Summer of Baseball: Camden Yards a top-notch experience

For years, I’ve wanted to see a game at Camden Yards.

I’ve had many friends go and tell me what an experience it is, no matter which team you follow.

Stamped in and ready!

This past summer, it finally happened. Camden Yards. A night of watching the Orioles, trying some great ballpark food and having the chance to chat with other fans.

The experience was amazing, that’s for sure.

In face, the only thing I can think to complain about is the seats being a little tight. That being said, I can now see why people still put Camden Yards as one of the bars when it comes to stadiums in baseball.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992 — yeah, it’s 23 years old already! — and when it was built was a modern marvel when it comes to baseball stadiums. It broke the mold and many of today’s stadiums are built with Camden in mind.

There are so many places to watch the game, not including your seat. You can walk to the outfield and sample some good food or watch some of the game from several standing spots.

It’s hard to truly describe Camden and do it justice.

The night after watching the game, we took a tour of the park, which was even better. We had a great tour guide, which always makes it fun. The history and everything else was included, as were a couple of great spots for photos. We also had the chance to meet the head groundskeeper at Camden. She’s one of two females in that position in Major League Baseball.

As for the park…

From the stadium tour.

The sight lines from seats are excellent. The concourse isn’t fully open, so if you go grab a bite, you can’t always see the field. Many newer stadiums have that option, so if you get up during the game, it’s rare to miss a pitch.

The seats, as noted, were a little tight. Newer stadiums seem to be moving toward a more comfortable seat, but keep in mind that Camden is more than 20 years old.

The food choices are stellar. I had to, of course, try Boog’s BBQ. Though I may be a little biased, I like Bull’s BBQ (Philly) a bit better, but Boog’s was solid. The sauces are definitely different. Loved the chips at Boog’s, though. We ate Boog’s at a table in the right-field standing area, so it was cool to see batting practice going on during that time.

The bird.

Later in the night, I went and grabbed some homemade chips with this crab concoction on it — fantastic. I let one of the people behind me try it and they went and got it a few moments later.

I should have asked the Orioles for my cut!

Beer selection seemed solid, too, which is always a bonus. We were surrounded by a pretty good set of fans, too, which made it fun. Though, interestingly enough, the family next to us and the ones in front of us were each from somewhere in Quebec. What are the odds of that?

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I had the chance to speak with several workers and most were highly friendly. The only downer I had is when I asked somebody at fan services about a lineup board (always seems to come back to that) and she wasn’t as friendly as I would have hoped. She almost seemed taken aback by my question and like I was being a bother. Note — Baltimore doesn’t have a lineup board, either.

Cool tidbit — as I was leaving, Baltimore’s starting pitcher was signing autographs, so I had the chance to get my Passport signed.

Park Notes:

Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Baltimore, Maryland
Home of the Baltimore Orioles
Visited on: July 31, 2015
Opponent: Detroit Tigers

Ratings (out of 10)

Stadium: 9/10
Concessions: 8/10
Parking: N/A (stayed at hotel two blocks away)
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Friendliness: 9/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.