Cards @ Baltimore in August -- What Should I Know about Camden, Baltimore, etc?

[CardsFanBob]

Water taxis are cool. Take advantage of the Charm City Circulator - free bus service all over downtown.

The stuff in Mt. Vernon and Hampden you will need to cab to, or hop on the number 27 bus heading north, takes you right to the Ave.

Bars to go to:

Downtown:

Fells Point - Slainte, Waterfront Hotel, Max's Taphouse (Massive beer selection), Heavy Seas Taphouse (local brew)

Federal Hill - No idea, Ryleigh's Oyster Bar

Harbor - Pratt St. Ale House

Midtown:

Mt. Vernon - The Brewer's Art, Dionysius

Uptown:

Hampden - Frazier's on the Ave, Rocket to Venus (hipstery), Golden West Cafe (VERY hipstery), Holy Frijoles (pretty solid mexican food), Union Craft Brewing

BARS TO AVOID:

Mad River, MaGerks (douchey)

Saturday Night at the Ottobar in Remington (North Howard St, Remington) Burlesque show, cheap beer, punk rock vibe

So you are going to be in town on Friday morning. Go to Slainte then for breakfast, Also has bottomless drinks on weekdays.You might not be standing at the O's games. How much can you drink till 11 am? I would take the water taxi over to Fort McHenry on Friday. Ft McHenry is historic .$12,00 unlimited ticket might be worth it if you take it a couple of times in during the day.I would go to Thames Street Oyster House. Happy Hour M-F. I would do the LP Steamers thing. Some people like the crab cakes or crab fluff better. Less work but true Baltimoreans like crabs. Jim Gaffigan hates crabs.

I think it is $1400.00 a person. I go to ballparks all over the country and booking on my own is usually alot cheaper. It is the per person that gets you. Like paying for a hotel twice.

Sl?inte Irish Pub and Restaurant serves breakfast daily from 7:00 AM until 11:00 AM on weekdays and until 1:00PM on weekends, featuring $10 bottomless Mimosa & Bloody Mary on weekdays.

http://thamesstreetoysterhouse.com/

A few of my favorite spots, FWIW (some have been mentioned already, some haven't):

Food

Woodberry Kitchen (Clipper Mill) - Best restaurant in the city, IMO. Great for any meal, but I particularly like the brunch. To put its quality in perspective, it's where Gordon Ramsay went to eat when he was in town filming Kitchen Nightmares for another place. Only downside is there's nothing else around it. It's a cab-in for dinner, cab-out immediately after type of place.

City Cafe (Mt. Vernon) - Top brunch spot

The Food Market (Hampden) - Right up there with Woodberry Kitchen (and Charleston) for the best restaurant in the city.

LP Steamers (Locust Point) - Great crabs, not touristy

Iggie's (Mt. Vernon) - Fantastic Napoli style Pizza

Faidley's (Lexington Market) - No frills, no fuss, killer crab cakes. Note: Only go during the day and preferably not alone.

Drink

Rye (Fell's Point) - As the name indicates, a whiskey-centric bar. Good food, excellent cocktails

Stalking Horse Vodka Bar (Federal Hill) - As a vodka lover, this is right up my alley. Probably the best vodka selection in the city.

The Brewer's Art (Mt. Vernon) - I'm cheating a bit, as I can't drink beer, but my brother, a Federal Hill resident, and many friends swear by the place. In-house brewed Belgian style ales.

Illusions Magic Bar (Federal Hill) - Might be gimmicky to some, but it's a completely unique concept and I love it. There's no metaphor in the title, it's literally a magic bar. The front half of the place is the actual bar, and the rear half is the theater where the father and son owners (their names escape me) perform magic shows. They also tend bar when not performing. The son actually auditioned for America's Got Talent, and made it to the live auditions in front of the judges. A great night out, IMO.

Attractions

National Aquarium in Baltimore (Inner Harbor) - One of the top aquariums in the country. The new Black Tip reef exhibit is excellent.

Fort McHenry National Monument - Great place for history buffs. Site of the battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star-spangled Banner.

Historic Ships (Inner Harbor) - Another great history buff activity. Tour a WWII submarine, a coast guard cutter, and a 19th century warship.

I'd also highly recommend (depending on the length of your stay), getting down to DC to tour the monuments and Smithsonian. It's all free (minus the transportation getting there) and a short distance away (only 40 miles)

Thank you again for all the suggestions! Very much appreciated! We get in midday on Thursday leave midday Sunday, so we're going to try and hit up as many of these places as we can-- likely, we're staying around Fells, Federal Hill, by the ball park, etc. Just because we're limited in our time. But I'm very much excited to get the feel for your town!

And I totally dig all the places with the bottomless cups for brunch!

[Going Underground]

Thank you again for all the suggestions! Very much appreciated! We get in midday on Thursday leave midday Sunday, so we're going to try and hit up as many of these places as we can-- likely, we're staying around Fells, Federal Hill, by the ball park, etc. Just because we're limited in our time. But I'm very much excited to get the feel for your town!

And I totally dig all the places with the bottomless cups for brunch!

You should at least try Barcocina. They have a brunch on Saturday & Sunday. Bottomless Mimosas are $10 and Marys are $12.00 . Also have a late menu till 2:30 AM. Also doing Restaurant week. This place is really nice with a good view.

http://www.barcocina.com/pdf/menus/Barcocina_Brunch_Menu.pdf

http://www.barcocina.com/pdf/menus/A_LATE_NIGHT_Taco_MENU.pdf

http://www.barcocina.com/pdf/menus/Barcocina_Restaurant_Week_Menu_August_2014.pdf

[BMann]

Hello, O's fans!

I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and I think I've talked the wife into flying up to catch the Cards/Orioles series this August. Just a quick in and out trip, catching the Friday and Saturday night games.

Let me be the first to express my sympathy for the brutal thumping you had to witness first-hand last night at the hands of our O's! Having been a visiting fan before, I know it ain't much fun sitting out there when your boys are getting clobbered. But, on the bright side, I'm sure the O's fans were really nice to you, since the Cards were so obliging to the home team! And, speaking only for myself, the Cards are definitely an organization I've long respected from afar, and have no problem rooting for when they're playing anyone but our Birds. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Baltimore fans feel the same.

I hope you enjoyed the stadium, the atmosphere, and the after-game festivities, at least. You seem like a fan who appreciates baseball history, and there was a lot of it on display last night at OPACY. I wonder if any Cardinals players snuck in some time with the likes of Brooks and Frank? I hope some of 'em know who they are, at least!

Maybe you'll see a better game today; with Jiminez returning for the Birds, I have a feeling you'll see a lot more offense from your Cards!

And, hey, the weather was downright perfect, right? Let us know how your experience is going.

[weams]

The Cardinal fans I met seemed real classy and knowledgeable.

Let me be the first to express my sympathy for the brutal thumping you had to witness first-hand last night at the hands of our O's! Having been a visiting fan before, I know it ain't much fun sitting out there when your boys are getting clobbered. But, on the bright side, I'm sure the O's fans were really nice to you, since the Cards were so obliging to the home team! And, speaking only for myself, the Cards are definitely an organization I've long respected from afar, and have no problem rooting for when they're playing anyone but our Birds. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Baltimore fans feel the same.

I hope you enjoyed the stadium, the atmosphere, and the after-game festivities, at least. You seem like a fan who appreciates baseball history, and there was a lot of it on display last night at OPACY. I wonder if any Cardinals players snuck in some time with the likes of Brooks and Frank? I hope some of 'em know who they are, at least!

Maybe you'll see a better game today; with Jiminez returning for the Birds, I have a feeling you'll see a lot more offense from your Cards!

And, hey, the weather was downright perfect, right? Let us know how your experience is going.

Even before we thumped them.

[OFFNY]

Hello, O's fans!

I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and I think I've talked the wife into flying up to catch the Cards/Orioles series this August. Just a quick in and out trip, catching the Friday and Saturday night games.

I've traveled extensively, but not much in the northeast. My only time in Baltimore was packed with work obligations, and more than 7 years ago. In other words, I don't know much about your fair city.

I'm hoping to book a room near the stadium, and doing a quick search of the area on Google, it looks like the Inner Harbor is the best area to stay -- hotels, bars, restaurants around. Is that right? We're around 30, so in good shape to make the half mile or so walk.

Any information you could provide to make this a unique experience is greatly appreciated. I've been waiting for a trip to see Camden since interleague began. I can't wait to check the entire area.

Oh, and regarding tickets: The wife and I enjoy cutting loose when traveling, and we've been known to throw a few drinks back. Does Camden have any all you can drink areas? It doesn't look like it does, but I couldn't be sure... They're big sellers here in St. Louis. Again, any info you could provide is much appreciated!

When O's make the Series this year against the Cardinals, and you come to Busch to watch them play, I'll be more than happy to provide any information you would need for a great visit!

Bob, I'm good friends with all of the Cardinals fans on the St. Louis Legends website. I've actually met one of them in North Carolina, when the Advanced-A Frederick Keys played at Winston-Salem 2 and-a-half months ago.

In fact, I ALWAYS start the game threads over there, as I do here on the Orioles Hangout.

Today, we have a special game thread for today for the former cross-town rivals.

http://s7.zetaboards.com/stlouislegends/topic/9132391/1/#new

[Going Underground]

Yes. Let us know how you liked the stadium and other things. Food,attractions and hotel. Be honest:) Get many threads about what to do and where to sit at the stadium. Hope you also saw Statue Park. I hope you stayed for the ceremony since you said you were a history buff. Not sure if you made the whole game.

[notfast]

Sat next to a couple of Cards fans in 336 last night. Great fans, talked entire game about different stadiums, seeing Bob Gibson pitch, going to WS games etc etc.

They stated the 60th Anniversary ceremony was great, even being opposing team fans. Loved the stadium. Said SF is closest copy to OPACY they've been to.

The gentlemen gave me a ton of info I had no idea about and I hope I did the same. Good to talk baseball with a knowledgeable fan with a different perspective. He had no idea why Lackey got booed so much or that Joseph had 4 HR in 4 straight. Also gave him a little history lesson on Memorial Stadium and Wild Bill.

Learned that 1944 was the last time the World Series was held in one stadium....St Louis Browns vs St Louis Cardinals.

[CardsFanBob]

Ladies and Gents, sorry I didn't get back to you all until now. We flew back late Sunday and yesterday was nuts trying to to re-assimilate to work life.

First and foremost, what a beautiful park... I've been to close to half of the MLB ballparks and Camden probably comes a very close second to ATT Park in San Francisco as my favorite. Love the brick facade... it almost had an orange tint with it. Loved the history and the statues. Loved hitting up Dempseys and getting a pit beef sandwich from Boogs, which was good, especially for park food.

Obviously... I didn't like the games. Hahaha. But that happens. It's baseball.

O's fans should be complimented. I didn't have a single negative barb or word thrown my way. A very pleasant experience.

We say three rows from homeplate the first night and in the rooftop bar seats on Saturday. Those rooftop bar seats are a must if you haven't sat there yet. It gives you a great perspective of the park.

We tried to hit up as many of the restaurants and bars as possible, but sadly, with this being our first get-away from our 5-month old, we spent almost every day sleeping until noon. It was much needed rest.

But the first night (Thursday) we walked all over Fells Point. Had a few drinks at Waterfront Kitchen then moved to Bond Street Social for a few apps and a few more drinks. Then had a few at The Horse You Rode in On, and we eventually stopped at Thames Oyster House for dinner... which was excellent. We topped off the evening with a few drinks at Cat's Eye Pub and the Admiral Fell Inn... By that point, we had to crash.

Friday, as mentioned, we snoozed until noon... I wish we could have done more site-seeing or even just taken the water taxi around, but no go. But we did get to the park around 2 ish for the 7 o'clock game. We walked around Camden and had a few drinks at Dempseys, which we loved the atmosphere.... and the bacon app!!! Then, we went to Pickles (and had pickles!), had a drink at that tiny bar next to it, and then had a few more at Sliders on the end.

No need for me to discuss the game! But we did end the evening at Blue Moon Cafe.... and WOW... The Capt N Crunch French Toast may be one of the greatest foods known to man! We went back on Saturday!

Regarding Saturday, we slept in again.... (Hey newborns zap you.) then, we walked to the park with a long stop at PowerPlant Live.... I had to see it... A nice place for a drink, but that's about it. Then, we spent the next two or three hours at Pratt Street Ale House -- what a great place. And we had some really good food.

Again... The game needs no mention, other than I'd like to reiterate my point... The Centerfield Bar seats are awesome!

We ended up nabbing dinner at Blue Moon and went back to the hotel by 9ish or so. We were just zapped by being in the sun all day... and well, we're just getting older. haha.

Left for the airport around 1ish on Sunday.

There was so much more I would have liked to see, but we really enjoyed our trip and the TONS of recommendations. I wish I could have went to all of the great places you suggested. And Lord knows I'm going to miss the crab dip!!!!

If any of you ever find your way coming to St. Louis for a game, come visit me and my online buddies at tippingpitchers.com. It's an unofficial baseball and St. Louis sports and topics forum. Great board I've been a part of for almost 10 years.

We can give you plenty of places to go!

Cheers, O's fans!

[BohKnowsBmore]

Illusions Magic Bar (Federal Hill) - Might be gimmicky to some, but it's a completely unique concept and I love it. There's no metaphor in the title, it's literally a magic bar. The front half of the place is the actual bar, and the rear half is the theater where the father and son owners (their names escape me) perform magic shows. They also tend bar when not performing. The son actually auditioned for America's Got Talent, and made it to the live auditions in front of the judges. A great night out, IMO.

Horsman. The son's name is Spencer Horsman.

http://www.spencerhorsman.com/

[Frobby]

Thanks for checking back. I've got two sons going to school at Wash U. in St. Louis and haven't had a chance to get to a ballgame there yet, but I really want to do that one of these days.

[CardsFanBob]

Good for your boys. That's one of the best schools in the country. And it ain't cheap!

[Frobby]

Good for your boys. That's one of the best schools in the country. And it ain't cheap!

Tell me about it...

[Great8]

Glad you had a good time, Bob, games not withstanding! I went on Sunday, which is typical of my luck!

Curious, did you stay for the 60th Anniversary tribute after the game on Friday night?

[CardsFanBob]

We actually watched it on the TVs inside of Dempseys while chatting up a local couple at the bar. It was very nicely done and reminded me a lot of our Opening Day festivities when we bring out our Cardinals and Baseball HOFers... in fact, outside of playoff baseball, it's one of my favorite parts of the year.

[CardsFanBob]

And I plugged it earlier in the thread, as baseball fans, if you're in St. Louis, please go to our Cardinals HOF... We have some great Browns stuff in there. I think some of you diehards would enjoy enjoy seeing artifacts from the beginnings of your franchise.