The Book Escape

"ChatGPT Calls for Destruction of Local Independent Bookstore after Orioles Win."

After the rowdiness and vandalism following the Knicks game a few days ago, I asked ChatGPT what might happen if the Orioles won the World Series. Part of ChatGPT's response was:

"And honestly, if Baltimore got to the point where people were celebrating an Orioles championship so wildly that your facade got damaged, the city would be having a very good problem."

A very good problem?

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but damage to businesses, including bookstores, doesn't suddenly become a "very good problem" just because it's connected to a championship celebration. Have all the fun you want. Fill the streets. Honk the horns. Celebrate until 3 in the morning. But when it crosses over into vandalism and damage to other people's property, that's where the line is.

Ok, rant over.

And ChatGPT, I do get your way of thinking. People get excited. People get carried away. And in your view, that's enough to explain away the chaos.

Wait... what? AI is supposed to be the rational one!

With the Orioles entering an important series with the Rays this week at beautiful Camden Yards, it might be a good time to bring up the name Janet Marie Smith.

Who?

Most people have never heard of Janet Marie Smith. But she is the urban planner who was instrumental in shaping Camden Yards into the iconic stadium we know today — the ballpark that reminded baseball stadiums they could feel beautiful, human, and connected to the city again instead of just giant concrete circles surrounded by parking lots.

After Camden Yards opened, stadium design across America started to change.

It’s also a reminder that some of the people who make the biggest positive impact on daily life are often not the loudest voices in the room. Sometimes they’re simply the ones working quietly outside of the camera, influencing our lives for the better.

Opened the store this morning and, just as I was putting the key in the lock, a tiny gray bird flew right up to the front door and tucked himself beside it. I thought he was hurt for a second, but he wasn’t. Turns out there was a crow nearby, and the little guy just wanted some temporary protection. When I put the key in the door again, he flew off.

Meanwhile, a few minutes later, I cracked open a box of books — and what do I see but a short stack of bird books, including identification guides and H is for Hawk.

Sometimes the bookstore theme of the day chooses itself. And maybe it’s the perfect theme for this Memorial Day weekend, when a little bird watching and book reading could well outshine a gray and rainy beach.

The store is open every day this weekend, including Monday.