Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a CubsDNA series where our staff visits other ball parks . Today, Tina takes you on a tour in Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Look at this beautiful view!
In July 2017, the Cubs played the Orioles at Camden Yards for the first time in many years. Camden was one of the ballparks high on my bucket list, so I got my group of baseballs girls to partake in a long weekend of games and sightseeing! Camden was the first of the new "retro" parks, completed in 1992. It is gorgeous and they got a lot of the details right. Camden's success also sparked a trend of more fan-friendly, retro ball parks.
One morning, I took a tour of the park (where I got to meet friend of the DNA crew Daniel) and I have to say, it is a bargain at $12!
Babe Ruth was born and raised in this neighborhood. In fact, you can follow the baseballs to his childhood house!
Outside, there are statues of Oriole greats.
Some fun details: ornamental detail on some of the seats, the Orioles logos from different years are all over the park, Ken Griffey's home run from the '93 All Star Game landed across Eutaw St. on the wall of the Warehouse and the Orioles wall of fame.
More fun during and after the tour
The pedestrian street to the right is called Eutaw Street. It is open only during game time to ticket holders and the warehouse to the right was incorporated into the facility and includes bars, restaurants and gift shops. The upper levels are used for event space and offices.
How was the food you ask? Pretty solid! Lots of crab-centric items, like the crab loaded sausage, and also BBQ from Boogs' BBQ (yea, THAT Boog. Oriole's legend, Boog Powell has a stand on Eutaw. Sometimes he is even there to serve up some BBQ!) and the fries with cheesy crab dip. I might have even had sushi one night. (Don't tell Pronk! At least it wasn't frozen.)
Camden is a nice place to see a game, with many outdoor spaces to hang out, and they even have a kids playground for those little ones who get antsy sitting too long in one place. The 7th inning stretch is a long one too--first, "God Bless America" is played. Then "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", then the stretch ends with... "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", the song made popular by the late John Denver. I guess I never expected to have a hoedown at my seats in Baltimore!
It was a great weekend for the Cubs too, as we swept the Orioles in the 3 game series. Notably, it was Jake's first time back to Baltimore after his (& Stropy's) trade, and it was Q's first game as a Cub, after his surprise trade from the White Sox (a fantastic 1st outing as he struck out 12 O's!).
A 5 Star experience - great ball park, friendly staff & fans, good food!