6. Nationals Park - July 22, 2016

Planning to visit Philadelphia was easy. I can drive there pretty much any day I want. It's traveling to these next two stadiums that was the problem.

I wanted visit both Maryland ballparks in one trip. While it's not too far, about 3 hours, I didn't want to take more time off of work.  So, trying to find that one weekend when both the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles were home was difficult. The same goes for Chicago, but I have to wait until next year for that.

The view from my seat in Section 222.

I was able to find one weekend towards the end of July that worked. The Nationals played a Friday night game and the Orioles played a Sunday afternoon game, and then I would make my trek back home.

I strategically booked a hotel in the middle of both cities, so I didn't have to drive a ridiculous distance to either stadium. Getting to the hotel wasn't too bad, just a lot of traffic. There seems to be a theme here.

I made it to my room at around 3:30 PM, the game started at 7:05 PM. I unpacked, charged my phone a bit and left at 5:00 PM. And luckily I left at that time because getting into Washington D.C. was not fun.

I finally parked, about 45 minutes before game time, in a lot that charged $30 for parking. And that wasn't even the most expensive. I recommend taking mass transit when visiting Nationals Park.

The stadium looks nice on the inside, but there's nothing memorable about it from the outside. If you look towards left-center field, the stadium is flanked by two large parking garages. Compared to some stadiums, like the ones in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, with a nice city backdrop, Nationals Park was a big let down.

As far as my seat, I had a very good view. I sat in Section 222, down the first base line. However, I wouldn't consider this a level-200 seat. The way the stadium is laid out, the even sections are upstairs and the odd-numbered ones are down. This should technically make this a level-300 seat.

The game itself was entertaining, despite it being my third time seeing the Nationals in the last calendar year. Washington welcomed in the San Diego Padres, another team I already saw. The starting pitchers were Luis Perdomo (SDP) and Tanner Roark (WAS).

Nationals star hitter, Bryce Harper

Padres right fielder Matt Kemp kicked things off with a solo home run in the first inning. The Nationals came back with two runs, including a solo homer by Jayson Werth. Kemp later his a 3-run home run in the top of the 5th. Daniel Murphy hit a home run of his own in the eighth, but it wasn't enough as Padres won 5-3.

In what seems like a regular part of these reviews, I had a hot dog from the park. Hot dogs are the easiest food to eat while walking around the stadium. The one that I had wasn't bad. It had a nice crunch and went well with chopped onions and mustard. No ketchup on hot dogs!

Getting back to my room was not as bad as getting to the game, but it still sucked. I had to drive around this neighborhood just to get to the highway. Drivers were pulling out in front of other drivers, blocking the opposite lane of traffic. Once you read my review of Fenway Park, you'll understand my hatred for traffic if you don't already.

Of the two stadiums I visited on this trip, I liked this one for a couple of reasons. One, my view was a lot better and two, it wasn't as hot out. The stadium was a little too bland for my liking. There weren't any memorable features to the stadium like many others.

If you're in the area, check out Nationals Park. Other than that, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this park.

5. Citizens Bank Park - May 17, 2016

Once the 2016 MLB schedule was released, my trip planning became more serious.

I was looking at most of the East Coast teams, seeing which teams are available to me and how I can maximize the most of a single trip. Considering my location, Jersey Shore, I'm quite surprised I didn't get to Citizens Bank Park earlier. It's only a 90-minute drive from my house.

About a month into the season, both the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins were not in a good position. The Phillies are clearly rebuilding and the Marlins have two star players. It wasn't the most exciting matchup.

The big difference about this trip is who I went with. It wasn't by myself or with either of my parents. This time, it was with my brother.

We were sitting lower, seven rows from the wall.

My brother played baseball growing up, like me. We're on the same softball team, too. But, over time, he grew out of the sport and watched basketball and football. I watch those sports as well, but there's just something about the game of baseball that intrigues me. So, the fact that we was actually joining me on this trip was pretty cool.

I got home from work and we left right away. We made pretty good time, considering we had to make one extra stop. He wanted to get a Philly Cheesesteak. I've been to both Pat's and Geno's before (I prefer Pat's), but he hasn't. I parked, horribly, and we got the cheesesteaks wit' onions. They were good. We then got to the stadium and walked around the concourse before getting to our seats. It was raining, but the ushers were nice enough to wipe our seats off beforehand.

We were sitting down the third base line, allowing us to see the Marlins warming up. I had to point out most of the Miami players as he wasn't caught up on current rosters. He did know a couple, Martin Prado, Giancarlo Stanton and Ichiro. As far as the Phillies went, he didn't know any. I barely knew who the starting lineup was.

The game started hot, with the Marlins getting a single and double, but left them stranded. Phillies prospect Tommy Joseph scored the first run with a home run to left, barely making it over the wall. Philly pitcher Vince Velazquez didn't last long, only five innings but struck out 10. The Phillies won 3-1. By the time the game ended, my brother and I were standing in center field. Now, that was a view. We left as soon as the final pitch was thrown.

During the game, there were a couple of foul balls hit near us, but nothing reachable. Later, a ball ricocheted off the second deck siding and bounced back towards our section. My brother, like the outfielder that he is, ran to the row next to us and lined up to catch it, but it went over his head and the ball girl caught it. He then somehow convinced her to give him the ball. He was really happy. Mind you, he's 23 years old. The fact that he was getting into the game made me happy.

The Libery Bell in center field

The stadium was nice. Again, it's a big East Coast stadium. Multiple tiers, bleachers where you wouldn't think seats are and people standing in the outfield. Unlike other stadiums I've visited, the second deck did not overhang and the seats were angled enough that you could see over the person in front of you.

Another cool thing is the liberty bell in center field. After each Phillies home run, it lights up and "rings." Realistically, the lights move back and forth to simulate the bell ringing.

Just like Citi Field, there is nothing to do around the stadium. Citizens Bank Park is in a sports complex with Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles) and Wells Fargo Center (76ers and Flyers). You can walk a few miles to the historical part of Philly, but that's about it.

Overall, I liked Citizens Bank Park a lot. It was very spacious and the field was nice. It did help that I had a nice view of the field. I didn't check out the food situation since we ate before the game and my brother brought peanuts into the field, which the staff didn't seem to have a problem with. All in all, definitely check out the field, just maybe wait a couple of years until the Phillies are contenders again.