Baltimore - You Rock, Even For Those Who Roll!

The boys and I had a wonderful time in Baltimore this past weekend. Chip wanted to celebrate his high school graduation by going to a Major League baseball game, and to make it all even more special, his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves were playing Corey’s favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles. How could I say no to that?

We headed up Saturday morning, spent the day exploring the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, and checking out Camden Yards, the stadium where the game was being held on Sunday. We had some great meals, explored the area known as Little Italy, and then checked into our hotel to rest up for the next day.

For those readers who know me well, you can probably guess that I was also checking out everything for accessibility. Even though Ashley wasn’t with us, that mindset of accessibility is always with me, and in Baltimore, I was pleasantly surprised.

Everything in the Inner Harbor area was accessible. The restaurant where we had lunch, ESPNZone (the boys were in heaven), was also very accessible, and Ashley would have loved all the TV screens and flashing lights.

Our hotel, Homestead Suites (a Hilton Company chain), was also nicely accessible. The bathroom was large enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and even though it wasn’t represented as a handicapped accessible room, the shower did have grab bars and the rest of the suite had wide hallways. Right outside all the elevators were containers of antiseptic waterless hand cleaner, a nod to the H1N1 flu I’m sure, but still a welcome feature for someone concerned about germs.

The most outstanding accessibility surprise was Camden Yards, home to the Baltimore Orioles. The bathrooms were very large and very clean. The staff was very welcoming and professional. And the number of handicapped accessible seats boggled my mind. They completely surrounded the field from one side to the other (see the light teal seats on the chart above). Those seats, like all the seats at Camden Field, had a great, unobstructed view of all the action. I’m not an Oriole’s fan, but this was the absolute best baseball stadium I have ever seen.

So all I have to say is “Well done, Baltimore, well done!”