Issue 6: Yes!

Baltimore was united in its exultation this week over the Ravens' dramatic Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. City Paper joins the celebration with lots of pictures of locals dancing in the streets, a special column from Jim Meyer about a potential Ravens dynasty, and an essay by Charles Cohen, in which he observes that, in post-game interviews, Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh, and Ed Reed, seem to have taken to heart the message in his recent City Paper feature ("Winning Ugly," Feature, Jan. 9), that to win big, the Ravens had to embrace the team's -- and the city's -- history of winning ugly. Since the game, everybody from 14th district Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke -- who said during Monday night's City Council meeting "the coach says, all the time, we aren't perfect. We aren't even pretty. But we're ugly. And ugly is Baltimore. And every time I hear that I feel so proud." -- to Dan Rodricks, who seemed to lift the premise wholesale in a new column, is jumping on Cohen's bandwagon. Just remember where you heard it first, folks.

Also, SF Weekly editor Brandon Reynolds makes good on the Super Bowl bet he made with CP editor Evan Serpick: As per the terms, he wrote an "Ode to Baltimore" that runs in this week's CP as well as the current issue of SF Weekly, accompanied by a picture of him wearing Ravens gear. If you look closely, you can make out a tear rolling down Reynolds' check. Victory!

In Mobtown Beat. Edward Ericson Jr. digs into the battle over parking in Canton. In Hit N Run, Jose Morales pleads guilty to murder, and a new City Council law seems tailor made to help Ticketmaster increase service charges in Baltimore. We've also got Murder Ink and a special all-Ravens edition of the Baltimore City Power Rankings. In City Folk, we profile Stacey Chambers, the creator of mobile thrift store Gogo's Retread Threads.

In the Arts, Baynard Woods talks with Raoul Middleman about the Block, the sadness of Burlesque, and the Pollock-y exubereance of his new work at Grimaldi's gallery. We also review UMBC math professor and prize winning novelist Manil Suri's new book The City of Devi and Phillip Lopate's two new collections of essays. Michael Shank listens to Arbouretum's new album and Strum Und Twang tells us what's up with country and folk. Bret McCabe thinks about maps with Locale Unlimited a new exhibition at the Creative Alliance and talks with film-maker Lorenzo Gattorna’s about his new film Falling Out.

In East and Drinks, John Houser III chows down at the newly re-opened, relocated My Thai in Little Italy, Clinton Macsherry's Juice pops open some Zinfandel, and Athena Towery checks out the Cheap Eats at The Chicken King.