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!

Have I mentioned that we golf?  I mean, it’s a pretty loose interpretation of the word for me, but Joel plays well.  A few years into our marriage I began to see that I was going to need to either be ok with getting left behind for hours on end while Joel went golfing or pony up and learn myself.  I’d taken lessons as a kid but hadn’t played since, so I was quite rusty, but I slowly but surely got better to the point I am at now, which is passable.  I can make it through 18 without having to do a scramble (most days) and I contribute to a scramble format.  And I don’t play enough to be anything more than that, so I’ve accepted my place in the golfing world!

Joel, on the other hand, is much more committed.  He plays almost every day in the summer, and it shows in his game.  His commitment to the sport does not end on the course, though.  Joel also loves watching golf on TV.  Obviously the majors are always on, especially during the Sunday round, but Joel even has other tournaments playing frequently and keeps tabs on who’s who in the golfing world.  While I appreciate a good competitive last round, I’ve never been much for watching golf on TV, but I would soon learn, thanks to the QuickenLoans National at the TPC Potomac, that I’m an absolute sucker for watching golf live.  And so began our sports trip to the DMV!