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Opened: April 9, 1962
First Nationals Game: April 14, 2005
Final Game: September 22, 2007 (I was there)
Capacity: 45,596
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I lived in the Baltimore area for a few years right when the Nationals came to town. I saw my first game here the day before I interviewed for my first job out of college. Washington is a weird city for baseball but it was the only city with a major league ready venue that could take the Expos. I never liked the place but I prefer National League baseball and I wasn’t quite in to minor league baseball yet so besides Camden Yards this was the best option available. It helped as well that the Nationals seemed to be home when the Orioles were on the road.[/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width=”3″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1514556774899-1ab99b9b-40ed-3″ include=”4669,4667,4666,4668″][vc_column_text]
How did I get there?
Down the BW Parkway which put you right onto East Capitol Street. Parking the first year was cheap but by the last year at the park it was up to $15. I didn’t think that riding the Metro was worth it at the time but it was starting to get to that point. The metro station at Stadium/Armory is a bit of a walk from the park and was heavily used so enough people thought that it was a good idea. I used it when I came down to be a tourist since it was cheaper to park in the Metro lots instead of in the city.
Ticket prices
Ticket prices were not bad. By the time the Nationals moved out I could get in for $3. After parking and a program that doesn’t seem like that great of a deal, but $3 was pretty cheap for a major league game.
Finding my seat and amenities
This is an old park. Section numbers and seat numbers are rubbing off so 3’s and 8’s can look alike. Fortunately most games were sparsely attended so it was never a problem. The concessions were bad, though there was some kind of food court at one end of the stadium that I stumbled onto once. There must have been a variety as some people one time were eating sushi in front of me. They might have brought that in with them for all I know.
In game experience
The on field host got to be annoying. Clint was probably a real nice guy but he didn’t need to make an appearance every half inning. They picked the people who won the seat upgrade or the fan of the game from the same sections every game and most of the other ones became predictable. I guess I’m just mad since it wasn’t me.
Getting out
It was relatively easy. The lots exited onto either East Capitol Street or Benning Road which took you back to the BW Parkway. I could be back home in less than an hour. I did make a wrong turn once and headed out to the Southwest Freeway and would up linking with New York Avenue to get out to the BW. At rush hour this was a costly mistake.
Wrap
Nationals fans are a diverse bunch. Washington brings people from all over the country to the city and it just seems like most of the people were at the stadium to have a good time rather than watch the game. There were a few that took things a little too seriously as well. My brother recorded one on his cellphone but has since changed phones and lost it. I wish my brother still had the video of one of them. There is an inferiority complex with Baltimore that still exists and Nationals fans are not happy with their TV deal but that is the cost of having their team.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”Back to the National League” style=”3d” color=”danger” align=”left” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Ftheworldneedsmorekevin.com%2Fbaseball%2Fnational-league%2F|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]