The Ballpark's Hits
At Midseason, Nationals' Stadium Gets High Marks for Views, Parking

By Daniel LeDuc
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It was the top of the second inning, and Eric Castor and his girlfriend, Emily Kelly, were sipping beer, having just finished their hot dogs. Their spot overlooking the outfield of Nationals Park was cool from a soft breeze.

And it was cheap.

Castor and Kelly got through the turnstiles with $5 bleacher tickets to watch the Nats play the Arizona Diamondbacks one night last week. Instead of settling into a far-flung corner of the stands, they were standing against a marble-topped bar with a view that only a few feet away cost $45 a person.

"I've only ever bought $5 seats, and I've never seen my seat. I always come here," said Castor, of Centreville. "You can't beat this."

The bar next to the scoreboard and another bar nearby called the Red Loft are open to any fan and have become popular gathering spots at the new ballpark, which is nearly four months old.

Yes, the Nationals are riddled with injuries, and the team is among the worst in Major League Baseball, which resumes its schedule Thursday after tonight's all-star game. The team's owners, the Lerner family, are in a messy dispute with the city, which financed the $611 million ballpark. The stadium, meanwhile, is developing a happy following.

The reviews so far: generally good. Getting to the ballpark, along the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington, is fairly easy most nights and weekends. The stadium is winning praise for its sightlines, scoreboard and atmosphere. Food prices are another matter.

Getting There

Neighbors who worried about fans clogging streets are breathing easier.

"As of now, I think it's been managed well, especially by the team," said Andy Litsky, a Ward 6 neighborhood leader. "It's not as bad as we anticipated."

If that seems like faint praise, consider that right up until Opening Day on March 30, city officials and team executives, along with residents of the surrounding neighborhood, were expecting a traffic mess. The ballpark is scrunched into a dense urban neighborhood with only two small parking garages connected to it. The team had tried to round up as many nearby parking spaces as possible and was urging fans to take Metro to games.

"We didn't know how things were going to shake down," team spokeswoman Chartese Burnett said. "We did an excellent job in scaring people."

Metro ridership is up 130 percent over the past year at the Navy Yard stop, which is closest to the ballpark. The station was expanded and is an easy walk from the stadium gates, down a street that is closed to vehicle traffic during games.

"This is definitely the way to go," said Rebecca Scritchfield, who with her husband, Andrew, has partial season tickets and travels to the ballpark from Takoma Park in the District. "The lines are always moving. We've only had to wait for a train once. It's been really good."

The Nationals enticed others to park at the team's old home, RFK Stadium, by making those spaces free and offering a free shuttle. The shuttle's popularity this season was overshadowed by an accident Friday involving a double-decker bus. Two fans riding on the upper deck were fatally injured after their heads struck a freeway overpass on the way to the game that night. Police are investigating the accident.

Parking

Perhaps because of all the people taking Metro or using shuttles, finding a parking space is fairly easy, although it carries a price.

Early on, the team guaranteed parking only to season ticket holders -- and they had to pay upfront for spots. The Nationals now are offering fans a chance to pay for parking at individual games. Lot W on M Street SE across from the Navy Yard entrance and Lot T at K and Canal streets cost $20. Lot HH, farther from the ballpark on South Capitol Street, costs $15. One night last week, Lot W had several hundred empty spaces.

Although some season ticket holders said they might rethink buying parking next year, Dave Kraus is content. He shares season tickets with friends and tailgates in an M Street lot just two blocks from the ballpark before every game he attends.

He, his wife and friends polished off white wine and salad, then folded a table as the opening pitch started a game last week. There were plenty of empty spaces in the lot.

Traffic has not been as bad as many people expected, said Kraus, who added that he faces much worse congestion near his home in Springfield.

Food

The lines seem to move a bit faster since the spring, when innings could go by before hungry fans got to the counter for chili dogs, barbecued chicken and other fare. The team and its food service, Centerplate, changed some of the queue patterns for patrons and gave workers more training.

Grumbling about prices persists, however, with a simple meal of burgers, fries and a drink costing $16.

"They're expensive," said Greg Fuller, who spent $25 on two beers and chicken nuggets with fries at a game last week.

Atmosphere

The ballpark gets high marks from fans for its sightlines. Nearly all seats, even the $5 spots in the upper deck that are sold on game day, have good views of the playing field. The scoreboard's clear picture and graphics have been hits, although the numbers don't often favor the Nationals.

Other planned hallmarks of the ballpark are works in progress. The priciest seats behind home plate, which cost about $325, remain mostly empty, and that is costing the Lerners money at the gate.

The owners dreamed of making the park instantly recognizable on television, but the empty seats create the false impression that the park is desolate.

The cherry trees in the plaza beyond the outfield looked good for a few games early in the season but now are downright scrawny.

The Kids Zone receives good reviews as a place to take a break from the game. It houses a batting cage, jungle gym and free PlayStation 3 games.

"It's one of the few things you don't have to pay for except for the bathrooms," said Tim England of Arlington County, who was supervising his son and a friend during a game last week. "It's a plus having this at the stadium."

He added, "Overall, I like it. I just wish the Nationals were doing better."