Baltimoremick.com

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I made my trip to Nationals Park in Washington today.  The quality of the game was what I expected for a Nationals game, as the San Francisco Giants won 6-3.  The ballpark, on the other hand, is quite nice.

The ballpark sits along the riverfront near the Anacostia River, near the Navy Yard.  There is a lot of development occurring in this area, as the new Department of Transportation building is nearby, and there are other buildings that are new construction.  One of the questions my friend had–one I agreed with–was the lack of other things to do near the ballpark.  I am sure that will change as the area around the ballpark develops, but there really was not much else to do right in the vicinity of the ballpark.  The other thing that will change in the future as the area gets developed is the presence of nearby parking.

The ballpark, though, has all of the modern amenities one would expect with a new facility.  As for my seats, they were fortunately in the shade on a pretty hot Sunday afternoon.  I sat up the third base line and had a good view of the action.  I also enjoyed the Presidents Race, watching the caricatured heads of the four Presidents on Mt. Rushmore run down the first base foul line is pretty funny.

My complaints about my experience are pretty small, though.  I must take this opportunity to both praise and rant about paying for parking.  The Nationals website allows you to purchase parking passes for the day of the game, and I highly recommend doing so if you are driving down from Baltimore for a game.  My complaint, though, is the typical TicketBastard interface.  In addition to the cost of the pass, you pay the convenience fee for each pass.  Additionally, I have to pay for the ability to use my printing resources at home to print out the passes.  While this complaint is not with the Nationals, I still do not understand why I must pay a fee for what is, effectively, a relatively inexpensive business transaction and to print the pass out at home.  Thanks, TicketBastard!

My only other complaint has to do with what the Nationals do during the game to keep the fan interest in the game.  I first saw this in Pittsburgh, but the Nationals employ a Ryan Seacrest-like reporter to rove through the stands and help with different drawings and activities during the game on the HD screen.  I personally find it annoying, and I am glad that the Orioles have not employed such a tactic while the team has floundered in the standings.

Nonetheless, Nationals Park is a pretty good place to enjoy a baseball game.