Travelers hit the road for Thanksgiving; Saudi Arabia stuns in soccer; AeroVanti in deal with Maryland Athletics

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

The Baltimore Business Journal staff will be taking a break for the holiday so you won't be getting your 8 things tomorrow morning. I imagine you might be too busy for it anyway if you're prepping for dinner, watching Snoopy in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or running in a turkey trot. Whatever you do on this special holiday, enjoy a little downtime before the craziness of the holiday season officially arrives. And good luck if you plan to hit the big box store or the mall on Black Friday. You might want to head to your local Main Street to celebrate Small Business Saturday instead.

Looks like another Fells Point landmark restaurant is for sale. Brick Oven Pizza of Fells Point or B.O.P. is for sale because its owner says he wants to leave the restaurant business.The restaurant at 800 S,Broadway brought wood-fired pizza to town before it was trendy. Owner Zion Gavriel is selling the business for $150,000. "There is a lot of potential," he told me in a telephone interview on Tuesday.. "People say location is everything. This is a great location." Baltimore Business Journal

In other news from the BBJ, Royal Farms is headed south as it continues to expand. The Baltimore-based convenience store chain known for its fried chicken is planning to open its first location in North Carolina in early 2023, the company said Tuesday. The first store will be in Grandy, a small town on the coast not far from the Virginia-North Carolina border. Other North Carolina locations will follow in New Bern, Greenville, Lumberton, Kinston and Jacksonville. Baltimore Business Journal

Here's what else you need to know to get your Thanksgiving Eve started.

Last weekend's brutal cold won't be returning anytime soon. Daytime temperatures have warmed up, with highs reaching the 50s over the next couple days. Thanksgiving Day should be sunny with a high of 56. Overcast skies and rain head to the area on Friday. WBAL.com

Individual would-be homebuyers aren't the only ones delaying their purchases amid rising interest rates. Investor buying of homes fell 30% in the third quarter. Companies bought around 66,000 homes in the 40 markets tracked by real-estate brokerage Redfin during the third quarter. That's compared with 94,000 homes investors bought during the same quarter last year. John Pawlowski, an analyst at Green Street, said buyers and sellers can't seem to agree on prices, another reason sales are slowing. Wall Street Journal

This probably won't surprise most Ravens fans. Four former Ravens on Tuesday were named semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr., and receiver-returner Devin Hester and offensive tackle Willie Anderson, are among 28 players being considered for the honor. Bolden and Smith were semifinalists last year, while Hester and Anderson made it to finalist. The Hall of Fame class will be announced Feb. 9. Baltimore Sun

Big changes may be coming to Atlantic City, the often down-on-its-luck seaside resort at the New Jersey shore. A pair of big-name Philadelphia developers are proposing a $3 billion mixed-use project at Bader Field, a long vacant site. The proposal from Tower Investments CEO Bart Blatstein and Post Brothers’ CEO Michael Pestronk and President Matt Pestronk calls for 10,000 multifamily units for rent and 400,000 square feet of retail and office space. The project would include 20 acres of open space and a 100-room hotel. Philadelphia Business Journal

Private aviation pioneer AeroVanti on Tuesday announced a partnership with Maryland Athletics, its second such collaboration with a NCAA athletics department. Annapolis-based AeroVanti, a luxury flight company, is already the exclusive aviation partner for the University of Central Florida Knights. As part of the deal, Maryland alumni and fans will now get the chance to hang out in the AeroVanti Courtside Club in the Xfinity Center. “We’re thrilled to support the Maryland Athletics Department, its talented student-athletes and its hard-working coaching, support and administrative staff,” said AeroVanti CEO Patrick Britton-Harr. Aerovanti recently received $100 million in new financing and is looking to nearly double its fleet of private aircraft in the next six months. The company wants to add 12 to 15 planes to its 16-plane fleet. To read more about the company's growth, check out this Baltimore Business Journal story.

In World Cup news, Saudi Arabia pulled off a history-making upset, with a 2-1 win over Argentina, a soccer powerhouse. Just how good is Argentina? The team has not lost in more than three years and was unbeaten in 36 straight games. Argentina also boasts soccer legend, Lionel Messi, who was hoping to cap his career with a World Cup championship. Wall Street Journal

You'll need a little patience if you're traveling to grandma's house this holiday weekend. AAA Mid-Atlantic projects more than 1 million Marylanders will travel 50 miles or more from home this year over the Thanksgiving holiday — from Wednesday to Sunday. That's a slight increase from last year travel of about 1 percent. The travel forecast is still about 10 percent lower than Thanksgiving travel volume in 2019. About 92% of Marylanders will drive to their destination. Montgomery County Media

People are returning to holiday traditions and events after two years of virtual festivities. Tree lightings and lighted boat parades are taking place all over Greater Baltimore in the next week. An even bigger Christmas Village has returned to the Inner Harbor. And the beloved Kennedy Krieger Institute Festival of Trees is back in full force at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. It's going to be hard to decide how to fit it all in.