The Preakness - travel tips and info
 

Anyone have any good tips on hotels, restaurants etc. while attending the Preakness?

Do you plan on driving to the preakness from your hotel? or take a cab?
there are +/- to both. Cab there would be easier for getting there, but catching one on the way home might be a little tough. If you plan to drive, parking is pretty much available in EVRYONES front or back yard (I drive every year, I live about 60 miles away and i always park near the backstretch, its a pretty good walk but there are usually some decent prices for parking back there in someone's yard $25-40 range). Obviously the logical thing would be to get a parking pass, but not many people want to shell out $75+ to park.

The inner harbor has some nice restaurants a lot of good seafood places from what i hear. But, be aware if you plan on taking in the scenery down there, one wrong turn can put you in a bad part of town real fast.

I've been going to the Preakness for the last 6 years and its BYOB, though they allow only cans (no bottles and they say no liquor im pretty sure, but you can always put some wiskey in a coke bottle or some vodka in a water bottle they don't check that closely). You can't bring in coolers, so your best bet would be purchase some sort of large tupper wear and it has to be clear. No backpacks allowed, but plastic bags usually do the trick. You can bring in your own food as well, so sandwiches are usually a good idea (especially when your drunk and you don't wanna get gouged for a $5 hot dog)

Seats, i try and get Apron Box Seats every year, IMO its the best seat on the grounds. It puts you on the homestretch in folding chairs (usually if you have a big group you can circle yourself or rearrange your seats however your group wants). If you chose infield, the best of luck to ya. I sit in the infield every year for the Derby, but it's a different breed of people in Baltimore then it is in L'ville. The infield in B-more is basically filled with college kids (though im 25, im still to old for full cans of beer being thrown around like grenades in there), you got kids from U Maryland, UMBC, Johns Hopkins, Towson St. etc. its a mad house, usually they all bring there beer in plastic trash cans filled to the top.

let me know if you want to anything else, and best of luck to ya

-bt-

call me and i'll give you the down-low.

Thanks, I'm thinking we'll probably drive there from our hotel...any good suburbs or areas of the city you would recommend for hotels? We're looking at getting tickets in the covered area of the Grandstand, have you ever sat there and is there good view-age?

How is the Friday beforehand? Would you still recommend getting seats?

This will be my first time to Baltimore so I'm looking forward to it. We're planning several trips on the way down like Gettysburg, Hershey Park and the Aqurium (sp?)

Park at the Rogers Ave. Metro Station. Free parking--the shuttle bus to the track is $3 roundtrip---5 minutes to the track. I do it every year--it is hassle free.

Thanks, that could definitely be useful.

Baltimore sucks.

Having said that....get seats for both days though Friday is hardly a big deal. Federal Hill is fun for bars at night. The Aquarium is cool. The area around the Inner Harbor has also brightened up. Also, you should go to Camden Yards assuming the Os are home.

Baltimore still sucks.

you would be seating under cover outside, those seats are to the right in this pic. Those seats are bleacher style seats (IMO small bleacher seats) there is one small tv (as you can see in the pic, its in the middle of the partition) that you usually can't see anything from b/c it's too small and there is usually always a glare on it. If you sit too high up in this section you won't be able to see the Jumbotron.

The seats i was refering to is where the people on the rail are sitting (section 1-81, the higher the number the further down the homestretch the seats) Apron Box seats. I have never sat anywhere else inside, but General Admission is probably the worst way to go, your not allowed entry to anything but inside.

As far as suburbs, i wouldn't know i live in VA.

Black-Eyed Susan day is pretty much geared towards the ladies and hats (ala kentucky oaks), usually if you purchase tickets through Pimlico you get the same tickets for BES day as well. But if you don't do that, you usually can find pretty cheap tickets on Ebay or something for the BES, people are pretty much trying to unload BES tickets b/c not many people will be there for both days

-bt-

Come on!!!!!!

what man? that's what i have been told and that's pretty much what i have seen.

lend me your insight if im wrong

-bt-

You're wrong. Have you spent much time at Pimlico?

hmmmm, maybe the under-covers don't sound so good after all. Glad I asked! :)

I don’t claim to be an aficionado of Pimlico Race Course, I make it out there probably twice a year (Preakness being one of those days).

Instead of just blatantly saying I’m “wrong” tell me how BES day really is then

The lady asked for helpful insight to the Preakness and BES and I’m trying to help as much as I can (from what I know). You jump all over me for one little thing as though I told him the Preakness / BES was really held at Timonium Race Track or something.

The thread was to help the lady out, not ridicule me




-bt-

I didn't jump all over you, take it easy, I was just having fun. I think anyone familiar with Pimlico knows one thing it isn't is a haven for the " ladies " and Black Eyed Susan day is no different.

By the way...Sightseek aint a guy.

I'm a girl! :p :)

Then, apparently, Black Eyed Susan day will be BIG for you!

Got a hat?

I already checked, unfortunately they are on the road all week.

It's being saved for the Saratoga hat contest. :cool:

That's insane. I think that happened last year as well. In the past they always had games.

I am sure MLB doesnt make the schedule based on the Preakness.

I would think teams can put in requests to the league scheduler for home dates on certain weekends. I don't know why the Orioles wouldn't request home games on Preakness weekend. Anything MLB can do to boost attendance they would certainly want to do.

Yes and no to be honest. If you really care about the answer to this specific situation I can actually get it quite easily.

I've never been to Pimlico but from what I've heard, the neighborhood "ambiance" is along the lines of Hawthorne.......hard to imagine too many ladies going out for the Haw Gold Cup.

My first venture to a track was to see Funny Cide at the MA Cap when I was in college in Boston....silly me. :eek:

Camden Yards is really nice, the surrounding area is the pits. Couldnt get out of there and back to Georgetown fast enough! The food prices there dwarf any professional baseball stadium I have ever been to and I've been to most of them. The food is terrible to boot.

Never been to Pimlico, heard mixed things. Certainly not in my top 100 of places I want to visit though. Sounds like Aqueduct in nice weather with tons of drunk college kids, I think I'll pass.

It is to my knowledge that major sporting events try not to step on each other toes. But it is more of a gentlemans agreement than anything else.

2nd straight year, they always used to have series that weekend.

I love baltimore, even if it's got some, ahem... rough edges.

they would always schedule a series fri night/sat night/sunday day over preakness weekend. not sure why they did away with it.

Camden Yards is really nice. And I agree with you on the food. I tell people to go to a day game.

How is Pikesville? Decent? Dumpy?

The Orioles did request it, which Major League teams can, and the league tries to accomodate and in this case they couldn't.

In general, the league promulgates a schedule, teams can comment and make requests for changes, then the leauge makes changes or doesn't and promulgates a final schedule.

I'm thinking about going for the Pimlico Special this year. Would've seen Invasor last year. The last one I did go to had Summer Squall, Unbridled, Farma Way, and at least one other top horse that I can't remember.

--Dunbar

Found it on Google (which was almost as fast as asking oracle or btwind!). It was Jolie's Halo. I'd also forgotten that Farma Way set the track record that day.

--Dunbar

They can totally do that. Out here Major League Baseball always makes sure they scheduled the Red Sox at home the same day as the Boston Marathon and it's always an 11:15 start.
I would have to say Pimlico , the Orioles and and the city's Board of Tourism would have to get together and make that happen. MLB would cooperate.

Once again, the Orioles tried to get home games that weekend, and MLB was not able to accomodate them.

I was there that day. Hung out in Bud Tent at the Top of the Stretch. I have to tell you, Suffolk Downs may not have charm, but it is clean, seriously all jokes aside, it is clean the food is not bad and the prices are great. Not a bad way to knock a few back, bet on some nags.

My point is if The Orioles, Pim and City of Baltimore requested that it would like it to become a "tradition" to hold a home stance during the Preakness weekend every year from here on out. I guarantee MLB would accomadate them. They do here in Boston.

They can totally do that. Out here Major League Baseball always makes sure they scheduled the Red Sox at home the same day as the Boston Marathon and it's always an 11:15 start.

I doubt very much the weekend of the Preakness will ever carry as much pull as one of the most respected marathons in the world. The Boston Marathon and the 11am Fenway game is a tried tradition that is a gurantee every year.
Also the Red Sox probably carry a little more weight than the Orioles as far as MLB scheduling goes. Just keeping it real ;)

Eh, you never know It is the second Jewel of the Triple Crown a great way to get people from visting city's to come out and enjoy a day at ball park plus MLB loves Camden Yards and has always used it as it prototype when ever Bud Selig has tried to help convice other cities to build new ballparks to replace the old aging ones. They have a good tie in together.

YOU can't guarantee anything of the kind.

Once again, the Orioles did what they could to have home games that weekend, and MLB was not able to accomodate them.