Mike's Review: Oriole Park at Camden Yards

It was 80 degrees and sunny for our first day game, and what better place for that than Camden Yards. As we made our way towards Eutaw street, we kept getting approached by scalpers (who all for some reason were riding bicycles). The presence of scalpers wouldn't be unusual, if it wasn't for the fact that the Orioles game wasn't sold out... at all. So we entered the ballpark with tickets we bought from the Orioles for nine dollars, got some great food at Boog's BBQ and explored Camden Yards.

The Ballpark
Eutaw street spans the warehouse, the famous backdrop over Camden Yards. On the street you'll find some good food and local beer. Local beer highlights: Flying Dog IPA and Clipper City. There's also a bar in the warehouse that's open for fans during the game, and anyone during the rest of the time. The street itself has a very neat feature: every home run ever hit to Eutaw street is commemorated by a plaque that has the player's team, name, and date. You can walk through the gates along the street and see right onto the entire field. The concourses are not open, the ballpark was built right before the open concourse revelation. It is a beautiful place to watch a game, a small intimate venue, almost every seat is very close to the field.
4 / 5

The Game and Fans
We watched the Orioles get shut out at home in front of about ten thousand little league players. Edwin Jackson pitched a gem for the Tigers, and the lack of O's offense made the fans a bit frustrated. That being said, the fans still have spirit... one fun element of every Orioles game is the fans yelling "O" at the "oh" in the National Anthem.
2.5 / 5

The city of Baltimore put a lot of effort and money into the area surrounding Camden Yards. It's right in downtown, where there are lots of restaurants, the aquarium and science museum, a park, and the waterfront, all directly in front of the city's skyscrapers. Sculptures and monuments are sprinkled all about the area, and the Babe Ruth museum and birth place is an easy walk from the ballpark.
4.5 / 5

The rest of the city of Baltimore does not seem to carry the same life as the area surrounding the ballpark. There's plenty to do near the park and it is very pretty, but it's not worth it to venture much further out than that.
2 / 5