I Need Help Please....

[warwagon86]

Hey everyone ok so firstly I will put my hands up and say I am not a Ravens fan haha however I am over visiting america and I love love love love American football (49ers fan if you must know)

Myself and a few of my buddies work for Easter Seals at their special needs camps in the summer and this year our travelling takes us to DC. I noticed that Baltimore is not far on the map and you guys are scheduled to play the Jets in a pre-season.

I know allot of people don't like pre-season games but for us it would be spectacular to see something like this and soak up a real game - instead of waiting until 6pm to watch it on satellite tv in Ireland and England.

So if you would be so kind as to help me get sorted I would be ever so grateful and buy you a drink if your going to the game haha.

So there will be 4 of us - 2 Irishmen, an Englishman and a Scotsman (cue the jokes). We arrive in DC on the 22nd so my questions are:

1. Tickets - can we buy tickets at the ground or do we have to use ticketmaster. If we can buy them at the ground how much do they cost?

2. Travel - how can we get from DC to Baltimore for a cost effective means. We could drive but would seem pointless to hire a car for the day and none of us would trust ourselves on your roads haha.

3. Entertainment - is there a tailgate? Something I have always wanted to expereince was a tailgate and if so how do we go about getting in and what are the rules and etiquette for tailgating.

4. Getting home - would we still be able to get back to our hotel in DC when the game is finished? I suppose this could really go in with travel.

Thats all i got for now but if anyone else has any other ideas or input feel free to chip in.

Cheers

Ryan

[Moderator 3]

1) Tickets bought outside the stadium might or might not be legitimate. Your best bet is to click "Gameday" then "Tickets" at the top of this page and follow the links to the Ravens authorized ticket reseller. Buying and selling tickets in these forums is not allowed.

2) The best way to get from DC and back is to drive. The other alternative is to take the MARC train TO Baltimore (Camden Yards) but that won't take you back after the game. Those trains only run during business hours. You could take Amtrak back from Baltimore, but I'm not sure what time the trains run. When you consider the cost of 4 round-trip tickets, it might be cheaper to rent a car (or possibly hire a car and driver). You can take Amtrak from DC to BWI airport, then take a shuttle bus to the Light Rail, and take the Light Rail to the stadium. You'd have to put some planning into the times, though. It won't be fast.

3) Tailgating is excellent. Perhaps someone who reads this thread will invite you.

4) Covered under 2.

Hope this gets you started. You'll love the experience at M&T Bank Stadium.

[warwagon86]

Cheers Mr/Ms Moderator.

So maybe look into hiring a car and seeing what the price advantage is

[Moderator 2]

Finding parking may be difficult, could you possibly stay the night in Baltimore? Around the stadium you have Ravens Walk [url="http://www.baltimoreravens.com/Gameday/Gameday_Events.aspx"]LINK TO INFO[/url] . During the regular season is a band in a tent outside the main gate after everygame. There is a bunch of random info in the Questions forum also.

[warwagon86]

[quote name='Moderator 2' date='02 August 2009 - 08:09 PM' timestamp='1249258174' post='214348']
Finding parking may be difficult, could you possibly stay the night in Baltimore? Around the stadium you have Ravens Walk [url="http://www.baltimoreravens.com/Gameday/Gameday_Events.aspx"]LINK TO INFO[/url] . During the regular season is a band in a tent outside the main gate after everygame. There is a bunch of random info in the Questions forum also.
[/quote]

we would be unable to stay the night in Baltimore because we have already booked our hotel for Washington.

Could we pre-book the parking or would we have to be season ticket holders to do so?

[Moderator 2]

There are pay lots on Ostend street but you may wish to get there between 4 and 5. Last year it cost anywhere between 25 and 40 dollars a game depending on the lot.. Ya'll may want to pack a cooler with some sandwiches and drinks and have your own mini tailgate before going into the stadium. Please be sure to read what you are allowed to take into the stadium and they do do a pat down search.

[Moderator 4]

[quote name='Moderator 2' date='02 August 2009 - 08:45 PM' timestamp='1249260306' post='214361']
There are pay lots on Ostend street but you may wish to get there between 4 and 5. Last year it cost anywhere between 25 and 40 dollars a game depending on the lot.. Ya'll may want to pack a cooler with some sandwiches and drinks and have your own mini tailgate before going into the stadium. Please be sure to read what you are allowed to take into the stadium and they do do a pat down search.
[/quote]

Agree with above statement that four people would be better off renting a car. Approx 45 minutes from the Nations' Capital, plus another 15 minutes to find parking. You may find cash lot parking near the stadium for $40-$45 range. If you don't mind walking 1/2 mile, there are many parking garages along the Pratt & Lombard Street corridor, which should be charging $10 or so for evening parking. Check out parking garages [url="http://baltimore.org/maps"]here[/url].

If you plan to take public transportation, the [u]cheapest[/u] route, involving a double transfer, would be (1) to take the WMATA Metro Green Line to Greenbelt, (2) transfer to [url="http://www.wmata.com/bus/b30_brochure.cfm"]Metrobus B30 to BWI Airport[/url], and (3) Light Rail from BWI to Ravens Stadium. Total cost would be about $9.30 round trip from Greenbelt, plus whatever fare you pay in DC to get to/from the Greenbelt Metro. Figure 1:30 to 2 hours.

The [u]fastest[/u] public transportation route (approx 1 hour) would be MARC or Amtrak from DC Union Station or New Carrollton to BWI, transfer to Light Rail, or take a cab.

Game tickets were listed on popular resale sites for $18. Game tickets should be in abundance. Be wary of street vendors.

Tailgating is popular, even for he exhibition games. Be sure to take the Ravens Walk, down Eutaw Promenade -- between the baseball and football stadia, for live entertainment and outside bars and grills.

[Guest Moderator 5]

[quote name='warwagon86' date='02 August 2009 - 08:28 PM' timestamp='1249259335' post='214354']
we would be unable to stay the night in Baltimore because we have already booked our hotel for Washington.

Could we pre-book the parking or would we have to be season ticket holders to do so?
[/quote]

Not telling you what to do, but could you cancel that night's stay in Washington and get accommodation in Baltimore? Maybe I'm painting a stereotypical image, but I'd imagine a group of Irish, English and Scottish lads would be interested in having a beverage or two after the game as opposed to having to drive to Washington at 11pm. There's a load of good pubs in Federal Hill (walking distance of the stadium) or a little further round the harbor if you get a cab.

Our tailgating group actually have a few Brits come over every couple of years - this year they'll be here for the Cleveland game where we've got an Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman, funnily enough.

People do tailgate during pre-season, but not to the extent they do during regular season - especially as this one's a weeknight. As mentioned above, we have a decent group that tailgates so if you do end up deciding to come to the game you're welcome to join us. Football/rugby songs are also encouraged!