Crawl Baltimore: Perfecting the Pub Crawl
Alex Belush has set out with a drink-related mission in 2013, to perfect the time honored tradition of the bar crawl. His Baltimore-based business aims to bring people to bars and restaurants on non-holidays for a good time while showcasing the best that the neighborhoods have to offer. Alex has a restaurant-industry history and earned his Baltimore stripes in Fells Point where he got the idea for the bar crawl business.
The Camo Crawl was Crawl Baltimore’s first major event; it debuted with 817 participants on March 2. The crawl was based in Fells Point at bars including Todd Conner’s, Waterfront Hotel and Alexander’s Tavern, and raised over $1,000 for the Yellow Ribbon Fund. The next pub crawl on the docket is the 4th Annual Bunny Bar Hop on March 30 (more here) which he took over from Carrie Podles at Alexander’s Tavern. If you miss this one, look for the Toga Trot on April 27, details to come.
What makes Crawl Baltimore unique is the company's respect for the Baltimore-ness of the experience. The overall goal is to introduce participants to small business bars, while maintaining a safe atmosphere. There are monitors at nearly every bar, as well as a requirement that food specials are offered along with drink specials. When waits get long, they'll even guide you to the participating bar with the shortest line, because, as Alex states, “It’s our job to figure out where you can get that next drink."
In addition to bar crawls, Crawl Baltimore also offers a private event service for your small-to-medium sized parties. Starting at $20 a head, they will organize a crawl for you and your friends, complete with specials and an option to customize your event as a photo hunt, historic tour or other themed happening.
In the future, Alex hopes to expand his business to be large enough that he can break the world record for largest bar crawl, which is set at 5,000 individuals. He hopes for it to span across all of the major Baltimore neighborhoods and to set individual records in each one, as well. In the short term, he wants to host crawls in neighborhoods outside of Fells Point and to spread the love of bar crawls across the city.
