The drive from New Jersey back to Nashville is always a doozy. The GPS usually says it’s around 12-12.5 hours, but hitting the right spot of traffic in the right city can quickly turn that into 14 hours. So, when my father-in-law presented my wife and I with the idea of meeting the family in Baltimore for a night at Camden Yards, we jumped at the chance to split our trip into two legs. Three hours from Jersey to Baltimore on a Saturday. Nine hours from Baltimore back home on a Sunday. Not too bad.
When he managed to snag two tickets in the same section for Orioles-Yankees, it was even better. This was my first chance to really get out and explore Baltimore a little bit. I have a good friend of the brand who lived nearby for a while that warned me about the city – said there are parts of it that the cops won’t even go to, but if I stayed down by the stadiums, I’d be okay. I remembered that the first time my wife and I tried to take a detour and do some sightseeing. We got turned around and ended up in a not-so-savory part of town and elected to just hop back on the interstate the first chance we got. Thankfully, this experience was quite different.
Fine evening at Camden Yards pic.twitter.com/cZLLTblwqM
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) July 29, 2023
I married into a Yankees family, and my father-in-law has taken our niece and nephew down to see the Yankees in Baltimore every summer for awhile now. We met them, along with two of my aunt-in-laws, down at Camden Yards. It was a beautiful night for a ball game. I overheard several of the locals complaining about the heat, and while I had a nice glisten going, I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking that would’ve felt like early fall in Nashville.
Camden Yards is the most beautiful baseball park I’ve been to. Everyone at the game was nice. There was plenty for the kids to do. Adjacent shops and bars buzzed with Orioles spirit. And even though there were several “let’s go Yankees” chants that broke out throughout the evening, it was the closest I’ve seen to the college football tailgate environment outside of college football. I absolutely loved it. I moseyed on out to the concourse in between innings to take in the breeze blowing through, and grab a sandwich. To be a professional sports stadium, I didn’t find the prices to be too unreasonable. All in all, it was a tremendous stadium experience. It’s a much longer trip for us, but my wife and I caught ourselves thinking, “hey, we could probably make this trip every summer!”
After the game, we ventured back to the hotel. I won’t speak for the rest of our party, but I definitely needed the chance to freshen up a bit after sweating profusely into the night for a few hours. The kids were gearing up for an intense round of Yahtzee when my father-in-law mentioned food. It was all I needed to hear.
We walked down to the Pratt Street Ale House, where I ordered a Buffalo smash burger that was to die for. The patties were cooked to perfection, the grease running off into the bun, mixed in with the buffalo sauce and blue cheese crumbles to make for a savory, rich burger that had the slightest kick to it. I was kicking myself for not getting some sort of seafood while we were in town, but I panic-ordered since the kitchen was about to close. It wasn’t quite a midnight snack, but a 10:45 PM snack? Yes. Absolutely. While I was there, I happened to look up at the bar and notice a bottle of liquor that had eluded me for years – the Old Bay vodka.
My goodness, I’ve found it. The holy grail. At a bar in Baltimore, I’ve found it. pic.twitter.com/rvgjTxmiwu
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) July 30, 2023
I had to try it. It’s only available in Baltimore, but the bartender told me the liquor stores close on Sunday. I’d have no other shot at trying this thing. She looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered a shot, but I had to know! It’s primarily used in a Bloody Mary, but I just wanted a taste. So, that’s what I got. Folks, it tastes like someone just opened a bottle of Old Bay and poured some vodka in it. I thought it was going to have a faint Old Bay flavor, but no…it’s heavy on the Old Bay. This was a massive victory and I knew I’d rest easy that night having accomplished one of my bucket list dreams.
We were up the next day, and after brunch, we took the nephew over Charm City Cakes, which I’m told is a big deal because it’s run by some dude who is a great baker. I don’t know. I can’t keep up with what the kids these days are into. My wife and I said our goodbyes and made way for Nashville.
I don’t want to sugarcoat it, and as a journalist, I always have to be transparent with you guys. Baltimore is gross. The vibes are not perfect. It definitely seems like the type of town you don’t want to get turned around in. I noticed grass growing up untamed between the cracks in sidewalks. City blocks downtown were completely empty. It wasn’t exactly the most bright and vibrant place. But, it’s like a lot of the other big cities – there’s more than meets the eye, and you just have to figure out where to find it. We only saw a fraction of what the city has to offer while we were there (we missed out on the science center that the kids went to), but if I took one thing away from my one night in Baltimore, it’s that Camden Yards is a Hall of Fame place to watch a baseball game, and if you like Old Bay like me, this city is your mecca.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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