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Should Whitman be seeking an alternative to Baltimore?
The 3x yearly Whitman Baltimore coin & collectible show has been splendid for decades. BUT Baltimore, and in particular the
show site, has become increasingly violent in gun crime & “homelessness “( ie vagrancy).
Just this weekend there were multiple shootings in the Inner Harbor & both the Balto police chief & mayor are declaring its gun violence “ a plague” .
It is just a matter of short time before
Whitman attendees get robbed or shot near the convention center and “ smash ‘n grab”
expensive thefts occur in the show itself. Time to locate another venue - but where? Certainly not Philadelphia. And that’s the problem.
So far, unless I’m mistaken, the New England area seems to be relatively safe. And just as accessible as Baltimore.
show site, has become increasingly violent in gun crime & “homelessness “( ie vagrancy).
Just this weekend there were multiple shootings in the Inner Harbor & both the Balto police chief & mayor are declaring its gun violence “ a plague” .
It is just a matter of short time before
Whitman attendees get robbed or shot near the convention center and “ smash ‘n grab”
expensive thefts occur in the show itself. Time to locate another venue - but where? Certainly not Philadelphia. And that’s the problem.
So far, unless I’m mistaken, the New England area seems to be relatively safe. And just as accessible as Baltimore.
Comments
Not to mention, on-site EMS availability during Show hours, but that just happens to be a personal issue for me.
That's about all I've got. Or....stay home?
Fairfax and Arlington both shot themselves in the foot in the premier convention center market, and focused overboard on Fortune 500 kissyface huggy bear real estate deals, and elite retail spacing. There is not a big enough band-aid to stop that bleeding, now.
violence rather than stealth.
I don't think you meant Alexandria. Maybe you meant Loudon or Prince William County. That will not happen as a convention center possibility until the Commanders make a deal that is agreed to, and that is years away.
Alexandria? I think you may be referring to the National Center. Crime is no great improvement there, and is difficult at best and very annoying in general to traverse. It is a crime target area and has been for years, and casinos and flashy hotels have not kept criminals away, and the area is very expensive. I would suggest Annapolis before any of the VA. possibilities.
But, I am not known for being correct in my opinions. So......
I just read your question. The facility that could best be described as a Conference Center in Reston is the Bechtel Center (yes, that Bechtel), but is rather small for a venue on the scale of a major numismatic Show. There was an intent to expand it, until the bottom fell out of the Nuclear Power Plant market.
There is a supposed Reston Conference facility, but by name only. since it is in D.C. and like most of the smaller facilities are Fed Agency contracted meeting locations.
Years and years ago, the Reston area decided to be a bedroom suburb, emulating Montgomery County in MD., and that it is. There is not enough support attractions to entice visitors without travelling to D.C., and the community does not have an enthusiastic attitude to have a national level facility.
Travel is not all that convenient and the taxi ride from the Airport, well....but the Reston community likes it that way, and benefits from the McMansion status and above average public schools. It is just not the right mix.
Probably the ideal location would be off Rt. 15 in Loudon County a few miles past the Frederick Md. Potomac crossing, but 30 years ago Disney tried to shoot for that, and the proverbial deer with a rifle ended that hunt. There is HEAVY old money in that part of Loudon County/Middleburg area. HEAVY money, so, good luck trying to get that permit.
Don't hit me. I am old.
Why not Boston? Not so easy to get too and its expensive. You don't want this show in any lace other then a major convention hall.
Crime really is that bad there. We use armed cops to take our coins home. We have a rule never to leave carrying anything.
Whereas, here on the East Coast...... (never mind)
@Legend knows her turf and takes the necessary precautions.
We both remember Long Beach nights in the 80's falling asleep to the murmurings of SWAT helicopters
Crime simply is. Inner cities will not get better.
The local police and show security have always done a great job.
The Baltimore show is in Baltimore because its location accessibility is superior to anywhere else in the Northeast.
All else is situational awareness.
safe city w controllable crime, reasonably priced hotels in immed vicinity, possibly good rail access, decent array of restaurants. Boston has been the site of an ANA perhaps 2 decades ago. There are still coin shows in & around Boston ( I think). I’m unaware of significant street crime in Boston , at least insofar as the media is concerned. I dreaming ?
https://covesmart.com/blog/boston-crime-rate-is-boston-a-safe-city/#:~:text=People%20in%20Boston%20have%20a,is%20often%20dangerous%20and%20violent.
that we cannot find a major east coast destination for numismatic get-togethers that are relatively free from street crime and vagrancy. Indeed, thruout the country. How times have changed.