Re: Nationals Stadium Review

[apete6]

I went to the Friday and Saturday night games this past weekend at Nationals Stadium, along with about 15,000+ other Cub fans. It was a pretty good time, despite the bad managing by Lou and badness of Howry. Here is what my "grades" and comparisons would be.

 

Accessibility: We were coming from inside the district and found the Metro to be easily accessible. A tip for going would be to walk to the further of the 2 entrances after the game to ensure yourself a better chance of getting on the first train you see. Parking, however, seemed like somewhat of a pain with limited on-site parking. They do, however, offer free parking at RFK stadium with a shuttle to Nationals Park. 3/5 for accessibility

 

Food: You can get pretty much anything you want here. You can tell that the staff is still figuring things out as far as speed and service go, but it's not awful. There are several local options including Ben's Chili Bowl, Five Guys Burgers n Fries, Hard Times, and a few others. Some of the more obscure options included a Cajun stand w/gumbo & crab cakes, a few cheese steak stands, and several micro brew options. Prices were high, but pretty comparable to the DC area cost of living. 4/5 on food.

 

Seating views: We were in the 300 level and had a great view of everything, including the Capitol dome and the monstrous HD video board. Pretty standard for a new park. 4/5 for views

 

Gimmicks/Atmosphere: The President's race was entertaining, as expected, but the whole "Teddy Roosevelt never wins" thing will get old in a hurry. The postgame fireworks on Friday night were pretty solid, if unspectacular. The "red porch" bar in center field is kind of cool. The line is pretty deep throughout the whole game, but gives some people something to do while watching the Nats get pounded by everyone except the Cubs. The playstation/speed pitch/batting cage/playground area is decent if you have kids. Pretty much all you can ask for in regards to a new stadium. They relied on the jumbotron for most of the entertainment, and it delivered. That thing is sweet. The atmosphere was mostly Cub fan dominated and I could see how it would be a boring place for a Nationals vs. Marlins game. 3/5 for gimmicks.

 

Home Town fans: As expected, a pretty lame bunch of Nats fans. Probably about 50/50 as far as Cubs fans to Nats fans ratio. Nearly the entire area of expensive "Presidential seats" directly behind home plate were empty for all of the games. Apparently a lot of them are owned by politicians and lobbyists, so they are more of the corporate crowd and don't attend most of the games or spend a lot of time inside at the food/bar area. Kind of lame if you ask me, but I guess I've never had the chance to sit in a $325/seat area with unlimited food and booze. The rest of the fan base was OK, but they don't really have anything to root for currently. 2/5 for the home town fans.

 

Surrounding Area: Incomplete--this area used to be an industrial wasteland/hood. There are a ton of condo/office/multi use buildings under construction and the renderings make it look like it should be a great place to spend some time before and after the game.

 

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the park and after they build up the surrounding area and maybe get a decent team/history in the city, it will be a great place for a game and I'm glad baseball has found a home in DC. I would rank it as so in my list of stadiums that I have been to:

 

Wrigley Field , Fenway Park, PNC Park, AT&T Park, Camden Yards, Petco Park, Coors Field, Nationals Park, Miller Park, New Busch Stadium, US Cellular Field, Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Great American Ballpark, Angels Stadium, Old Busch Stadium, County Stadium, Old Comiskey Park, Tropicana Field, Shea Stadium, Metrodome, Veterans Stadium

[CuseCubFan69]

Thanks for the info! I wish my buddy was still in Baltimore because he always got me free tickets to the Baltimore and Washington sports teams.

[fromthestretch]

It's definitely a nice place to watch a game, and that HD scoreboard is pretty impressive. Watching the replay of Johnson's catch on that was great.

[Guest]

Thanks for the info, but I can't see rating the cell above dodger stadium.

[apete6]

Thanks for the info, but I can't see rating the cell above dodger stadium.

 

I was going back and forth on that one as well. Both have the stupid "you can't go to any part of the stadium except your own level" rule. The food is pretty good in both places, especially the dogs at both stadiums. I gave the Cell the advantage because of things to do other than the game and the much easier transportation options. Dodger Stadium has a beautiful natural surrounding, but there is even less to do after the game there than there is at the Cell. Also, while a lot of Sox fans are D-bags, at least they are there at the beginning of the game and most stay until the end.

[Guest]

Thanks for the info, but I can't see rating the cell above dodger stadium.

 

I was going back and forth on that one as well. Both have the stupid "you can't go to any part of the stadium except your own level" rule. The food is pretty good in both places, especially the dogs at both stadiums. I gave the Cell the advantage because of things to do other than the game and the much easier transportation options. Dodger Stadium has a beautiful natural surrounding, but there is even less to do after the game there than there is at the Cell. Also, while a lot of Sox fans are D-bags, at least they are there at the beginning of the game and most stay until the end.

You left off the part where if you go to the Cell you are guaranteed one of the teams is the White Sox, though.

[chuckywang]

Five Guys Burgers is AMAZING!

[anabiono]

I went to the Friday and Saturday night games this past weekend at Nationals Stadium, along with about 15,000+ other Cub fans. It was a pretty good time, despite the bad managing by Lou and badness of Howry. Here is what my "grades" and comparisons would be.

 

Accessibility: We were coming from inside the district and found the Metro to be easily accessible. A tip for going would be to walk to the further of the 2 entrances after the game to ensure yourself a better chance of getting on the first train you see. Parking, however, seemed like somewhat of a pain with limited on-site parking. They do, however, offer free parking at RFK stadium with a shuttle to Nationals Park. 3/5 for accessibility

 

Food: You can get pretty much anything you want here. You can tell that the staff is still figuring things out as far as speed and service go, but it's not awful. There are several local options including Ben's Chili Bowl, Five Guys Burgers n Fries, Hard Times, and a few others. Some of the more obscure options included a Cajun stand w/gumbo & crab cakes, a few cheese steak stands, and several micro brew options. Prices were high, but pretty comparable to the DC area cost of living. 4/5 on food.

 

Seating views: We were in the 300 level and had a great view of everything, including the Capitol dome and the monstrous HD video board. Pretty standard for a new park. 4/5 for views

 

Gimmicks/Atmosphere: The President's race was entertaining, as expected, but the whole "Teddy Roosevelt never wins" thing will get old in a hurry. The postgame fireworks on Friday night were pretty solid, if unspectacular. The "red porch" bar in center field is kind of cool. The line is pretty deep throughout the whole game, but gives some people something to do while watching the Nats get pounded by everyone except the Cubs. The playstation/speed pitch/batting cage/playground area is decent if you have kids. Pretty much all you can ask for in regards to a new stadium. They relied on the jumbotron for most of the entertainment, and it delivered. That thing is sweet. The atmosphere was mostly Cub fan dominated and I could see how it would be a boring place for a Nationals vs. Marlins game. 3/5 for gimmicks.

 

Home Town fans: As expected, a pretty lame bunch of Nats fans. Probably about 50/50 as far as Cubs fans to Nats fans ratio. Nearly the entire area of expensive "Presidential seats" directly behind home plate were empty for all of the games. Apparently a lot of them are owned by politicians and lobbyists, so they are more of the corporate crowd and don't attend most of the games or spend a lot of time inside at the food/bar area. Kind of lame if you ask me, but I guess I've never had the chance to sit in a $325/seat area with unlimited food and booze. The rest of the fan base was OK, but they don't really have anything to root for currently. 2/5 for the home town fans.

 

Surrounding Area: Incomplete--this area used to be an industrial wasteland/hood. There are a ton of condo/office/multi use buildings under construction and the renderings make it look like it should be a great place to spend some time before and after the game.

 

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the park and after they build up the surrounding area and maybe get a decent team/history in the city, it will be a great place for a game and I'm glad baseball has found a home in DC. I would rank it as so in my list of stadiums that I have been to:

 

Wrigley Field , Fenway Park, PNC Park, AT&T Park, Camden Yards, Petco Park, Coors Field, Nationals Park, Miller Park, New Busch Stadium, US Cellular Field, Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Great American Ballpark, Angels Stadium, Old Busch Stadium, County Stadium, Old Comiskey Park, Tropicana Field, Shea Stadium, Metrodome, Veterans Stadium

 

holy lord...i can't believe tropicana isn't at the bottom of your list

[Ding Dong Johnson]

holy lord...i can't believe tropicana isn't at the bottom of your list

have you been to the metrodome?

[anabiono]

holy lord...i can't believe tropicana isn't at the bottom of your list

have you been to the metrodome?

 

no i haven't...only to the trop and that craptastic place the marlins play in...

 

but...dang...i just can't imagine anything being worse than the trop...

[tulsacubfan]

holy lord...i can't believe tropicana isn't at the bottom of your list

have you been to the metrodome?

 

Or Shea or the Vet?

[TruffleShuffle]

holy lord...i can't believe tropicana isn't at the bottom of your list

have you been to the metrodome?

 

Or Shea or the Vet?

 

i probably went to more than 100 games at the vet, so i think i'm an authority on the matter. the vet was a complete dump. i can't really compare it with the old busch, riverfront or three rivers (cookie cutter multi-purpose stadiums), but i can't imagine those places being any worse.

[jersey cubs fan]

holy lord...i can't believe tropicana isn't at the bottom of your list

have you been to the metrodome?

 

Or Shea or the Vet?

 

i probably went to more than 100 games at the vet, so i think i'm an authority on the matter. the vet was a complete dump. i can't really compare it with the old busch, riverfront or three rivers (cookie cutter multi-purpose stadiums), but i can't imagine those places being any worse.

 

I only went to maybe 10 baseball games, and 2 football games, but I'd have to agree. It was horrible.

[Ryno12]

Five Guys Burgers is AMAZING!

 

Word to that. All of the sudden I am hungry for a stacked bacon cheeseburger with the sack filled with fries. It's like greasey heaven...

 

I miss D.C., I so should have gotten a job in the Senate instead of the job I'm at right now.

[Vanilla Ice]

Five Guys Burgers is AMAZING!

 

Word to that. All of the sudden I am hungry for a stacked bacon cheeseburger with the sack filled with fries. It's like greasey heaven...

 

I miss D.C., I so should have gotten a job in the Senate instead of the job I'm at right now.

we just got two different places here and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite places to eat

[chuckywang]

Five Guys Burgers is AMAZING!

 

Word to that. All of the sudden I am hungry for a stacked bacon cheeseburger with the sack filled with fries. It's like greasey heaven...

 

I miss D.C., I so should have gotten a job in the Senate instead of the job I'm at right now.

 

However, your heart thanks you for taking that job elsewhere.

[Derwood]

Five Guys Burgers is AMAZING!

 

THIS

[Brendan]

I went to the Friday and Saturday night games this past weekend at Nationals Stadium, along with about 15,000+ other Cub fans. It was a pretty good time, despite the bad managing by Lou and badness of Howry. Here is what my "grades" and comparisons would be.

 

Accessibility: We were coming from inside the district and found the Metro to be easily accessible. A tip for going would be to walk to the further of the 2 entrances after the game to ensure yourself a better chance of getting on the first train you see. Parking, however, seemed like somewhat of a pain with limited on-site parking. They do, however, offer free parking at RFK stadium with a shuttle to Nationals Park. 3/5 for accessibility

 

Food: You can get pretty much anything you want here. You can tell that the staff is still figuring things out as far as speed and service go, but it's not awful. There are several local options including Ben's Chili Bowl, Five Guys Burgers n Fries, Hard Times, and a few others. Some of the more obscure options included a Cajun stand w/gumbo & crab cakes, a few cheese steak stands, and several micro brew options. Prices were high, but pretty comparable to the DC area cost of living. 4/5 on food.

 

Seating views: We were in the 300 level and had a great view of everything, including the Capitol dome and the monstrous HD video board. Pretty standard for a new park. 4/5 for views

 

Gimmicks/Atmosphere: The President's race was entertaining, as expected, but the whole "Teddy Roosevelt never wins" thing will get old in a hurry. The postgame fireworks on Friday night were pretty solid, if unspectacular. The "red porch" bar in center field is kind of cool. The line is pretty deep throughout the whole game, but gives some people something to do while watching the Nats get pounded by everyone except the Cubs. The playstation/speed pitch/batting cage/playground area is decent if you have kids. Pretty much all you can ask for in regards to a new stadium. They relied on the jumbotron for most of the entertainment, and it delivered. That thing is sweet. The atmosphere was mostly Cub fan dominated and I could see how it would be a boring place for a Nationals vs. Marlins game. 3/5 for gimmicks.

 

Home Town fans: As expected, a pretty lame bunch of Nats fans. Probably about 50/50 as far as Cubs fans to Nats fans ratio. Nearly the entire area of expensive "Presidential seats" directly behind home plate were empty for all of the games. Apparently a lot of them are owned by politicians and lobbyists, so they are more of the corporate crowd and don't attend most of the games or spend a lot of time inside at the food/bar area. Kind of lame if you ask me, but I guess I've never had the chance to sit in a $325/seat area with unlimited food and booze. The rest of the fan base was OK, but they don't really have anything to root for currently. 2/5 for the home town fans.

 

Surrounding Area: Incomplete--this area used to be an industrial wasteland/hood. There are a ton of condo/office/multi use buildings under construction and the renderings make it look like it should be a great place to spend some time before and after the game.

 

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the park and after they build up the surrounding area and maybe get a decent team/history in the city, it will be a great place for a game and I'm glad baseball has found a home in DC. I would rank it as so in my list of stadiums that I have been to:

 

Wrigley Field , Fenway Park, PNC Park, AT&T Park, Camden Yards, Petco Park, Coors Field, Nationals Park, Miller Park, New Busch Stadium, US Cellular Field, Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Great American Ballpark, Angels Stadium, Old Busch Stadium, County Stadium, Old Comiskey Park, Tropicana Field, Shea Stadium, Metrodome, Veterans Stadium

 

my girlfriend and i were at the same 2 games, and i'd agree with just about all of your sentiments. one area i think that is need of vast improvement is the metro. getting to the park is pretty easy, but the station is just not capable of handling 30K+ riders at the end of the game, both in size of the station and in number of trains. the system they had at rfk seemed to run much more smoothly. as you said, the area around the navy yard wasn't getting much traffic prior to the new park, so maybe it'll get better. fortunately, no one goes to the games, so this isn't much of an issue.

 

the sight lines are really terrific. we were in section 317 ($26) on friday, and i thought they were excellent seats. saturday night, we went even cheaper in section 405 ($10), and, really, i can't complain at all about the views from there. it probably helped we were in the first couple of rows each night, but i doubt i'll ever pay more than the $26 for tickets. (the price of admission was greatly offset by the price of beer, however.)

 

the food is good -- way better than rfk. 5 guys is absolutely wonderful; i think hard times is at that not-very-good-to-average level. but, even though i don't like it, a lot of people do, and i think it's good that people have a lot of choices at the game.

 

the scoreboard is really incredible.

 

my biggest gripe, though, is that they have no tvs -- NONE -- by the concession stands.

 

overall, i agree, it's a really good place to watch a game.

[biittner77]

You gave it a 16 out of 25 but you were impressed? That's a 64%.

 

I'm hoping to make it up there next year.

[jersey cubs fan]

my girlfriend and i were at the same 2 games, and i'd agree with just about all of your sentiments. one area i think that is need of vast improvement is the metro. getting to the park is pretty easy, but the station is just not capable of handling 30K+ riders at the end of the game, both in size of the station and in number of trains.

 

I had the exact thoughts. And it was not just after the game. Showing up about 20 minutes prior to the game, getting out of the station was a mess. We didn't even attempt to take the train back, and ended up walking all the way to some bars near union station.

[CubinNY]

my girlfriend and i were at the same 2 games, and i'd agree with just about all of your sentiments. one area i think that is need of vast improvement is the metro. getting to the park is pretty easy, but the station is just not capable of handling 30K+ riders at the end of the game, both in size of the station and in number of trains.

 

I had the exact thoughts. And it was not just after the game. Showing up about 20 minutes prior to the game, getting out of the station was a mess. We didn't even attempt to take the train back, and ended up walking all the way to some bars near union station.

Is it that much different than the 4 to Yankee Stadium or the 7 to Shea? If so it much be really bad.

[jersey cubs fan]

my girlfriend and i were at the same 2 games, and i'd agree with just about all of your sentiments. one area i think that is need of vast improvement is the metro. getting to the park is pretty easy, but the station is just not capable of handling 30K+ riders at the end of the game, both in size of the station and in number of trains.

 

I had the exact thoughts. And it was not just after the game. Showing up about 20 minutes prior to the game, getting out of the station was a mess. We didn't even attempt to take the train back, and ended up walking all the way to some bars near union station.

Is it that much different than the 4 to Yankee Stadium or the 7 to Shea? If so it much be really bad.

 

Much, much, much worse. The station can't handle a crowd, and the crowd pales in comparison to NY games.

[rawaction]

The Vet was built by the devil.

[apete6]

You gave it a 16 out of 25 but you were impressed? That's a 64%.

 

I'm hoping to make it up there next year.

 

Ya, I'm a pretty harsh grader apparently. Although most of the points I took off can be fixed. Like 2/5 for hometown fans, that obviously doesn't have much to do with the stadium. And when the buildings surrounding the stadium are built up, that will give them more points.

 

On my current scoring system, Wrigley and Fenway would probably score low, but I give them bonus points to put them over the top. :grin:

[Ryno12]

Five Guys Burgers is AMAZING!

 

Word to that. All of the sudden I am hungry for a stacked bacon cheeseburger with the sack filled with fries. It's like greasey heaven...

 

I miss D.C., I so should have gotten a job in the Senate instead of the job I'm at right now.

 

However, your heart thanks you for taking that job elsewhere.

 

As well as my mid-section.