It sounds like a Robert Altman movie: The esteemed artist turns up in a Fells Point biker shop; the French chef is caught eating chicken fingers at TGI Friday's, and the elegant model wanders through a dime store in search of cheap lipstick.
But this is no celluloid fantasy; it's real life -- at least the version of it lived by some of Baltimore's most creative professionals. When they're not on the job, they shop, eat, exercise and find inspiration in some unexpected places.
Baltimoreans, take heart. We may lack their skills and savvy, but we can spend our spare time like the pros.
MAKING UP FOR LESS
Buying makeup is work for model Mary Schaeffer.
So when she needs to stock up on Clinique eyeliner and mascara, the former Miss Montgomery County ("I've been Miss everything!") first checks out the Cosmetic Center, a discount beauty supply store in Timonium.
"I don't believe makeup is better because it costs a lot," says Ms. Schaeffer, who lives in Baltimore County. "I won't pay more for it than I have to."
She saves more than 30 percent by shopping at the center and often drops by between teaching dance classes at Towson State University and traveling to New York for assignments.
On the dance stage, Ms. Schaeffer often has to apply industrial-strength makeup -- including false eyelashes, eyebrow pencil and deep-hued lipstick. For these occasions, she heads to Kmart, or any dime store, in search of the least expensive products.
In general, she looks for makeup that's hypoallergenic and hasn't been tested on animals. When she splurges, she buys Clinique's dark brown mascara, watermelon lipstick and pewter eye pencil.
Because wearing makeup is part of her job, it's often the last thing she thinks about in her free time.
"I don't wear any," she says. "I wash my face, moisturize and go."
HANGING OUT
After a long day grinding, serving and selling coffee, Tom and Rosemary Thompson, owners of the Coffee Mill in Hampden and Belvedere Square, like to savor an espresso at Louie's Bookstore Cafe in Mount Vernon.
"Here's the story: My wife and I will go to Center Stage. Afterward, we'll say, 'Where do you want to go?' I'll say, 'I don't know.' She'll say, 'Well, I don't know.' And we always end up at Louie's."
It's only fair to note that the Thompsons sell coffee to Louie's and roughly 20 other coffee bars and restaurants in the area.
Besides going to Louie's for the coffee, they make a point of browsing through the fiction and nonfiction departments of the bookstore. Along with his espresso and her cappuccino, they typically split a slice of Louie's own blueberry pie.
"That probably sounds sort of mundane," says Mr. Thompson. "But give me a really good dessert and I'm happy."
FURNITURE FINDS
When interior designer Ted Pearson shops for his clients, he heads to Europe, Asia and India looking for one-of-a-kind antiques and accessories.
But when he's buying for himself, he's been known to shop at moderately priced stores like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel in Towson Town Center.
"Crate & Barrel is a wonderful store," says Mr. Pearson, vice president of Rita St. Clair Associates, a Baltimore firm. "They have wonderful designs, and the prices are terrific. Personally, I look for less of a manufactured look, things that look like they've been painted or done by hand like a coarse-woven rug."
His best buy at the store was a set of eight tumblers with an acanthus leaf design, which cost $2.50 each.
For consignment pieces and antiques, a favorite shop of his is Keepers in Mount Vernon. The 6-year-old store sells a variety of things, from inexpensive gilded frames to luxurious walnut armoires. Mr. Pearson's best find there was a 19th-century Italian bowl, in perfect shape, which he bought for $35.
One of the perks of the place is the laid-back atmosphere created by partners Diane Fenton and Sue Diffenderffer. Ms. Fenton's dog, Emmett, is typically found wandering around, along with other visiting hounds. In some ways, Keepers has already been discovered, though: The store was featured in two movies, "Men Don't Leave" and "He Said/She Said."
A NIP, TUCK AND SHINE
When men's fashion expert Arnold Borenstein needs to get his pants cuffed, shirts cleaned or shoes shined, he calls on a network of service people.
For eight years, John Kepreos, owner of Roxy's Cleaners in Highlandtown, has been mending his suits and shirts. It's inconvenient -- particularly since Mr. Borenstein, Hecht's creative merchandising director for men, lives in Pikesville and works in Northern Virginia. But he swears by the way Mr. Kepreos shortens the sleeve on a shirt without missing a stitch.
"He's the type of tailor who walks around with pins in his mouth all the time," says Mr. Borenstein. "He never knows when he's going to have to hem something."
To get those same shirts cleaned, Mr. Borenstein heads to Butch's Beltway Cleaners in Pikesville. Butch Powell, who has been in the dry-cleaning business for 35 years, won Mr. Borenstein's loyalty recently when Mr. Borenstein walked into the shop 36 hours before leaving for New York with 20 shirts to be cleaned. Mr. Powell had them ready with time to spare.
"And if he screws up, which everyone does, he apologizes and redoes it," he says. "If you can't wait, they'll drop it off at your house."
Since dressing is in the details, Mr. Borenstein also tends to his shoes. To get his shined, he goes to Cedric Rolle in the Gallery at Harborplace.
Mr. Rolle, a 38-year-old Bahamas native, has polished some notable wingtips, including Mayor Kurt Schmoke's and former Gov. William Donald Schaefer's. He's known for giving more than a $2, seven-minute shine, and gently tells people when their laces are ready to give out or heels are worn down.
"Next to New York City," says Mr. Borenstein, "he gives the best shine around."
THE FAMILY THAT EXERCISES TOGETHER
For model Andy Nelson Jr., it's not the weight-lifting equipment, treadmill or aerobics classes that have attracted him to the Merritt Athletic Club in Towson for the last 15 years. It's the chance that he'll bump into his brothers or father.
The Nelson family takes exercise seriously -- particularly since the elder Andy Nelson was once a Baltimore Colt. Just about every family member exercises here.
Although Mr. Nelson follows a no-nonsense, 90-minute regimen of running, riding a stationary bike and using the Nautilus, he's more motivated to make the trip from his Glen Arm home knowing he'll often be among family.
"Working out is part of my business," says Mr. Nelson, who has appeared on the cover of health magazines and modeled for fashion designers Giorgio Armani and Gianfranco Ferre.
A father of three who also helps run the family's Southern pit-barbecue business in Hunt Valley, he sees exercising five times a week as necessary to keep his 6-feet-1, 180-pound frame in shape.
"I don't care that much about getting bigger," he says. "Working out is in my blood."
SUNDAY DINNER
After a long week of sauteing frogs' legs and cooking lamb with chevre, chef Michael Gettier likes to treat his family to dinner out. A frequent destination: TGI Friday's.
"We have a 3-year-old. He loves it there," explains the owner of M. Gettier, a French restaurant in Fells Point. "When we go to sit down, they bring him a balloon. We order chicken fingers. Blam! They're there. I wouldn't call it a cuisine, but we have a great time."
Sunday dinner out is a tradition for Mr. Gettier, his wife, Claudia, and their son, Michael. For a meal with more finesse, they visit Cafe Troia in Towson. He has an affinity for the establishment because chef Gino Troia, like himself, is devoted to good food and service.
"He makes a great cassoulet," says Mr. Gettier. "I think it's second only to mine."
BEYOND MILK AND BREAD
Like any good consumer, caterer Barry Fleischmann looks for convenience, variety and quality in a grocery store.
Since he's been experimenting with Asian cooking for family and friends lately, he does much of his shopping at Asia Food in Govans.
"They've got all kind of fish sauce, cured black beans with orange zest. You can get sesame oil, Chinese sausages," says Mr. Fleischmann, chef and co-owner of Innovative Gourmet in Owings Mills.
For Italian dishes, he heads to Mastellone Deli in Baltimore. "They've got great mozzarella and a great selection of deli meats and pasta," he says.
Closer to home and work, he frequents Sutton Place Gourmet for a variety of fruits and vegetables.
"I love their selection of wild mushrooms -- chanterelles, fresh wood-ear mushrooms, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. They're wonderful and flavorful," he says.
One thing he has to allow for, though, when he visits the gourmet shop in Pikesville is bumping into neighbors, friends or clients.
Not long ago, he saw an acquaintance who needed advice on cooking Yukon Gold potatoes. From memory, he rattled off a recipe for gourmet mashed potatoes with roasted celery.
Rathered than being annoyed at the interruption, Mr. Fleischmann says, "I'm flattered that people ask my opinions."
ON THE WATERFRONT
One of Baltimore's foremost artists, Grace Hartigan, doesn't have to travel far from her Fells Point studio for inspiration: She xTC just walks around the block. In fact, some of the area's most colorful spots -- including a topless bar and a biker shop -- have figured into her abstract paintings.
"Visually, my own neighborhood has been a source of many beginnings," says Ms. Hartigan whose work is featured in the Baltimore Museum of Art's new wing.
Since opening up her studio in the neighborhood 25 years ago, she has watched the area change from a mostly Polish community to a mix of Hispanic, Mexican and Caribbean residents, she says.
"I hear Spanish music and see Mexican grocery shops. . . . It's sublime happiness," she says.
To really recharge her creative spirit, she spends a month in Maine. But when she can't get that far away, she'll drive through the horse country of northern Baltimore County or take a round-trip ride on the Fells Point water taxi.
"It's like a cruise in Venice," she says, laughing.