Growing up in New England, a heat wave was classified as several consecutive days over 90 degrees in temperature. Now living in Hampton Roads, they call it – June. And it is not just consecutive days, this is almost the average temperature here in Southeastern Virginia for about the next 3 months. Heat wave, June, whatever you want to call it, it is hot and humid and darn near tropical conditions daily. So, you adapt and find ways to stay cool and find activities where there is air conditioning or shade. Like…Harbor Park, home of the Norfolk Tides, who just happened to be playing this past Sunday afternoon.

It is so awesome to have a minor league team not 15 minutes from my new home in Virginia Beach. The Norfolk Tides, AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, play at Harbor Park just a highway and side street or two away. Last week, the Tides played host to the Atlanta Braves’ AAA affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers. With the temperatures again in the 90s and feel like temperatures in the 900s, Rachel and I made the short trek over to Harbor Park for the game on Sunday.

Short trek indeed. With many going East to the beaches on Sunday, Rachel and I travel 264W towards Norfolk, exited, found our way over to Lot B, and parked under the 264E overpass in the shade. With the new casino being constructed in the parking lot of Harbor Park, finding parking on game days can be really tough near the park. Most fans take public transportation, like the commuter rail, or park in a lot near Norfolk’s Waterside District. Sunday, Rachel and I got really lucky to find parking right across from Harbor Park. Shade game was going well so far and it would just be getting started.

Having arrived about 30 minutes or so before first pitch, Rachel and I walked the concourse and did some exploring pre-game. We checked out the Hits At The Park restaurant at the tail end of the concourse, which has table seating, bar, and a beautiful air conditioned view of the field. From there, I took the steps all the way up to the top of the bleachers in right field to grab a few photos and this video of the park and Elizabeth River.

Here is the view from way up there. It really is an amazing looking baseball stadium. Especially on a super sunny Sunday afternoon.

Our seats for the game were in Section 208, Row R. Not a problem usually, as we typically sit in Section 200s around Harbor Park. But Sunday, with the sun beating down on us, Row R was directly in the sun’s path. So, with the help of a friendly Harbor Park attendant’s advice, we moved one section over and up into the shade. And as I looked around the park, many fans were finding seats in the shade. Only the very brave sat in the seats directly in the sun’s path. Mostly kids looking for game balls, foul balls, and the occasional “third out, heading towards the dugout with the ball” baseball. Shade game was working wonderfully, as we found great seats for the National Anthem, Play Ball announcement, and first pitch.

I was surprised to see so many former/current Major League players on the rosters of both the Tides and the Stripers. The Tides had a number of position players who have spent a ton of time in Baltimore in recent years, including Jorge Mateo and Heston Kjerstad. The Stripers had a bunch of familiar names playing including Sandy Leon, Jarred Kelenic, Jurickson Profar, and Pitcher Jesse Chavez, who is only a few years younger than me (good for him pitching into his 40s). Then again, the AAA level has and always will have mostly MLB type talent who are either rehabbing an injury or ready to take the place of someone on the big club that gets injured. It’s not exactly baseball purgatory, but it can be a frustrating spot for players looking to make that ultimate jump to the Major Leagues.

So, we stayed a few innings in our “adopted” section, in the shade, had lunch, had some water, then moved onto the concourse area to find some ice cream. By the way, if you are at Harbor Park and need to know where to go find food, this poster I found on the walls might be helpful for your next visit there.

After securing two cups of ice cream and plenty of napkins, Rachel and I found shade and seating in the left field 200s. The game was moving along nicely and the sun was starting to get blocked by a few clouds. Nonetheless, we stayed in the shade and watched the rest of the game from left field. The Stripers had jumped out to an early lead. The Tides chipped away with a few home runs late, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Stripers took the sunny Sunday matinee 6-4. One final note on the game, Samuel Basallo continues to impress at the plate, slugging a laser shot home run to dead center field. The 20 year old C is a top prospect and an absolute can’t miss MLB player waiting for his turn with the Orioles, or perhaps as trade bait for another team.

After the 9th inning, Rachel and I made our way out of Harbor Park, across the street, onto the highway, and home in record time. It was the fastest I have gotten to and from Harbor Park in the nearly 2 years since we moved down to VA Beach. And it was a spectacular sunny Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park, which is just such a fantastic place to see a ball game. It was cool seeing rehabbing MLB players competing with and against the next wave of MLB players looking for their shot up with their respective “big” clubs. The shade game was on and it was played to perfection. Rachel and I had a blast at the game and we stayed safe. Win, Win. It was another awesome Norfolk Tides baseball experience at Harbor Park, Norfolk, VA.