So you have decided to heed the call to adventure. Good for you.
If you need to recall what the Guide is or who I am, please refer to the included links.
The Genesis of the Retro Boom
The Guide has the following to say about going to a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards:
Hey-o. Most people have their own preconceived notions of coming to Bal’more, the author included. They should come anyway. One cannot understand the present without
acknowledging and understanding the past.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards (“Oriole Park”) is a gem of MLB that happens to be in a city that has taken more than its share of hard knocks over the past thirty years. I admit a positive bias towards Charm City. My first adventure into the wide world was going to Baltimore to attend Barack Obama’s second inaugural for my 30th birthday.
I was young and dumb, because imagine going to an event in downtown Los Angeles…while staying in Anaheim. Live and learn. In fact there was a venerable HBO television program that served as my introduction to Baltimore and is arguably the finest piece of media created within the forty years.
Not The Sopranos, The Wire: the definitive show about life in a metropolitan city. The following clip is arguably barometer of whether the show is for you. There’s no hand holding, just a moderately stylized explanation on what everything you know about the drug war is wrong.
What does all the above preamble have to do with going to a ballgame in Baltimore? The city is essentially a character in the show, and television can be demarcated between “before The Wire” and “after The Wire.”
Oriole Park is the same way. Baseball architecture has a clear line at the construction of Oriole Park. It is a modern classic, while not perfect and showing some age, that redefined what going to the ballpark could be. Gone are the cookie cutter, multipurpose buildings, and what was in were throwbacks to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park but with modern technique.
Oriole Park is unique and entirely worth the trip, provided that you can get over any preconceived notions about Baltimore or the stadium itself. Here is all you need to know about attending a Dodgers/Orioles game in Baltimore.
The Five Questions of the Guide
1. Is it worth going here?
Yes, the Retro Ballpark boom started here for a reason.
One should not require convincing to come to Baltimore. Oriole Park rides that line between modern and classic, but really cozy and cramped. One can see the influence of this ballpark on just about every ballpark that came after, with the exception of Globe Life Field (feels oddly cavernous) and loanDepot Park (generally bad, but somehow cosmopolitan and dated at the same time).
The fans are passionate. The food ranges from local must try (Boog’s Barbecue, anything with crab) to standard ballpark fare. The sound system and the main scoreboard could use some modernizing, however, renovations are coming. The best food for a game at Oriole Park is arguably a cheap cut of beef from an out-of-the-way sandwich shop that shares a parking lot with a strip club a couple of miles from the stadium.
Baltimore is not for the faint of heart, but pit beef with extra horseradish and onions is something that should be savored, preferably during the day when one is far less likely to encounter an unsavory element. I usually Uber over, eat there, order additional sandwiches to go, and then Uber back to my hotel. No fuss, no muss.
While one can bring individual portions of food into Oriole Park, I would just eat beforehand, and spend money on staying hydrated.
Oriole Park is not perfect. The Dodgers only visit every other year. There are no tours to speak of at Oriole Park, which is a shame considering the character of the surroundings. The Orioles have put their offices in the nearby buildings and the innards of the ballpark are likely quite interesting.
The Orioles also skimp on first game certificates. When I first visited, all they offered was a button. The team is only now offering first game certificates, which I shall collect on my next visit. I am hopeful I can get them to backdate to my original visit in 2023.
2. How should I get there?
As we have covered elsewhere, unless you live on the East Coast, you are likely flying to Baltimore/Washington International Airport from California. Considering the physical distance between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, there is really no reason to use Reagan National or Dulles when trying to get to Baltimore.
Depending on the schedule, one might be able to take Amtrak if the Dodgers are first playing in New York or Philadelphia. In 2023, that method is exactly what I used. It was not the most efficient means of travel; frankly, American passenger rail is a bad joke compared to the marvels of the Japanese Shinkansen. But as a budget friendly novelty, taking the train to Baltimore is a fun option. This option only works if the Dodgers are within the northeast corridor of Amtrak service. If the team is in or going to Pittsburgh, unless you want to spend all day on the train, pick a different option.
Once in Baltimore, one would just ride share to one’s hotel and then walk to and from the ballpark. The weather might not cooperate because East Coast humidity is still very real and still very terrible. For as much drama as the media makes out Baltimore to be, follow the simple adage and you will be fine: am I using common sense or am I wearing clothing literally made out of money or contraband?
The ballpark is interesting, affordable, and logistically manageable for even the novice traveler; it likely won’t change your life but it will likely be worth the effort and isn’t that reason enough to go?
If you are not using common sense at this point, words fail. Public transit is an option, but generally unnecessary for this entry of the Guide based on the hotel recommendations. Simply put, you will be close enough to get to and from the ballpark by foot.
One technically could drive to Oriole Park, but the parking options are limited because of the urban nature of the ballpark. Along this same reasoning, I would not recommend ride sharing to the ballpark from one’s hotel unless the weather was severe or one suffered from mobility issues.
3. Where should I stay?
Considerable effort has been made to revitalize and modernize the area around the ballpark. Accordingly, there are numerous hotels both large and small of varying quality and cost. Any of the hotels in the image below would work for the traveling Dodgers fan, but my general rule of thumb is to keep foot traffic to half a mile or less.
There is significant foot traffic to and from the ballpark after every game. Baltimore has a reputation for crime, which is certainly earned depending on the neighborhood you visit. Exercise common sense and avoid wearing clothing made of narcotics and money, and you will be fine walking to and from virtually all of these hotels.
The best advice I have is to Google Map a potential option by foot traffic as the area is generally flat and there will be literal hordes of people going to and from the ballpark. One would be wise to take advantage of the safety in numbers.
The area around Oriole Park is not exactly pedestrian-friendly the further out you go. There is not the issue one would face in St. Louis or Los Angeles by taking a wrong turn and then suddenly being in physical peril unless one had limited situational awareness.
In 2023, I stayed at a hotel that was a fifteen minute walk from Oriole Park. I did not fear for my physical safety except from people driving in downtown. I honestly was more annoyed that I had to walk half a mile one way than anything else. Staying at a hotel in the immediate vicinity of Oriole Park solves a lot of potential issues one might initially think are present in visiting Charm City.
4. Where should I sit?
Oriole Park is gorgeous with amazing sight lines just everywhere in the ballpark. Normally, I discourage would-be visitors of ballparks on the East Coast from sitting in the upper deck if they have made the effort to come from California.
As you can see from the above photograph, the views are quite acceptable from this height. Also, ticket prices are quite reasonable unless a special event is going on. One could expect to pay $50 to $100 per ticket and get one solid view of the ballgame.
Not every seat is a winner for a visiting Dodger fan. There is no reason to sit in the outfield unless you are chasing home run balls. If you have taken the effort to travel to Baltimore from California, you might as well get a decent view of the game. When I visited in 2023, the all-you-can-eat section was in the deepest part of left field. The food was not worth it as one had to retreat into the bowels of the stadium to get more, missing the game, and ultimately missing the value.
Sitting anywhere in the identified area of the stadium seating chart is a great place to start for any first-time visitor to Oriole Park. The regulars of Oriole Park are generally a respectful, knowledgeable bunch. Like with any stadium, there are the avid and the annoying, and it is always best to not meet those who happen to be both traits.
Section 86 in the outfield was the original Bird Bath, where cheap tickets came with being splashed when the Orioles did well. The Bird Bath has expanded to include Section 84, but regardless, unless one wanted to be surrounded by avid Orioles fans who chose to be far away from the action, there is no reason to sit this far back.
By all means, come early and socialize and take a peek, but then retreat to your assigned seat. Considering the forgiving nature of seating at Oriole Park, there is only one question you need to ask yourself if physically attending a Dodgers/Oriole game in Baltimore.
Day game or night game?
If it is a night game, sit where your budget and desire allows. But if one has to endure the afternoon sun, one needs to be smart about it. If it is an early afternoon start, shade will be at a premium while at Oriole Park. On the finale of the 2023 series, a rain delay occurred on a sunny day because someone had forgotten to put out the tarp the night before. Accordingly, the conditions were brutally muggy. In planning, I figured I would cheat and use the stadium as a cover.
It worked, and the seat had the added benefit of allowing everyone to watch as they baked in the sun. This seat was in Section 47, and any seat in this area of the stadium is perfect for this purpose. The views of the game are immaculate and you get the added benefit of avoiding direct sunlight.
5. After your trip, is it worth going back?
In the disclaimer to the Guide, I described the informal range of subjective outcomes that can occur after visiting a location. So far, I have attended three games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2023, during which the Dodgers won two. After this visit, my rating of going to Oriole Park is:
- Hey, that was fun! This trip needs to be a yearly event, if able!
Oriole Park is a gem of an experience that should be experienced as often as possible. I have an informal rule that the top spot in the ranking cannot go to a ballpark that the Dodgers only visit every other year.
The other reasons Oriole Park is not in the top spot are no tours and one has to walk further to a reasonable hotel than one generally would if they were staying at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. If more options arise or if the glaring lack of tours of the ballpark is addressed, I would reconsider the ballpark’s placement in the rankings. The ballpark is interesting, affordable, and logistically manageable for even the novice traveler; it likely won’t change your life but it will likely be worth the effort and isn’t that reason enough to go?
For as much as people gush over Fenway Park, for my money and my recommendation, the king of ballparks in the American League East is in Baltimore. Yes, Fenway Park is a bucket list event that one should do exactly once. By my accounting, I spent maybe 40% of what I spent for a three game series in Baltimore versus what I spent in Boston.
Paying playoff prices for a regular season game is a cost that most people cannot afford regularly. While there are more things to do outside of baseball in other cities, and getting to Baltimore is a bit of a pain compared to some of the other cities on this list. Oriole Park is a modern classic, which with any luck will eventually become a true classic and rise to the heights that it and its regular denizens deserve.
