After reviewing the 2015 Major League Baseball schedule, Ray
and Traci decided to travel to Baltimore in May during the Mariners road trip
to Camden Yards to visit their 16th and 17th current MLB ballparks– Orioles
Park at CamdenYards and National Park. Neither had ever visited Charm City
before, and Ray's only knowledge of Baltimore came from past gritty police
dramas like "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "The Wire."
Visiting a city two weeks removed from a week long curfew (including a MLB
first - a game totally closed to the public) due to civil unrest was concerning
to say the least. But with a hotel less than 100 yards from the ballpark
entrance, the travelers decided to proceed with their vacation.
Ray and Traci flew from Seattle to Baltimore on
an uneventful Alaska flight and picked up their rental car for a 15 minute
drive to the Baltimore Hilton located in the inner harbor area. The weather was
hot and muggy with thunderstorms expected. Ray and Traci checked into their
18th floor room, having reserved a room overlooking the ballpark.
Ray was not happy their view was obstructed by the left field bleachers but realized they would not be watching any baseball from the room anyway. It was interesting watching the crew prepare the field before games and clean up afterwards. Hungry from their journey, they walked to the nearby inner harbor area. As forecasters expected, electrical storms started with torrential rainfall. Ray and Traci quickly ducked into the first doorway when the rains came, which conveniently was the Baltimore Cheesecake Factory. The weather picked their restaurant for them. Ray had a Baltimore specialty Pit Beef Dip although he had the horseradish and onion removed leaving a French dip with cheese. Traci enjoyed a humongous Sheila’s chicken and avocado salad of which she could only manage to eat about a quarter of it. The dinner was good and being dry during the rainstorm only made the food taste better. Stuffed, Ray and Traci had to decline the Cheesecake Factory's signature desserts and they returned to their hotel room during a brief pause in rainfall. Kudos for Accuweather's minute cast app which correctly predicted the break in the storm. Back in their room, they watched the storm resume and both were thankful the Mariners were not playing that night.
On Tuesday, Ray started the day with a run around the inner harbor. Heat and humidity made the run a challenge, although the scenery was quite nice. The waterfront is ringed by a brick pedestrian trail adjacent to many restaurants, museums, shops, hotels and residences. Baltimore's inner harbor has received accolades and awards as a model for civic redevelopment. Most of the buildings look quite new including a large Ritz Carlton residential development. Their large convention center is surrounded by many large hotels and eateries. This gorgeous setting was not shown by national media in the recent riots.
Afterwards, Ray and Traci drove about an hour to Washington DC to look at two of the few attractions they had not visited previously. The first was the Library of Congress, an impressive and ornate building visited by scholars from all over needing information not available elsewhere. Books, recordings, movies and artifacts of all kinds are stored in their huge collection.
Two of the popular public exhibits included one of three known intact Gutenberg Bibles (first western book printed using movable type) and Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 world map which included the first reference to "America." German Prime Minister Merkel's government kindly sold the map to the library for $10 million.
Thankful they had a car given the heat and humidity, Ray and Traci next drove to the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial on the far side of the National Mall. This recent addition consisted of a statue of Dr. King emerging from a granite slab with the inscription from his famous I have a Dream Speech, "out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope..." Framing the statue rests granite with inscriptions from other great speeches. The memorial serves as a great tribute to the civil rights champion.
From the memorial, Ray and Traci found parking near the Metro Center (subway) and enjoyed a dinner at a popular chain Cosi where Ray had a Caesar Salad and Traci had a Tandoori chicken sandwich. Because of the limited parking around the Nationals Ballpark, Ray and Traci took the Metro to the ballgame which turned out to be quite an experience - rush hour commuters and a sold out baseball stadium crowded into Metro cars with more than gentle pushing and shoving. The Yankees were in town on this warm night (89 degrees at game time). Nationals Park is a well designed modern baseball stadium but lacks signature elements other than a view of the Capitol.
On Wednesday, Ray and Traci made a previously unplanned visit to nearby Annapolis, where the U.S. Naval Academy is located. Being graduation week, the Blue Angels were preparing for a show later in the week, further adding to the appeal of this excursion. After a 40 minute drive, the travelers found themselves in the historic seaport Annapolis and roads packed with cars. Fortunately, Ray found street parking albeit not very close to the academy. After a mile walk, the visitors passed security and signed up for a tour at the Visitors Center. During their visit, their guide described much of the history and tradition of this famous institution. Life at the Academy and the great emphasis on sports (especially the battles with Army) was intriguing. About 4400 cadets (25% female, 33% minority according to the tour guide) reside in the world's largest dormitory.
At the conclusion of the tour Ray and Traci's guide brought
the group to a choice spot to view the Blue Angels. While Seattle residents are
quite familiar with the team thanks to the yearly Seafair performance, the
prime viewing location at The Naval Academy gave a special perspective.
After their Annapolis adventure, Ray and Traci drove back to Baltimore and walked the 100 yards from the Hilton to the ballpark. Camden Yards was opened in 1992 and is considered the model that a generation of retro ballparks including Safeco Field is based on. The brick construction, asymmetric dimensions, and minimization of foul territory are found in parks starting with Camden. One feature Camden does not have is the ability to watch the action while circling the main level concourses.
Camden does have the feel of a new ballpark despite being
almost 25 years old. Surprisingly, there seemed to be many Mariners fans in
attendance especially in the rows just behind the visitor’s dugout where Ray
and Traci sat so they felt right at
home. Roenis Elias pitched an amazing game for the Mariners and led them to
victory although the the Mariners bullpen made the game quite interesting at
the end. Happy Seattle fans enjoyed a 4-2 victory.
On their final day, Ray and Traci awoke to a cold rainy morning which reminded them where they were from. Ray started the day by trying out the Hilton's indoor pool which was a quite nice 25 meter 2 lane lap pool complete with adjacent jacuzzi and even a lifeguard. Fortunately, Ray didn't need the lifeguard's assistance. Both the pool area and gym have 4th floor views over the ballpark. Workers prepared for the game, although tarp remained on the diamond until just before gametime. The game ended up being delayed only about 10 minutes, so the Mariners fans checked out of the Hilton and headed to their seats located on the club level of the stadium (similar to the Terrace Club at Safeco Field). Unlike the previous night where Ray and Traci used Stubhub to get seats at the Mariner dugout, Ray bought club seats from the Orioles which turned out to be a great idea due to the rain. Camden Yards is known for having the most non ticketed seating areas among baseball stadiums and that was especially true in the club section where tables, chairs and even sofas abound. Ray and Traci didn't want to get wet in their uncovered seats so they camped out at a vacant table in front of a large TV. Unlike Safeco Field's terrace club, you cannot see live action from the Orioles club level concourses.
That ceased being an issue as the game stopped after the
third inning and Ray and Traci were joined by many wet Orioles fans. Ray
munched on some chicken tenders during the delay, but eventually the pair
needed to leave for the airport before the game resumed (ultimately lost 5-4 by
the Mariners.) Ray and Traci went back to the Hilton garage and drove their
rental car back to BWI only to find their flight delayed by 80 minutes.
Fortunately, BWI has a hidden gem - an observation lounge free to everyone with
rocking chairs, exhibits, bar and grill, and an amazing view of the airport.
Ray and Traci were able to relax and watch the restarted game before boarding
their return from cold and rainy Baltimore to warm and sunny Seattle. While the Orioles team was tough on
the Mariners (won 2 of 3 games) Baltimore and its very friendly people (workers
and fans) really earned the title of Charm City regardless of recent media
coverage.
