ATTN Dave @ Bottomfeeder BB or others who have been to the Nats park

by Stacey on Jun 4, 2008 1:59 PM EDT

I know there is parking near the Nats new stadium, but is it all like $20 or more? Is there any place decent to park for a single girl going to the game at night? I admit I'm ignorant of D.C. unless it's the touristy part.

I'm going to the game on Thursday, meeting a bunch of people who are coming up from NoVa. In a perfect world I'd take the metro from Greenbelt on in, but since I'll be by myself I don't want to ride home late at night on it. I'm pretty tough but I don't want to take any chances.

So what do you recommend? Park in the Nats lot, or find someplace else?

Thanks!

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No better direction, but a warning

When my brothers and nephews went, we took the shuttle bus in from the parking at RFK. It was handy enough for the gang of us, but I would steer you away from it if going alone (gender regardless). There was a really heavy looking bust, multi-perps and an army of police, going on in the lot as we were leaving. You don’t want to find out what it might have been for.

You won't see a worse play than the one you just saw from the Yankee captain... 3DG 5/27/08

by 33 on Jun 4, 2008 2:24 PM EDT 0 recs

honestly...

i have not been, but i have a hard time imagining that parking in the vicinity of the stadium is any less sketchy than parking in the vicinity of camden yards. i have walked from rfk to union station after many nats games and never had word one said to me that was unproviked. granted, i’m a sort of guy, but i’m talking about a pretty long walk not a couple blocks.

ymmv.

foghat goes with everything--birdman, 5/16/08

by j.q. higgins on Jun 4, 2008 2:36 PM EDT 0 recs

My advice?

just kind of suck it up and pay the money, park as close as possible. Its going to be hassle enough driving down there on a worknight, and the convenience and safety might even be worth the money.

And even if its not, you’ll know better next time.

1933 was a bad year

by Senatorrosewater on Jun 4, 2008 3:26 PM EDT 0 recs

Pay Lots

Stacey, there are pay lots near the stadium. if you’re coming in from BW Parkway/295, take the Howard Road exit across the Douglass bridge. when you get to the traffic light in front of the stadium, make a left and follow the signs. as of last week it was $15. you can also buy single game parking from the Nats, but those lots aren’t any closer than the other pay lots and they are more expensive.

there is a TON of security, police and people milling about until well after the game is over.

the Nats Shuttle from RFK is viable too. LOTS of people use it and there are plenty of official looking people around.

or you could metro all the way in from Greenbelt or New Carrolton. i honestly don’t think you’ve got much concern. most people use the metro to get to/from. if you’re concerned about being alone, latch on to the other Nats fans on your train.

p.s. don’t get a cheesesteak. yuck!

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Jun 4, 2008 3:34 PM EDT 0 recs

but DO...

go to the ben’s chili bowl stand! a ben’s half smoke? mmmm, mmm delish!

foghat goes with everything--birdman, 5/16/08

by j.q. higgins on Jun 4, 2008 3:48 PM EDT up 0 recs

by all means

if you’re into that. FYI, you don’t have to go to the Ben’s stand for the half-smoke with chili. most of the hot dog stands have them, just look at the menu BEFORE you get in line. the Ben’s stand has lots of stuff. although my favorite item at Nationals Park is the Chili Mac at the Hard Times stand in left field. mmm, chili mac at the ballpark!

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Jun 4, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Thanks Dave

Maybe I will metro it. That’s my first inclination, just with it being my first trip and all I’m a little apprehensive.

Cheesesteak at a baseball game? I’m really more for the hot dogs. Usually at Camden Yards I get a grille dog with peppers and onions.

How’s the beer selection? I feel sometimes at Camden Yards you have to walk for miles to find a beer that isn’t Miller/Bud Light.

"We’re not concerned about what other teams think. I know teams come in here thinking we’re playing the Orioles. And then 9 innings later, they got the loss, they know what we’re about." ~Adam Jones

by Stacey on Jun 4, 2008 4:28 PM EDT up 0 recs

there are a couple of carts with decent beer

i think Peroni and Blue Moon at one in particualar.

best palce to get “good” beer is att eh Red Porch or Red Loft. you can’t miss either. Red Loft is Nats’ Park version of the bleachers at Wrigley. lots of drinkin’, occasional baseball viewing.

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Jun 4, 2008 5:59 PM EDT up 0 recs

yes to ben's chili bowl

and never get a cheesesteak outside of the philly metro area

"We might as well just win this game." -Adam Jones

by exitfare on Jun 4, 2008 5:31 PM EDT up 0 recs

c'mon...

never?

foghat goes with everything--birdman, 5/16/08

by j.q. higgins on Jun 4, 2008 5:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

Was just thinking

about how different cities/regions are known for different foods and I was thinking what Oklahoma City would be known for since that is where I live. I’ve come to the conclusion that it has to be McDonalds. You should never eat at another McDonalds b/c there are more (I think this is right) fast foods per capita than any other place in the country. And Mickey D’s being one of the biggest that has to be it. I apologize for wasting your time. Carry on.

I've got two nickels and a paradigm. - RWH

by BPinOK on Jun 4, 2008 6:00 PM EDT 0 recs

Thanks for the advice everyone

I had a great time at the game. I ended up taking the metro and it wasn’t bad at all. It seemed like it took forever, and that was annoying, but it was super convenient. I had no idea the entrance to the stadium was so close to the stop. That was awesome.

I like the stadium. Our seats were in the 300 level between first base and home, and the view of the field was great. We also had a nice view of the city beyond center field, which frankly wasn’t much to look at. But I could see how if the area gets built up in the future that it would be quite lovely.

One thing I didn’t really enjoy about the stadium was the fact that I felt like I was visually overstimulated the entire game. Between the HUGE big screen (which was quite impressive), the many ribbon screens around the stadium, and the out of town scoreboard that doubled as another huge video screen, there were flashing lights and signs pretty much the entire game. I found it a little distracting.

Didn’t make it to Red Porch, but it looked pretty packed the entire game. Maybe next time I’ll make it over there.

All in all a good experience, and to top it all off it was a great game. Can’t beat a walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th!

by Stacey on Jun 6, 2008 1:10 AM EDT 0 recs

glad you enjoyed yourself

and that you got in and out without a problem.

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Jun 6, 2008 6:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

I went to last night's game (June 9th)

and wow, was I bored. They were playing the Giants, so I dunno what I as expecting.

I sat in section 238, which was nice. To get to our seats, we climbed the stairs to the second level but apparently the club level is in the middle of the second level? We had to walk through it to get to our seats. “I’ll make an exception just this once and let you through,” said the usher as I walked past him. I guess he was serious, because my friends, who were a minute or so behind me, weren’t allowed to pass through.

The stadium was pretty nice. I agree that the metro stop was awesomely convenient. I also thought the food/concessions were awesome. Food was more expensive that at OPACY, but better quality. The stadium itself looked pretty nice. Also, around the fifth inning, nats employees were shooting tshirts into the crown using some sort of potato-gun contraption. That was just awesome – those t-shirts went FAR. One of them almost left the stadium, falling just in front of the light on the upper deck.

Re overstimulation: I felt the exact opposite. Yes, there were a lot of flashing video screens etc, but most of them were displaying ads (it was Planet Green night, so everything was hocking Discovery’s Planet Green network). The announcer who announced the players as they came to bat was… stupid. He had a fake radio-voice that was just silly. “Now batting… CHRISTIIAAAAAAANNN …................ gooooooooooozzeeeemaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn…....................”

Uh, yeah. Also, “Clint” from MASN ( I guess) kept coming on the video board telling us to “get our green on” and passing out crap and upgrading seats to people who he decided had gotten their green on.

Overall: nice park, but nowhere near as nice as OPACY (I am biased, of course). Nice food, different sort of crowd (more upscale than Baltimore), but terribly dull atmosphere. I dunno if that’s because the team is relatively young, because they suck, because DC fans are awful, or a combination of all three.

I plan on going back to see the O’s later this month.

by PhilR8 on Jun 10, 2008 8:24 AM EDT up 0 recs