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Stadium Vitals Built: 1998 Capacity: 70,107 seats Playing Surface: Sportexe Momentum Turf Beer: $7.50 Hot Dog: $4.00 Stadium Parking: $40.00 |
M & T Bank Stadium Address1101 Russell Street Baltimore, MD 21230 (410) 261-RAVE (7283) Get Directions |
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Stadium Review - My Return for a True Baltimore Tailgating Experience  Baltimore, Maryland, like most of the east coast, is a city that
runs deep with historic landmarks and monuments chronicling our
young country’s formation. Our National Anthem , “The Star Spangled
Banner”, was written by Francis Scott Key as he watched the British
bombardment of Fort McHenry located a stone’s throw from the
downtown area. Baltimore is also the birthplace of the great
American poet Edgar Allen Poe, whose morbid works continue to
fascinate generations of fans. His poem, “The Raven” which was first
published in 1845, served as the inspiration for the local
professional football franchise when the NFL returned in 1996.Apart form the historical significance of the area, Baltimore is also a great football town. One that unfairly lost its team in 1983 when Baltimore Colts owner, Robert Irsay, secretly packed up the team in the middle of the night, leaving a city of resentment in his wake. This resilient fanbase however, persevered and their patience was rewarded when NFL owner Art Modell decided to move his Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore to become the Baltimore Ravens.   Baltimore Ravens fans are exceptional tailgaters. In Lot H
especially and throughout the area that surrounds M&T Bank Stadium,
you’ll find Ravens fans putting meat to flame flanked by impressive
tailgate cruisers that are customized with Baltimore Ravens themed
paint jobs. Walking through the lot, you’ll also find that seafood
is the order of the day as Ravens fans bring in fresh Cheasapeake
Bay crabs and crab cakes, as well as a host of soups and stews to
round out some of the most impressive tailgating menus you’ll find
in the National Football League. Believe me when I tell you that
these folks know how to eat.  I began my parking lot tour by stopping in on Mista T’s Tailgate,
located in a private lot, nestled behind one of the buildings
adjacent to Lot H. Mista T serves as one of the moderators for the
premiere Ravens Fan Forum on the web,
Ravens24x7. He also has one of
the friendliest crews of tailgaters you’ll find on gameday. These
folks are extremely knowledgable football fans and they never let your beer
mug go empty. They also drink Yingling, which is a major plus as far
as I’m concerned. Later on in the afternoon we proceeded to 21040 Team Bus Tailgating to meet up with a couple of Baltimore Ravens SuperFans, Rick Bowles and Brian Donley. Rick goes by the name “Poetic Justice” and Brian is “The Deeciple”. Both are very actively involved in local area charities and in addition, these guys provide one of the more impressive spreads that I’ve seen in the NFL. Rifling through the  buffet line,
guests were treated to fresh clams, Old Bay scallops, homemade
Maryland crab cakes, shrimp scampi, local sausage and some
exceptional cheesy potatoes and sides (including some phenomenal
stuffed mushroom caps). But what impressed me most was when I lifted
the lid of one of the buffet platters to find ribeye steak and filet
mignon. The “Cheasapeake Seafood Spread”, Rick and Brian’s personal
surf n’ turf buffet, was everything it was billed to be and we truly
felt that the regal purple carpet had been rolled out for our
arrival. We spent some time on their fully upfitted custom team bus
full of Baltimore football memorabilia and enjoyed a little gameday
conversation over some select ice cold beverages of choice and soon
we on our way toward the stadium. Special thanks goes out to
Chip "Fired Up" Riley and the Purple Dame for introducing us around
as well. Chip, I gotta hang out with the "Bus Boys" next time
I'm in town. As a side note, although visitors to the Baltimore area should make
it a point to sample the fresh crab cakes that can be found in most
local restaurants, to truly enjoy the local Maryland crab
experience, steamed crab is the way to go. I have to admit that I’m
not much of a crab-eating pro, but after a brief tutorial at
Obrycki’s Crab House and Seafood Restatuant, I now know what to eat
and what to leave behind. Surprisingly enough it’s a lot more
complicated that just shelling the crab and digging into its juicy
meat. You really have to separate out a plethora of undesirables,
before you can get at the edible parts. Although in some cases it
might be easier to buy a couple of crab cakes and let the pros pick
out the edible bits, being the connoisseur of local delicacies that
I aspire to be, I had to try my hand at blasting through the hard
shell of these Maryland Blue crabs myself. Employing the traditional
implements of area crab eaters (a wooden mallet and paring knife), I
dug through its innards trying to locate the tasty meat inside. It
was like trying to conduct major surgery with a treasure hunt thrown
in for good measure. After a while you get the hang of it, but it’s
still an awful lot of work. Finishing up our tour through the lot, we decided to head into the
stadium. The Denver Broncos were in town to take on the hometown
Baltimore Ravens and I was ready to join this defensive minded
fanbase in their vocal support of the home team. General manager
Ozzie Newsome has done an incredible job crafting a perennial
playoff contender in Baltimore. He’s managed to keep the defensive
shelves stocked with talent while adding to what is evolving into a
highly potent offensive attack led by youngsters Joe Flacco and Ray
Rice. The matchup against the Broncos was hardly a contest. They
were dominated on offense by the highly disruptive Ravens defense
and Ray Rice ran all over the outmatched Broncos defense to post a
dominant 31 – 17 victory. After the game we headed to Mother’s, a
local bar in Federal Hill that hosts the unofficial Ravens post game
tailgate, but not before I took one last photo emulating Baltimore
Colt great Johnny Unitas. It was another incredible visit to
Baltimore and I look forward to my return.For more information on the city of Baltimore, MD check out my other review by clicking on the link below: NFL: December 20, 2009 - Chicago Bears vs. Baltimore Ravens NFL: February 21, 2007 - M&T Bank Stadium Tour |
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