Woman’s dream vacation canceled due to COVID, so she explored Baltimore businesses

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — So many of us have had to cancel trips due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But when Elizabeth Dickinson’s trip abroad was canceled, she decided to rediscover her hometown of Baltimore instead.

“I had planned to go to Ireland in May 2020,” she said. “I was really bummed. Like like many of us, it was disappointing to have to put our lives on hold.”

Stuck at home, Dickinson still wanted an adventure and set out to have one in her Baltimore neighborhood.

“I came upon this extraordinary smell and this line of people waiting,” she said.

Her first discovery: Motzi Bread.

It’s a spot where bakery owners Maya and Russell are offering a pay-what-you-can rate to help their struggling customers.

“So we give the listed price and then we say we can adjust it to what you would like to pay,” Maya said.

Down the road, Dickinson found Larder Cafe where they’re offering a sliding scale of prices.

“We gave them three prices, one that’s like our normal price, one that’s subsidized by the higher price so charging less than what it cost to make it, but if other people buy the higher price than that makes the lower price possible,” Helene Del Pesco, Owner of Larder Cafe, said.

It was a new discovery for Dickinson to see how her community was pulling together during the pandemic.

“These businesses weren’t just being creative about how to stay alive, they were also taking the time to understand how they can serve their neighbors, how they can be there for their community,” she said.

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