Did you know the Grand Prix has come to town? What you mean you thought those huge cage like structures lining Pratt Street were just there to reinforce the streets so we don’t have any more manhole explosions or sink holes? News flash – they are for the City’s second annual Grand Prix and this event- when all is said and done – is GREAT for business. Well, kind of. Part of the issue with the Grand Prix is that the communication from the organizers hasn’t been super clear, and the media hasn’t done the best job being straight forward about what you can expect. As a result, the Baltimore Metropolitain area (with it’s approximate 2.7 Million residents) hasn’t really known what to do about this race – get excited or run for their lives.
MyCity4Her spoke with the brains behind this huge event – J.P. Grant, who is the President of Grant CapitalManagement, according to the Baltimore Business Journal “Grant is one of the heads of Race On LLC, the local financing group in charge of the race. The city selected Race On and Andretti Sports Marketing on May 10 to take over the controversial race.” (source the Baltimore Business Journal Friday, May 25, 2012).
He had these thoughts to share when he spoke with us earlier today…
Why Baltimore?
“I’m born and raised here, this is where I started my first company – I believe in Baltimore – I’ve seen the transformation, I’ve seen the growth. This is a “Tall Ships” moment, I remember how great that was – this is that kind of moment.”
What made you decide to endeavor to get this race back on track?
“Typically with the first year of these races- it’s a little uneven – at first I was sort of interested but not compelled, then when I found it had a 47Million dollars economic impact on the region – how do you argue with that?”
“Baltimore needs events like this – they need the support of the business community to build greatness; these things don’t happen just with the public saying this is great. The community has to get behind it and support it. I’m not a race guy – I’m a Baltimore guy, that’s why I thought this should happen.”
We’ll have more of JP’s commentary in our continued coverage this weekend…Anyway long story short to say if the goal of this event is to drive the economy (er pun intended) why aren’t more things being talked about that you CAN do whether you choose to partake in the race or not?
Last year – downtown Baltimore outside of the immediate area of the race was a ghost town, and despite the tremendous economic boons the ill-fated initial organizers promised (great articles can be found in the Baltimore Sun) – a lot of Downtown Baltimore businesses suffered losses, and let’s just say their enthusiasm and hope surrounding the race was left somewhat akin to a deflated like a tire (sorry couldn’t help THAT analogy).
MyCityHer is excited about the Grand Prix, so we thought we’d share that excitement and provide you with some suggestions about ways to enjoy the Grand Prix with Civility this weekend, we are offering a three part series that will help you determine what to wear, what to eat & drink and where to go, we hope you enjoy.
We’d be remiss not to mention some other good places to get more info to help you get the most out of the race and its excitement. Some of our favorite outlets to refer to include Baltimore Business Journal (whose Editor is Joanna Sullivan) , Citypeek.com (the brain child of Social Media Superstar Patti Neuman), and Visit Baltimore not to mention the organizer’s web site.
At the time of this writing you can still get tickets – if you want to do so, you can do that HERE.
The best way to avoid traffic if you’re going right to the race is to choose public transportation you can find out more by going HERE and visiting the Maryland Department of Transportation’s web site.
OK – On your Marks, Get Set & GO Go Baltimore Grand Prix GO!
Have a great race, stay safe and enjoy the good that this brings to Baltimore this weekend – whether you choose to partake personally, or not.