I’m a huge fan of baseball. I love the game itself, and I revel in the ambiance of the ballpark – the crowds, the music, the structure of the stadium, and of course the food.

Last September, I embarked with family members on a baseball road trip that took us to six cities and seven major league ballparks in eight days, from Chicago to Baltimore. I decided to sample a representative hot dog at each ballpark to find something unique about every one. I discovered huge variations on the hot dog theme – from a simple dog on a bun to something so elaborate you need a knife and fork to eat it.

Because it’s the current season’s break for the All Star Game earlier this week, I thought this would be a good time to revisit some of baseball’s best hot dogs.

Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs

The second oldest major league ballpark in America, Wrigley Field celebrated its centennial last year. And celebrate they did. The atmosphere in the neighborhoods outside the ballpark was like one big party on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

As part of the festivities inside, they developed ten “Decade Dogs,” themed according to the era. The TV Dinner Dog represented the fifties as the featured decade on the day we were there. It’s a hot dog topped with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn, and while intriguing in its originality, it didn’t seem specifically representative of Chicago, so instead I opted for the Chicago Dog. I added my own toppings to the dog on a poppy seed bun and the garnishes are what truly make it Chicago-style. I layered mustard, neon green relish (green color added, according to a ballpark staff member, as a nod to Chicago’s Irish), onions, tomato wedges, small peppers and the essential celery salt. The tomatoes, peppers and celery salt all add a savory, fresh taste to the nice juicy dog. It was a great start to the week of ballpark dogs.

Miller Park – Milwaukee Brewers

Here, it’s all about the brats. But it’s not just inside the ballpark.

Through a serendipitous pre-game conversation with a beer-tasting hostess in the Milwaukee Public Market, we discovered that tailgating is very popular at Miller Park. As visitors, we were unprepared to tailgate, but If we purchased brats from the market’s butcher and some beers to contribute to the kind folks who would let us use their grill, she assured us we’d find parking lot tailgaters willing to exchange those beers for the heat to cook our brats.

Sure enough, we met a family who welcomed us to their pre-game ritual like we were long-lost friends. They grilled our brats for us, traded beers and even offered us their buns, ketchup and chopped onions. That experience would be nearly impossible to surpass for both the tastiness of the market brats and the shining example of goodwill towards out-of-towners, but staying true to my mission, I also sampled a brat inside the ballpark.

It came grilled and cradled in a plain bun. I added my own condiments – mustard, onions, sauerkraut, and because it was on the condiment stand and I hadn’t seen it before, Stadium Sauce from the bottle, which tasted like amped-up ketchup. You can buy bottles of the sauce in the souvenir shops. It was a good, basic brat. But the lovely family we met outside trumped any brat stand inside.

U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago White Sox

Bark in the Park night saw a pre-game parade of hundreds of real dogs, many decked out in White Sox shirts, headwear or bandanas, along with their owners who were outfitted similarly. It was fun to see.

Post parade, canines and owners found their seats for the game, and I found the Comisky (name of the original White Sox venue) Dog, which was almost identical to the Chicago Dog at Wrigley – poppy seed bun, mustard, relish, tomatoes, and peppers – with two notable differences. Here they put the condiments on the hot dog for you, neon green relish and all. I liked that. And they also added a dill pickle spear, which for me gave the Comisky Dog the edge over the Chicago Dog at Wrigley. Either way, Chicago definitely knows how to do a great hot dog.

Comerica Park – Detroit Tigers

After enjoying the view of the Detroit skyline in the light of a beautiful sunset, I decided it was time to continue the sampling process. Some of the hot dog selections at this ballpark were quite elaborate and I felt inspired to go for some toppings I hadn’t seen yet.

I opted for the Frank N’ Beans, one of the gourmet hot dog creations found in the carousel area of the ballpark. This natural casing dog topped with baked beans, shredded cheese and bacon bits was a really tasty combination of the sweetness of the beans with the savory flavor of the dog and the other toppings. It was, of course, very filling, too.

Progressive Field – Cleveland Indians

Weather conditions were cold and gray for this day game, so something with chili on it sounded good. Here, too, I chose elaborate over simple.

The C-Dawg weighed in at a half-pound. It was butterflied and grilled, then topped with chili, onions, cheese and bacon bits (I was offered a fourth topping choice, even though the sign said three.) This one even came with kettle chips. Because you eat it with a fork and knife, it was easy to share, which I did! This version of a chili dog was absolutely delicious.

PNC Park – Pittsburgh Pirates

I reached my apex of hot dog complexity here at this downtown ballpark that overlooks the Allegheny River.

One of the bridges across the river is closed to traffic before, during and after the game, adding to the ambiance and making things easy for pedestrians.

And it’s a good thing to walk after eating a dog like this. Called the Polish Hill Dog, it started with a layer of cole slaw on the bun under the foot-long hot dog, then topped with thin onion rings and small potato pierogi. I added ketchup only. I have to admit, this one was imaginative, but just a little over the top.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards – Baltimore Orioles

To be fair, I didn’t really look for an elaborate hot dog at this ballpark. They were probably there, but I just wanted something plain and uncomplicated.

And I found it at O What a Dog – just a hot dog on a bun, which I merely topped with mustard and relish.

Wonderful in its simplicity, I enjoyed it while savoring the crowd’s warm and enthusiastic reaction to the visiting Yankees’ Derek Jeter in his final at-bat at Camden Yards.

It made me happy to be a baseball fan.