Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Home of the Orioles- Game 1

​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!

The Seats

​Before the season started, people were pretty optimistic about the competitiveness of both the Orioles and the Angels.  Because of this, I opted to buy the tickets directly from the Orioles when they first went on sale vs. playing our luck on the secondary market.  Unfortunately, both teams underachieved and were well out of any race by the time the end of June rolled around, and I definitely could have snagged some better deals on the secondary market.  Alas, you win some, you lose some.  Even so, I was able to get decent deals on seats in 3 different sections, starting on Friday night in section 66.  We were 7 rows up down the left field line, which gave us a prime view for the Mike Trout homerun, Angels win, and Friday firework night!  

The Eats

​Since we came after the golf tournament, we didn’t have much time in between, so we decided to explore the food that Camden Yards has to offer.  After wandering around and mulling over all the great options, I landed on Boogs BBQ.  Boog, as it were, is a Baltimore legend, first for baseball, and now for BBQ.  The stand has been at Camden Yards since opening day, and I could see why.  There’s probably some sort of corny phrase like “it’s not about what you eat, it’s about how it made you feel” that I can pull from for my Boogs experience.  4 years later, I don’t remember what I got, just that I stood in line FOREVER but that it was delicious (albeit messy).  Highly recommend, although try and get in line early so you don’t get caught too long and miss a big chunk of the game.

Other Deets

I I normally opt for not using the stadium’s parking.  I feel you can usually find better deals, I don’t mind walking a bit, and by getting a little ways away from the stadium, you can sometimes avoid the post-game traffic madness.  However, we were running a little late and didn’t see any great options on the drive, so we went to the stadium parking.  We were surprised to find it was actually quite affordable and easy to get in and out of, so we actually ended up opting for parking there the other two games as well even though we had more time. 
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There were probably other things to remember from this day/game, but I honestly can’t remember much.  Probably a mix of me being exhausted by that night and the fact that it was over 3 years ago now.  I also apparently took very few pictures.  Don’t you worry, though.  I remember much more about game 2!