Washington, D.C. Trip/Nationals Game

For those of us in the New York metro area, going to a baseball game can be extremely expensive and, if you have a family, almost a wallet busting adventure. However, only a short train ride away lies the Washington Nationals in our nation's capital. You can get amazing seats for a fraction of what it would cost to sit in those same seats in Yankee Stadium or Citi Field. My wife and I and her parents travelled down to D.C. and got seats behind the home dugout for $74 a pop. Those same seats can run from $375-1,000 for Yankee Stadium. That is just insane for a baseball game. So, for $74 we settled into our seats and watched the Nationals take on the Padres. This was my second time I have attended a Nationals game, having watched the Nationals beat the Orioles last year on May 22nd where we sat one section over to the left, closer to home plate.

Aside from the inexpensive tickets, Nationals Park is a clean, fan-friendly environment. They have several mascots, "Screech" is the main mascot but there are four others that greet fans as they enter the park. Those four are Teddy, Tom, Abe, and George. Of course they are named after the four most famous Presidents in history, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. With cartoonishly big heads, they interact with fans, pose for pictures, and all. My wife showed up wearing a Yankee jersey and hat and for the second year in a row Teddy gave her a hard time. He was much more cordial to me because I was wearing a Nationals t-shirt. Sometimes, you gotta make a sacrifice and, after the Yankees of course, I root for the Nationals, mostly because they have zero chance of winning but there is a bright future there with Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.

Once inside the stadium, the fans have plenty to do. There was a live band in right field belting out some decent renditions of some classic rock songs. There is a play area for kids. There was also a booth set up to encourage fans to vote for the All-Star game. If a fan filled out 10 ballots they would be entered into a drawing to win autographed Nats memorabilia. If you filled out 100 you automatically won a Pudge Rodriguez bobblehead. Just across the street from the stadium there is an area for fans to gather before and after the game to have a few brews. I didn't get in there but after the game it was bumpin' with music blaring and people hanging around not wanting to go home. There are plenty of places to grab some food, mostly your standard ballpark food. Most ballpark food, however, is not conducive to those who are gluten intolerant, or suffer from siliac (spelling?) disease. For them, going to a ballpark can be torture. However, Nationals Park has a gluten free stand that includes gluten free beer and hot dogs among several other choices.

When we went it happened to be freezer mug giveaway night sponsored by Miller Lite. The mugs are pretty nice, and I will be using them this summer to down a frosty beverage or two. There was also a stand run by Chevrolet that gave those who filled out a card a chance to win a Camaro. I filled one out and walked away with a free t-shirt. It has a small Chevy symbol on the left sleeve but for a giveaway it was actually pretty nice.

As for the baseball, it was actually pretty good. We witnessed a gem tossed by John Lannan who carried a no-hitter into the 5th and left with two outs in the 8th after allowing two consecutive singles. Manager Jim Riggleman brought in his closer, Drew Storen who got the final out. Offensively for the Nats, Danny Espinosa's solo home run was all the offense for the game until the 9th inning. In the 9th, Jason Bartlett hit his first homer of the year off the first pitch of the 9th inning off of Drew Storen. Storen settled down and retired the next three men but the game was tied and seemed destined to go into extra-innings. However, Michael Morse, the Nats first baseman hit the first pitch he was off of Padres reliever Mike Adams into the right field bullpen and the Nats were walk-off winners. During his post-game interview, Morse was treated to the customary pie in the face and was also given a Gatorade bath.

Overall, Nationals Ballpark is one of my favorite destinations. How can you beat walking around our nation's capital, going into all of the landmarks and visiting all of the memorials which are all free and going to a Nationals game to cap off your day? We stayed in D.C. from Thursday until Sunday evening. Train fare wasn't bad, we got $49 each way on a deal through Amtrak which they do every so often. So, for $172 we got transportation and a great seat. Oh, and add in a couple of bucks for the Metro Ride which is D.C.'s subway system. Beers cost me $8-8.50 a pop which is still cheaper than Yankee Stadium and hot dogs were, I think, $5 but were huge. Still an all around cheaper experience than one game in those same seats at Yankee Stadium. Plus, you never know who you might run into at a Nats game. You could be sitting next to a retired general, as we were, or a Congressman or Senator. You just never know. Oh, and another great thing about the Nats is they give you a small program/scorecard as you enter which they don't do at Yankee Stadium. I saw a bunch of people around me keeping score, something I rarely see anymore. So, even if you are just going down for the day, check out some of the landmarks and then head to a Nats game. You'll have a blast, but don't forget your camera!