Brian Lawrence Live

Thurs., May 29
Started off the evening at the gala to celebrate the opening of the new wing at Learning Inc. The weather was perfect for the outdoor tented event, held at the school’s Hampden campus. During the cocktail hour there I spoke with Mary Ann Mears, photographer Bill McAllen, Sloane Brown, Steve Sobelman, Suzi & David Cordish, Dr. John & Petey O’Donnell, state senator Catherine Pugh and a ton of other notables as we toured the new facilities. Dinner by Linwoods was awaiting the crowd of 170 guests in a tent set up in the field behind the school, but I had to jump in my car and drive downtown to the grand opening gala for the Ritz-Carlton, held in the beautiful waterside courtyard at the new complex off Key Highway. Several hundred invitees were milling about, noshing on foods catered by Carlton, sipping specialty drinks and having cigars hand-rolled at one station. Several model units were open for touring, but the big attractions were a performance by jazz great David Sanborn and a private fireworks display set-off in front of the crowd. Ran into designers Rita St. Clair, Brian Thim, Patrick Sutton, and chatted with guests Anna Custer of Live Baltimore, Monyka Berrocosa, Christian Johansson, Living Classroom’s James Piper Bond, developer Adam Sabloff and a slew of others. Perfect evening, and the fireworks were spectacular!