Washington DC

Inside Nationals Park – Arty 84 Baseball Park Reviews

Stadium Name: Nationals Park

Team: Washington Nationals

League: MLB – National League East

Years Visited: 2010 & 2016

Opposing Team: New York Mets & St. Louis Cardinals

Date Opened: 2008

Date Closed: NA

Overall Rating: (1-10) 7

Beer Price Rank (2016): 9th highest in the MLB

Ticket Price Rank (2016): 6th highest in the MLB

Baseball, Bars & Bedlam Rank: 15 out of 33

Baseball, Bars & Bedlam Visit Order: 17 out of 33

Notable Award: The stadium carried the same name as the early 1900s parked that housed the original DC team, Nationals/Senators

Review:

Nationals stadium is a modern day park located near the navy yard in Washington DC. When the Expos moved from Montreal in 2005, Washington became their new home. Playing the first couple years at RFK stadium, the Nationals finally moved to their new home in 2008.

There is a lot I like about his stadium and there are also a lot of miss opportunities as well. First with the likes: it’s easy to get to and from via the Metro. A station is right across the street from the stadium. The concourse on all levels are easily moveable. They are big and wide and have plenty of vendors available for you to grab some brews and grubs. Also the overall look and appearance of the stadium from the inside is beautiful, for the most part. Great finishes on the building and nice layout.

Now for the bad stuff. There was so much stuff about this stadium that drove me crazy. So many things that could of been easily changed and were left on the table. The first thing that kills me is the view. If the had rotates the field 90 degrees, center field would face the capital building and Washington monument. If they rotated 90 on the other direction, you would of had a great view of the river. Another thing that annoyed me was the dumpster I was looking at behind the center field fence. There was this big open area used to store crap that everyone could see. Why not cover this area with grass like you did right next to it? Finally the thing the bothered me the most, other than the 9-10 dollar beers, was the parking garages the surround the stadium. You can’t see the stadium from 3 of the 4 streets. They built parking garages around it so there are no grand entrances.

Overall the Park was nice, as I said, a few things that could of been done better, but I have seen worse places in the MLB. The Nationals have been a very good team the last few years, but the three games I went to, there seemed to be more or the same amount of visitors then hometown fans. According to Statista, the Nationals are #6 for highest ticket prices in 2016, see link for all MLB teams prices. They are also the 9th highest in beer prices according to business insider, see link for all MLB teams prices. If you are in the DC area, take in a game. Arty tip: Go to Stubhub for a better deal on tickets and stay away from the hot dogs, overcooked and nothing to write home about. Go to the Fairground across the street after and before the game too!