June marks the start of summer. And with school on break and work slowing down for some, it might be time to enjoy some staycationing.
In June of 1975, the Baltimore Jewish Times profiled Baltimore Rent-a-Tour, a private tour guide company founded by two Jewish women, Ruth Fader and Roxy Lipsitz. The two women wanted to offer a service that wasn’t yet really available in Baltimore, and they wanted to show off what Charm City has to offer.
Staff writer Barbara Pash attended a tour with Fader and Lipsitz, who were wearing red, white and blue for the bicentennial of the United States. The tour showcased urban development, architecture and local churches. It included Mt. Vernon Place, the Peabody Library, Federal Hill Park and more. On the tour, the guides pointed out important pieces of 1975 Baltimore. They noted that the Maryland Academy of Science Center was going to open the next year with a planetarium, and that there were plans for I-95 to be built as a tunnel under the harbor.
For Fader and Lipsitz, these tours were no easy task. They poured time and passion into them, taking courses at Roland Park Country School and talking to officials. They designed the tours to meet the specific needs of their clients.
“This is not a fluke, two middle-aged Jewish women trying to find something to do,” Lipsitz told the JT at the time. “It’s a business, stimulating and a service to the community.”
The business clearly was no fluke, because it still operates today under a new owner who bought it in 2007.
