Zen West- Greg Cerchione

By: Greg Cerchione

Still in the Cinco de Mayo spirit? In the mood for a Mexican bite with a beer on the side? If so, head to Zen West for Tuesday taco night–0ne dollar special and discounted beers.

Zen West is cooling down after a crowded, rowdy first weekend of May. Students come to blow off some steam and casually sip on a wide selection of draft beers. As usual, the bar was jam-packed and the DJ was busy switching tracks.

Zen West has the atmosphere of modern disco bar. Junior hip-hop artist and marketing major James Pierra  (JMP) is a regular customer, event planner, and promoter for Zen West. He said, “Head to Zen on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work those nights and the crowd is heavy and looking to have a good time.”

Junior communications major Donald Foshay said, “It was good night, had a great turnout, a lot of friends, and a lot of fun.”

Part of Zen West’s success comes from its versatility. Zen offers great and affordable bar food, a wide drink menu, and a full sized dance floor illuminated with strobe lights. This is one of the reasons why it is referred to as the classiest bar on York Road. In the eyes of its competitors, Zen West is the King, and proud to serve a wide variety of ages starting from young to middle aged adults. It presents   a clean atmosphere, compared to the dungy, dilapidated Favorite’s Pub and Murphy’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill.  Some students meet professional established adults who provide them with not only internships but also business connections in Baltimore.

Junior and communications major Fran Iula stated, “I met and had an in depth conversation with a worker from Under Armour… He gave me some good pointers for the future.”

Zen West is a large property that is suitable for hosting a wide range of events. Other Zen West specials and events include beer pong tournament Thursdays and corn hole competitions.

The inside is heavily decorated with memorabilia including a Rout 66 sign, a sample of every license plate state in the United States a pinball machine and light up signs. The atmosphere is mellow and classy. The bar surface is liquid concrete with a speckle of colorful stones mixed in. This creates a rustic, but sturdy feel. Several flat screen TV’s line the walls.

Zen West has summer availabilities and events and future plans of installing a dartboard, with intentions of bringing together a young and older crowed for a skilled game of darts.

Word Count: 426

Caulfield Lecture Extra Credit

This year’s 25^th anniversary Caulfield Lecture was interesting and exciting. Speaker Ari Shapiro, a NPR White House Correspondent worker basically told a long story about last fall’s presidential campaign as he travelled throughout the United States.  I liked the view he took on politics. He seemed more neutral, with perhaps a little more favor toward the liberal side.

Shapiro was an excellent speaker, probably the best lecture I’ve heard so far at Loyola. For the most part, he was able to captivate the crowd of mostly college students on a beautiful spring afternoon.  Being not the biggest fan of politics, I was still able to understand the gist of the story because he presented it in a clear, concise manner. I found it interesting how he ran into the same person twice and continued to interview them. Ari had the courage to ask U.S. citizens their explicit opinion and when they responded harshly or ignorantly, he kept what they said, even if it did cause controversy.

            Shapiro was able to keep me engaged through about an hour lecture. He was also pretty funny. An example is when he paused to take a sip of water and referenced Marco Rubio, causing the crowd to burst out laughing.  He also joked about some responses he got from citizens like, “No first lady should wear cut off sleeves and do pushups.” I also found it interesting when he explained how politician purposely try to skew the details and take quotes out of context. This is a creative tactic performed by both campaign teams that creates an endless cycle of back and forth verbal attacks. Shapiro’s mannerisms and hand gestures added to his presentation and his overall tone got me to think about the past presidential election and how much really goes into the various campaigns. 

Honey Comb Boxing Gym

 By: Greg Cerchione- Baltimore Beat

 

 

Baltimore’s Honey Comb boxing gym is as local as organized boxing gets. Located in a back lot off of Greenmount Avenue, this easy to miss gym is in a garage like looking building with only a small sign revealing this well-known boxing gym. So well known that professional trainers teach and coach youth boxers. Honey Comb gym prides itself for home-grown talent Professional boxer and Baltimore native Vernon Mason had an 82 fight-winning streak and was rated third best welterweight in the world at the peak of his career. He, now in his late 60’s, teaches young boxers proper technique, fitness and most of all, discipline.

           

           

 The gym is rag tag and old school with worn out and makeshift equipment. The atmosphere is hectic but methodical with a bell that rings every thirty seconds to signal a switch in the workout. There are several workout circuits including three heavy bags, a speed bag, an area for weight lifting, and of course a full sized ring.

 

With music blasting in the background, coaches yelling and gloves hitting heavy bags and other boxers, the sound of the gym was intense. It is dimly light and has layer of dust or mist in the air, and the coach here looked like Mickey training Rocky for his big fight.

 

The best thing about it: membership is free. Unlike a fancy gym with monthly subscriptions, Honey Comb boxing gym is all about showing young athletes the ropes for pure enjoyment and pride. This place has history, and as long as you train here consistently, the coaches will respect and invest their time into you, pushing you to your fullest potential.

 

Several of the boxers in the gym are classified as professionals. Others are participating in events like the Golden Gloves in New York City this summer, and some are Loyola students just looking to further their love for boxing and get out of the Loyola “bubble” and into Baltimore boxing culture. Senior and Political Science major Ed Maselli has been training here for four years. “The place is heart of the city old school, which I love. It’s just a great all around atmosphere.” He highly recommends it to his friends.

 

Sophomore and Marketing major Tommy Gollenburg stated, “This is my first time here, and I can’t wait to come back. I definitely need to wrap my hands next time, they’re all cut up.”

 

  While following eight-year coach Chinn around the gym he explained, “I train my older son here, see he’s a monster too. And you see Travis over there jumping rope… he’s a professional fighter.” The great thing is, the coaches are welcoming and excited to teach new comers. They are there purely for the sport and do not focus on making a profit. Boxing is their passion and they want to share it with others by teaching them their secrets and long learned techniques. If you’re in the mood for a sweat and some old school boxing lessons, stop by Honey Comb boxing gym.