Last Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of attending a baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles. Completed in 1992, Camden Yards started a revolution in baseball: gone were the character-free, soulless, utilitarian stadiums of the sixties and seventies; Camden Yards ushered in a new era of baseball-only facilities that were designed to meld with the cities they inhabited, have some character of their own, and be a treat to attend.
Outside the stadium, behind the center field scoreboard. The iconic warehouse is on the left.
Camden Yards
Home of the Baltimore Orioles
| First visit: |
May 12, 2009 () |
|---|---|
| Total visits: | 1 |
| Additional photos: | Gallery |
The stadium is situated just a few blocks from Baltimore’s iconic inner harbor and really in the heart of downtown (much like Progressive Field). Upon getting to the game, Katie, my dad and I received complimentary Aubrey Huff T-shirts.
The concourses are incredibly similar to Progressive Field in that they feel very wide open, a sharp contrast to all of the older stadiums. One difference is that Progressive Field opted for concourses almost twice as wide but added a merchants row in the middle of the concourse, making two somewhat smaller concourses. The upper deck at Progressive Field has only the one row, which is similar to Camden Yards on each of its decks. I liked Camden Yards’ approach, but I think I prefer Progressive Field’s lower deck because you are able to walk around the entire lower deck without missing a pitch.
We got to our seats in the lower deck and enjoyed this view for the game:
With the exception that I wasn’t able to get a nice wide-angle shot of the whole field, the seats were excellent. We enjoyed the game, some high-priced but substantial snacks, and the Orioles ended up winning. Overall, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, much like its contemporary, gets a 9 out of 10 (edit: later changed to an 8). If you’re interested in all the pictures I took, they’re available here.