ORIOLE PARK AT CAMDEN YARDS

Camden Yards is known as the park that began the welcome trend towards classic ballparks. When it was opened in 1993, it was hailed far and wide as the best park in baseball. And nothing has changed in the intervening decade - Camden is still one of the best places to watch a game, and all of the new parks around the majors owe their existence to this wonderful diamond in downtown Baltimore.

The full name of the stadium is Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but it is simply known as Camden Yards by all baseball fans. Located a couple of blocks west of downtown, a few blocks east of the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum; and with the famous B&O warehouse behind right field, Camden has the best setting in the majors.

Parking in stadium lots can be a problem, as you need to be careful to avoid getting onto the I-395 entry ramp, but if you are lucky, you can get a cheap spot on Pratt Street, just west of the park. There is meter parking here and if you arrive at around 5:00 for a night game you can pay $2 for one hour and after 6 it becomes free. But make sure to read the meter conditions and parking signs - these spots are limited and other spots around there are tow-away zones.

If you don't have tickets to the game, the Orioles have provided a great service - in front of Gate F is the scalp-free zone - people with extra tickets line up there and if you want to buy tickets you can enter the zone and negotiate with the various sellers. It is illegal to sell for over face value, so you can rest assured that you will not get ripped off here. In fact, we recommend using this service for any game, as tickets should be available and you will get a better choice than at the box office. 

Ticket sellers try to get rid of extra - a buyer's dream

All seats in this park are great - the upper deck is not far from the field, while the lower deck seats are close to the action. Even the outfield seats are fairly close. We suggest that you check out a seating map and try to negotiate a good deal at the scalp-free zone.

Around the outside of the stadium are some small banners with pictures of current Orioles. Take the time to walk around and get the feel of the stadium. Note the large arches that serve as entry points for some gates; this is now the norm in new ballparks.

The best place to enter is via gate H, which opens 2 hours before the game and allows you into Eutaw Street, the section of the park in front of the warehouse. Just in front of gate H is a statue dedicated to Babe Ruth, although it didn't really look like him.

Babe Ruth and the scoreboard

Eutaw Street

Eutaw Street is where all of Camden's famous food places are located, including Boog's BBQ, Championship Cafe, Pastimes Cafe, and the Bambino Pub. The food here is pretty good, but expensive. For those on a budget, you can pick up Cracker Jacks and drinks outside gate H and bring them into the park. There is a great picnic section just above the bullpens, appropriately call the Bullpen Area. It is a great place to relax before the game and enjoy the food that you have brought from home. 

As you walk along Eutaw Street, look down - home runs that have struck the walkway are commemorated with small baseball plaques embedded in the pavement. The Orioles Hall of Fame and Maryland Hall of Fame are also located along here - even though the rest of the park doesn't open until 1.5 hours before game time, any baseball fan will have no trouble passing 30 minutes on Eutaw Street.

The inside of the stadium is marked by a very wide concourse which allows for easy movement of the crowd. On the concourse wall behind home plate is the Honor Wall displaying Oriole pennants. Other interesting features include the small picnic area behind section 23, the batters eye-vy (ivy in the batters eye), and the orange seat in the left field bleachers that designates where Cal Ripken Jr.'s record-setting home run (most homers by a shortstop) landed. Walk down to the foul poles and note that they are the original foul poles from Memorial Stadium - a nice touch.

Concourse

Probably the most impressive aspect of Camden is the cleanliness. This seems like a stadium that had opened this year instead of nearly 10 years ago. It has been kept very well and is much nicer than many of the newer parks that have tried to emulate it.

Of course, Camden is not without it's problems - you cannot see the action as you walk around the concourse. There are standing room tickets, but the only area that you can stand is in the outfield, and the view isn't that good. 

Standing seats - the wall obscures some of the field

Other than that, I thought Camden deserved its place as one of the most famous ballparks in the nation. It has not lost its luster, rather the plethora of new parks make one realize just how original Camden was. It has retained its originality in spite of its imitators, and we consider it to be one of the top 5 parks in the majors. If you haven't seen it, then do so; you will not regret it.