About a week ago, I made my way up to Baltimore to catch an O’s game — as I typically do once or twice a year. And the difference between seeing a game there and seeing one here in D.C. is always striking.

The Orioles have the better park, of course — Nationals Park is perfectly nice, but Camden Yards is one of the treasures of the game. But the real difference is the fans. Orioles fans have had their team for generations now, which of course is not the case for the Nats. And now that the O’s are finally winning again after an excruciating drought, those fans are back in absolute droves — and they know their baseball the way that only comes through a long fan internship.

The O’s lost the game I saw to Toronto, and they remain a couple of starting pitchers away from serious contention. But the vibe in the stadium reminds me so much of St. Louis, which of course makes me nostalgic all over again. In D.C., for most people, the game remains a casual distraction, and it’ll probably stay that way for another decade. But in Baltimore, the support is handed down from grandparents to parents to children. And the park has been selling out lately, with thousands hanging out in the standing room area. It’s also taken on a certain patina of time, now that a new generation of legends are starting to play there, and it really feels like the old-time ballpark it was designed to emulate.

Not everything is perfect. Many seats don’t face home plate the way they do in Nats Park. And that generic Hilton that was built outside of the park blocks the Bromo-Seltzer clock tower that used to be such a big part of the view from the stands. Parking can still be inconvenient and/or expensive. But going to Camden always reminds me of why I love this game so much.