Camden Yards

Talk about a grand slam! Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles™, is the latest and greatest baseball stadium that I’ve added to my B’s Been There, Done That! list, and I have to admit, it may be my favorite yet!

Unlike anything I’ve ever known of my dad, Steve, we didn’t have tickets in advance and opted instead for a walk-up purchase in the hope of snagging cheaper tickets. Much to my surprise (hey, I’m from New York, Yankees™ seats ain’t cheap!) we snagged seats for a really decent price! So, after an easy entry & leftover cash in pocket, my parents and I decided to hit the gift shop first, in true tourist fashion, to grab some gear to sport throughout the evening.

After another super reasonably priced purchase (really not used to this at live sporting venues), I was ready to support the home team. Let’s go Orioles! But not before grabbing a beverage to bring back to my seat, that is. In fact, it wouldn’t be a true family outing to an event without some sort of drink in tow!

The year is 2017 and I haven’t been the most avid baseball game goer, so it was to my delight that I found a great selection of local craft beer offerings around the stadium. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that Baltimore has some great craft breweries to help fuel such selections! Anyways, we did a lap around the stadium to get a lay of the land and see all our drinking & eating options (not all the Heider traditions have been forgotten) before deciding upon a bar that had both a great local beer selection for me, and wine/liquor for my parents. After cheers-ing my Heavy Seas TropiCannon (rated it a 3.25 on UnTappd) against my mom’s wine and Steve’s gin & sprite, we felt officially ready to head to our seats.

Ah, stadium seats. They were as to be expected. Not cramped but not comfortable with potential hint of obstructed view. From a photo-taking perspective, yeah, not the best situation. But in real life, as it always seems to be with photos, the point-of-view did not disappoint. The entire field was in sight and we were at the start of all the action, directly at the front of the right field line. The stadium wasn’t full but it wasn’t empty either. We struck up conversation with a nearby usher who said it was a typical turnout for a Thursday night game.

As the game ended, we planned to snag a snack on our way out of the stadium. With my love of beer, and my parents love of pub food, we ended up at Dempsey’s Brew Pub.

For the true baseball fans out there, the Orioles faced the Royals and lost by 2 runs. Nevertheless, my parents and I had a great experience. There’s just nothing like a live ball game! And despite not being in our own hometown, we definitely felt at home in this stadium. The fans, the atmosphere, all of it! There’s just nothing like an in-person, out to the ballgame experience, thanks guys!