Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger… sorry.  Had to with this stadium.  Anyways, when the 2018 MLB schedule came out and I saw that the Red Sox would be playing the Nationals in Washington DC on the 4th of July… well, I knew we had to make it happen.  And I’m so glad we did!  Not that I’ve ever regretted going on a trip, but this one was truly special, and the Red Sox-Nationals series was a big part of that.

The Red Sox were in town for a 3-game set as part of the inter-league games.  For those who follow baseball in 2022, you might know that they’re changing the schedule next year so that there will be more inter-league games.  On one hand, I’m excited.  There were some instances where the Red Sox would only play at a stadium once every 6 years, so to get to see the Red Sox play at every stadium, which is my pie in the sky goal, you’d have to be pretty patient.  On the other hand, though, that made it special, which this new schedule will get rid of a bit.  But at least I’ll remember how special this series felt, which adds to the memory!
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And while we had only planned on going to the Red Sox games, we had a few extra days in town and ended up finding an excuse to go to a couple of other games as well!

Alright, time to switch things up.  I’m very behind on keeping up with our travels, and I want to get caught up!  Also, because I’m so far behind, I am losing details, which isn’t ideal.  I don’t have the time to dedicate to this that I once did, but I’m still going to make it work.  So from here on out, if we see a full series at a stadium, it’s just getting one post.  Perhaps someday we’ll get back to multiple posts, but for now, thems the rules.  Sound good?  Great.
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I wrote about our first game at Camden Yards, but during that game I was tired and slightly sunburned from the golf tournament and getting in late, so games 2 and 3 were the true test for the stadium.  And while both the teams we saw battle it out were not good, Camden still found a way to show out!

We started the day of the 2nd game with a ballpark tour, which was great.  All ballpark tours are great, but there’s something about these historical stadiums that attract the most special types of tour guides- the lifelong fans who love getting to nerd out about their home away from home.  It was toasty, but we loved getting to wander around the stadium, finding the plagues for Red Sox players’ home runs, and learning all about the Orioles and Camden.  After that, we were ready for some baseball!

​Have I mentioned my love of repurposed buildings?  I probably have, since we’ve visited quite a few in some of our travels (old church turned brewery, old train station turned brunch spot, old prison turned hotel and dinner spot, etc.), but if you didn’t know, now you do.  I’m also a sucker for being somewhere you can do something modern while amongst a piece of history.  That’s part of why I love baseball and specifically Fenway Park so much- while you’re sitting there watching an MLB game with all the bells and whistles of the modern age, you’re in the same spot where players like Ted Williams played.  And while Oriole Park at Camden Yards hasn’t been around nearly as long as some of the most memorable MLB parks- it was built in 1992- it still has that historical feel.  Add in the fact that they’ve incorporated an old railroad warehouse into the stadium, and it’s really no wonder I was so enamored by Baltimore’s baseball mecca.  Game 1 between the Orioles and Angels followed a late night the night before and a day of watching our first golf tournament, but we rallied, sunburns and all!