Nationals Park

Reviews 3

MA

Mark Ackermann

On Tuesday, June 14th, 2016, my friends and I had the chance to catch a baseball game in DC between the Chicago Cubs and the hometown Washington Nationals. Unfortunately, the home team lost but at least they made it interesting. As someone that has been to several MLB stadiums across the country, I had high hopes for this still relatively new Nationals Park. I walked away with mixed feelings from my experience, though. We took a cab from the Lincoln Memorial to near the stadium in hopes of catching a bite to eat on our way in. Well, 2-3 hours before game time, everything was booked solid so we just made our way into the stadium. We entered through the center field gate, which was actually pretty wonderful. Getting through security was quick and efficient and we walked right into the Budweiser Brew House to eat. The restaurant was filling up as we waited but it took an unacceptable 45 minutes to get our food (which was admittedly tasty, though not worth the wait) in a place that is very in your face with their one hour time limit. After eating, we decided to make our way to our seats in section 130. On the way there it became very apparent that this stadium has a TON of food options. There were vegetarian spots, burrito places, a gluten free dining section (particularly of interest to me), and many places that had the ballpark fare you are likely accustomed to. I decided to grab a drink from the Captain Morgan bar and head on to our seats. The young woman serving us at the bar was not very friendly, and the drink was almost certainly lacking in alcohol for $13. After arriving at our seats, I popped out my nice camera to try to snag some shots of the guys hitting. Much to my dismay, the Nationals have extended the netting behind home plate to all the way to the ends of their dugouts. It is absolutely awful. Aside from the fact that young kids no longer have a chance to get autographs from the players in the dugouts before the game, you cant get a single good snapshot of a batter unless you are sitting in the outfield with a solid zoom lens. This is the only stadium where Ive ever seen such a barrier between fans and players, and it is worrying. However, my biggest gripe comes with the way ushers are trained to handle allowing guests to come and go from their seats. Most fans in the stadium seemed to be simply content to be at the game and they didnt appear to actually care about the game itself at all. DC business attire was on full display as well as the attitudes that typically accompany the business class. These "fans" were more interested in getting up and going to the concessions almost constantly during the game and the ushers allowed them to do so, which was infuriating. In most ballparks Ive been to, fans are asked to wait until the half-inning is over to leave or return to their seats. That is not the case at Nationals Park. Ushers are apparently and inexplicably instructed to allow fans to head to their seats after a play ends. This basically means that for a majority of the game, people WILL be walking in front of you, stopping to talk, preventing you from seeing the game that you also paid to see, and overall just making for an awful experience for actual baseball fans. It was almost infuriating. I even had a man approach me, stand in front of me on the steps (I was in an aisle seat) and proceed to tell me that my friends and I were sitting in his seats all while blocking me from seeing two Nationals batters during the third inning (obviously he was mistaken and I had to present proof that I had paid for our seats as his young daughter tried to explain to him that they were in the wrong section). This was incredibly disappointing. Upon leaving the stadium, we had no problem ordering an Uber and getting back to Northern VA.

AL

Alice Wang

Im not much of a baseball fan, but Ive been to Nats Stadium my fair share of times over the years to soak in this great American pastime with coworkers and friends. I havent been to a lot of baseball parks, but I have to say that Nationals Park is pretty impressive. Conveniently located next to the Metro, the area around Nats Stadium is quickly developing and has made tremendous progress over the years. More restaurants, more bars, even a cool waterfront park has graced the waterfront with its presence. And if youre not a fan of WMATA, there are plenty of garages and lots to park in around the stadium too. And the stadium itself has made lots of developments too. There are quite the number of concession stands in the stadium itself. Shake Shack, Bens Chili Bowl, G Sandwich Shop by Mike Isabella, Haute Dogs and Fries, Jammin Island BBQ, South Capitol Sushi, Chesapeake Crab Cake Co, Kapnos at the Park by Mike Isabella, Pinch Dumplings, and much more. Essentially, any kind of food you could want to eat at a ballpark exists at Nats Stadium. Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, nachos, chili, fries, cheesesteaks, crab cake sandwiches, funnel cakes, popcorn, falafel, BBQ, tacos, the list goes on. They even have sweets like gelato, cupcakes, brownies, soft serve, sundaes (in a mini Nationals helmet), and shaved ice. Of course, the stadium also has its beers, wines, margaritas, and cocktails for sale too. Aside from Nats games, the stadium also hosts a lot of other events like concerts (Billy Joel and T-Swizzle to name a few), corporate events, fundraisers, galas, and holiday parties. Theres also Yoga in the Outfield, Taste of the World, Pups in the Park, and College Rivalry Day. So aside from your regularly scheduled baseball programming, theres plenty of other special events too. Nationals Park is also pretty clean for a giant stadium that can hold more than 40,000 people. The bathrooms, walkways, and seats are all clean and kept that way. The staff (both park staff and vendor staff) are all friendly too, making this stadium a win-win no matter what the Nats do.

BL

Blake Ourso

NOTE: Completely biased review. I never grew up with an MLB stadium within a decent distance to go to more than once a year. NATS TOWN BABY!!! I really like this park. Ive been to Camden a few times and people always brag about how its sooooo coooool. I think they have all just grown up with it. Its nice and has a good feel to it but personally I love how you can see the field from 90% of nats park. Not so much for Camden. A lot of the concessions are behind a giant wall and then they place tiny TVs around, just like at nats park, but at least when you want to turn and look at the field you can do so at Nats park. The food is pretty decent at Nats park, but thats comparing other stadiums Ive been too. Nothing too extensive to compare it to. Stadium food is stadium food. The new additions are nice, though, but 3 tacos for a million dollars is a little much. Its also too much for some darn fancy-pants french fries or a mediocre pulled pork sammich. Even when considering that its at a ballpark. I do appreciate the happy hours before the games. It makes me feel as if Im a little appreciated as a fan who is willing to come early to a game. I get a perk! They also have a food delivery service to certain areas of the park now. Order over your phone and be a fat lazy ballfan. The way youre supposed to be! Plenty of shade on the 3rd base side, not so much on the 1st base side! Outfields are usually plenty sunny enough until around 4-5pm when the sun hides behind the 3rd base grandstands. At that point the home-dugout area gets a little shady and in the later months it can get a little chilly. Thats b/c we win and play in October though! If you havent done so, get out and enjoy a game at your local MLB teams home! Dont miss it. Seats are relatively cheap (2012). Even if you lose out on direct purchases you can usually pick up some decently priced tickets from StubHub and still enjoy a nice seat.

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