Baltimore Ravens; formerly known as PSINet Stadium and then as Ravens Stadium)
  • Sports Legends at Camden Yards
  • Babe Ruth birthplace and museum

Concert halls and arenas[link]

• Baltimore Convention Center
• 1st Mariner Arena (formerly known as the Civic Center)
• Pier 6 Concert Pavilion
• Power Plant Live! (a collection of bars and clubs that includes Rams Head Live!)

Notable architecture[link]

• Bnai Israel – Moorish Revival synagogue now open as a museum

Other attractions[link]

Baltimore is the home of the National Aquarium, one of the world's largest.

• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Harborplace and the Gallery
• Maryland Science Center
• The Pratt Street Power Plant (containing Barnes & Noble, Hard Rock Cafe, and the original ESPN Zone, which closed in June 2010; in the late 1980s, contained an indoor Victorian era "fun house"-themed Six Flags amusement park)
• Top of the World at the Baltimore World Trade Center
• Holocaust Memorial
• Columbus Center, home of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
• Lockwood Place
• Baltimore Visitors Center
• Lloyd Street Synagogue, the third-oldest synagogue in the United States, now a museum

References[link]

External links[link]

• Baltimore Inner Harbor web page
• Official Harbor Place website
• Baltimore Maritime Museum
• Baltimore Museum of Industry
• Baltimore Walking Tours
• Global Harbors: A Waterfront Renaissance

Coordinates: 39°17′0.58″N 76°36′35.63″W / 39.2834944°N 76.6098972°W / 39.2834944; -76.6098972

Nikolas Wallenda, known as Nik Wallenda born January 24, 1979 is an American high wire artist, acrobat, daredevil and Guinness Book of Records world record-holder. A direct descendant of Karl Wallenda (founder of the The Flying Wallendas), Nik is known for performing death-defying stunts on highwire without a safety net. On October 15, 2008, during a live broadcast of Today, Wallenda walked and then bicycled across a suspended highwire 13 and 1/2 stories above the ground off the roof of the Prudential Center in Downtown Newark, New Jersey for a Guinness Book of Records world record for longest and highest bicycle on a highwire.^[1]

Early life[link]

Wallenda, born in Sarasota, Florida, began performing with his family at an early age. As the seventh generation of the Wallenda Family, he first performed at the age of two (dressed as a clown), began walking the wire at age 4 and had his first professional wire performance at 13. In 1998, while 19 years old, he participated in the re-creation of Karl Wallenda's seven-person pyramid on the highwire in Detroit, Michigan by his father Terry and mother Delilah and decided to make a career of it.^[2]

Personal life[link]

In 1999, Wallenda proposed to his future wife Erendira, on bended knee on a wire 30 feet (9.1 m) high during a performance in Montreal, Quebec, Canada before a packed house of 18,000 people.^[3]

Wallenda and his wife own and operate Wallendas Inc., a premier entertainment company that produces thrill shows around the world. They also have three children - Yanni, Amadaos and Evita.

Career[link]

Upon establishing himself as a highwire entertainer, Wallenda continued to perform with his family and eventually convinced them to attempt their next monumental feat. In 2001, he appeared at Japan's Kurashiki Tivoli Park in a family troupe that set the Guinness World Record for an eight-person pyramid on the high wire—a feat practiced intensely for over five months.^[4] He cited his great-grandfather Karl Wallenda as his primary inspiration for the stunt, stating, "It was a landmark experience for our profession, as well as our family and me personally."

In recent years, he has developed many broad scale productions for amusement parks and similar venues all over the world, including water stunts, diving and other daredevil exploits, often featuring him and his wife. They have worked with their respective families on acts including sway poles, the highwire, skywalks, the wheel of death, incline motorcycles, silks, lyras, the cloud swing, motorcycles in a cage, and even a dog act.

In 2007 and 2008, Wallenda was a featured performer in the Ringling Brothers' production Bellobration, performing with Bello Nock on a newly contrived, double version of the Wheel of Steel. The double wheel of steel was invented, designed, and constructed by Wallenda and Nock.^[5]

On June 4, 2011, he completed a high-wire crossing between the two towers of the ten-story Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on a wire stretched 37 metres (121 ft) above the pavement; this was the crossing that killed his great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda. The younger Wallenda cited the pioneer as his "biggest hero in life".^[6]

Future plans[link]

Wallenda intends to honor the memory of his great-grandfather Karl, and walk across the Grand Canyon on high wire. He has already secured the permits.^[7]

Wallenda also intends to walk across the Niagara Falls on high wire crossing New York to Ontario on June 15, 2012, (ABC is going to require him to wear a safety harness http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2012/05/22/abc-orders-wallenda-to-wear-harness-for-falls-walk ), a stunt that has not been allowed for over 100 years. In February, 2012, Nik Wallenda received official approval of the New York state and Ontario provincial governments and their respective parks department to do the stunt. The plan is to cross the Niagara River and its 200 feet (61 m) deep gorge from the American side at Goat Island or at the smaller Luna Island and make his way across the river to land at the Canadian side near the site of Table Rock. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls would be behind him and to his right while the Canadian Falls will be on his immediate left and behind. As part of his contract with the Discovery Channel, the network will have near exclusive rights on showcasing the event on cable television. The event is highly anticipated around the world, and permission for such a stunt could be given theoretically only once every 20 years. In preparation for the event and to dispel myths about the stunt’s short-term effects on the sagging local economy, municipal authorities on both sides of the border are meeting to discuss the longer-term economic impact of the stunt, and to efficiently capitalize on the large draw of tourists who will gather in record numbers at the falls. Above all safety is the number one priority, and Wallenda’s manager and team have made arrangements with water rescue officials and security to ensure the event goes as planned. Nik Wallenda plans to eventually make the Niagara Falls region a centerpiece for his business. ^[8] On May 11, 2012, ABC and Lincoln Square Productions announced they had secured universal broadcasting rights for the stunt. Some readers of a local Niagara paper have already spoken in opposition to the requirement for Nik to wear a safety harness. With this disclosure the potential huge tourist draw may see interest decline. Nik could request hotels charging fees for VIP access to cover ABC's fees and then proceed without a harness, or hotels and others profiting from the event could offer refunds for this now, less than death defying stunt. NPC could revoke approval if ABC insists on a harness since the Niagara Parks Commission indicated it was unaware of such a requirement when they were considering approval of the stunt. Now such events will be allowed once every 20 years. Death defying? Now, not so much.^[9]

References[link]