A Classic Park Gets a Modern Twist, Part 2

With less than a month until Opening Day on April 6^th, we re-visited Camden Yards to see the improvements and modifications that have been made to the stadium. Over a month ago, we highlighted the renovations that were starting to take place this off season at Camden Yards to make Oriole Park more of a year-round facility. These improvements were designed to coincide with the celebration of 20 years at Camden Yards for the Orioles.

Sports Legends, Gearing Up For Grand Prix

It’s hard to get much past the prying eyes in Bin 400, but Sports Legends managed to do it with a special set of hot wheels.  They must have rolled it in during the dead of night, because it’s hard to miss this kind of spectacle.

Proof that something good does occasionally come out of Indianapolis, the sports museum managed to score some exhibits from the Indy 500 museum that will be on display through the Labor Day weekend — including this vintage race car.

Sports Legends manages to be au courant in their exhibit themes.  They are also celebrating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, including the visit of Abraham Lincoln and the 1861 riot at Camden Station.

Sports Legends is the place to be during the Festival of Speed.  It is the gateway to the exclusive VIP pit row suites, a merchandising center, and a concession stand for all those attending the concert and other activities on Camden Street.  The museum will also be open.

Be sure to stop in the Gentleman’s Waiting Room (that’s where Abe lingered on his way to Gettysburg) and see this paean to Indy Racing’s past.  It will get you revved up (even more than the earthquake) for the festivities to come.

Revvin’, Rockin’, and Rollin’: Around the Track and the Quake

One of the most memorable quotes from Forest Gump is when his mother tells him, “Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you are gonna get.”  What’dya know? Momma is always right!

After fulfilling the usual morning tasks- checking emails, voicemails, and making calls- we decided to check out the newest edifice that was installed for the Baltimore Grand Prix.  Yellow pedestrian bridges have been erected to allow people attending the three-day event to cross the streets during the race.  What turned out to be a small excursion quickly escalated to an entire tour of the 2.1 mile course.  However, the unexpected 45 minute power walk quickly translated into some great pictures of the view around the track.

Read more to view the slideshow. 

Just in Time for Fall Festivities…

An 85-acre complex like Camden Yards has a lot of gateways.  When 70,000+ people (many of them out-of-towners) descend upon us for a football game or Grand Prix event, we like to let them know where they are and where they are going.  So our partnership with the Gwynns Falls Trail — the 13 mile hiker-biker passage from I-70 to the Inner Harbor — helps us welcome guests to our complex, teach them a little history of the site, and direct them to public transportation terminals and spending opportunities downtown.

This large addition to the existing kiosk at Warner and Ostend tells the story of the Camden Yards rail yard that anchored the industrial area where the sports complex now stands.  It also indicates the overpasses that will take visitors to Federal Hill or the Inner Harbor. With all the visitors arriving by bus, train, auto, cycle, or on foot, this wayfaring sign is just what we need to let everyone know that Camden Yards is still a transportation crossroads and a convenient place to attend an event.  It’s also a very interesting place to visit and learn about Baltimore’s industrial heritage.

Crab Cakes and Lacrosse, That’s What Maryland Does!

Crabcakes and Lacrosse, that’s what Maryland does. A saying that everyone, no matter where you’re from, can feel once you cross the state lines. It is only natural that the NCAA Lacrosse Championship would be a big hit and attract an abundance of fans.

These fanatics poured in from all across the country to watch their beloved teams compete for the title of 2011 National Champion. Even before the games began, school spirit could be seen for miles across the parking lots of tailgaters and intertwined throughout the whole stadium.

On Time, On Budget

For the people I work with, it’s more than a mantra.  On time, on budget is a promise made and kept.

While I’ve always admired the work ethic that comes that commitment, this is the first time I’ve lived with it.  In this case, it means heavy construction projects with a tight schedule.  Under my window.  It’s an eye opener rather than earache, though.  It shows just how skillfully our professionals plan things.

Because Camden Yards operates 365 days a year as an office complex, visitor attraction, and transit center as well as sports complex, our engineers coordinate work around those functions.  Their juggling is worthy of Cirque du Soleil.

Right now, it is well below freezing with high winds making the chill factor much lower.  But work began on the Pit Lane improvements long before I arrived this morning.  Like the widening of Lee Street by the City, construction had to begin as soon as the Orioles season ended, and completed before their return in the spring.

That’s a pretty narrow window, and doesn’t leave much wiggle room for bad weather or anything else.  And yes, there is some discomfort for Ravens home games, but that will be more than compensated by improved traffic flow and some additional parking when the project is complete.

Pit Row is not the only project that has battled the elements.  Here is a picture of the work on the seating bowl that continued during the February blizzards earlier this year.  Again, the new seats and drainage trenches had to be installed by Opening Day.  Neither rain, nor snow, nor other meterological surprises could stop the work.

And it didn’t.  Additional work on the seating bowl has continued this off season, and we can guarantee you, it will be finished no matter what Mother Nature throws at us this year.  (Hard to top last year, Mom.)

So while we all look forward to the wonderful experiences we have at Camden Yards, (and will have at the Baltimore Grand Prix over Labor Day,)  take a moment to appreciate what goes into keeping our facilities the best of the best. 

Even if it occasionally sounds like a woodpecker on steroids outside your window.