Some versions of this article misspelled the last name of baseball fan Larry Buc.
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A 'Storybook Ending'
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Once past the metal detectors and into the stadium proper, fans posed for pictures with the structure in the background, milled about in the restaurants and entertainment areas in the center field plaza -- not far from the cherry trees that, alas, had not yet blossomed -- and bought hats and sweat shirts in the team store.
And then, at some point, every one of them had the quintessential new-stadium moment, when they caught their first, glimpse of the immaculately groomed, green grass of the playing field, mowed in alternating stripes with a curly W -- the team's logo -- in center field. Old, tired RFK Stadium, where the Nationals resided for the first three years of their existence in Washington, could never have produced such a picture.
The vista beyond the walls in left and center field included four cranes stretching into the sky, testament to the development still to come, a reminder that the ballpark -- an investment by the city that will be paid off through business and energy taxes, an increased sales tax on tickets and food at the ballpark and rent from the Nationals over the next 30 years -- has speeded development of office buildings and condos in the area.
But it is also an evolution that will take time, with supporters saying it will be at least five years before shops, restaurants and bars establish themselves and begin attracting people on days when there is no game.
"It's going to be a center for rebirth: you can already see the condos going up," said Jim McMurre, a fan from Arlington.
When then-Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) negotiated to bring baseball back to Washington, he was looking for the ballpark to be more than just a home for a team. He wanted it to be an economic catalyst for Southeast Washington, especially near the long neglected Anacostia Riverfront.
"It's one of the best things D.C. government has pulled off," said Tom Rollandini, 53, a Springfield resident who came to last night's game with his wife, father and brother. "It shows what can be done when city government and the major league comes together.
"It will be money well-spent if they continue to do [the development] all along the waterfront. If it ends with this, it's half an accomplishment."
Beyond the cranes in left, the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome strained for a peek inside the stadium's bowl. For fans in some upper-deck sections, the Washington Monument beckoned in the distance.
Hours before the opening pitch the first wave of spectators watched warm-ups and batting practice from the upper deck, where views of the city's monuments were offset by cold winds and a steep climb.
"This is majestic, but my God -- vertigo!" said Liz Montagne, 70, a retired Foreign Service officer who lives in Foggy Bottom. She and her friend Patricia Morton, 72, had seats on the first level, but made the climb to the top corner of the park.
From there, they looked across the diamond, and out beyond the fences, at which point Montagne exclaimed, "Look you can see the Capitol!"
Staff writers Michael E. Ruane, Barry Svrluga, David Fahrenthold and Steve Hendrix contributed to this report.
