Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (31 page)

Kevin:
Well, while you were scoping out the Build-a-Bear Workshop, I snagged it.

Josh:
No way! You got a ball at our last game in San Fran on our first road trip, and now you got one on the first game on our second trip. I don’t like this at all.

Kevin:
Why not?

Josh:
I’m afraid the mojo has changed.

Nationals Park is the first stadium in the country to achieve Silver Status in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it a truly “green” facility. Being close to the Anacostia River, the facility goes to great lengths to conserve and reuse water, as well as filtering runoff that will likely reach the river. A green roof located on the roof of the Hard Times Café in the food plaza beyond the left-field foul pole helps keep the building cool on hot days. Use of energy-efficient light fixtures reduces power usage. Recycled materials were used in much of the park’s construction, and the site of the ballpark was a former brownfield that had been cleaned up. Following suit, the Marlins decided to build their new park in Miami according to LEED specs.

Three levels of standing room surrounding the bullpens culminate in the Scoreboard Walk, an open area on the second deck behind the huge-gantic scoreboard in center, which nicely provides much-needed shade. It’s a club atmosphere before the game, with happy hour drink specials, several dining options, and music. Get here early to score the couch seats beneath the canopy with cold brew in hand, and to line up for the many eating options the area has to offer.

Beneath the enormous red “curly W” Nationals hat in straightaway centerfield is the Red Loft and beneath it the Red Porch. The Red Porch is a full-service sit-down restaurant that you’ll likely have to get into when the ballpark opens if you don’t want to wait for a seat. We’re often not very approving of restaurants in ballparks, and this case is no different. If we want to go to a restaurant, we’ll go to a restaurant. If we want to go to a ballpark, we’ll go to a ballpark. Combining the two experiences makes a stadium feel more like a shopping mall. However, if restaurant baseball is your thing, get tickets for the Red Porch, and your ticket will get you a discount. The Red Loft is a full bar and viewing area above the Red Porch, and slightly more our style. Except the drinks are cheaper and the views are better in other parts of the park. Again, get to the Red Loft early because this place is a popular hangout.

Washington is famous for its Japanese cherry trees, which blossom over a week or two sometime between late March and early April, depending on the seasonal temperatures. They were originally a gift from the country of Japan in 1912, at a time when the Japanese were looking to strengthen ties between the two countries. Look for these spring bloomers in the Center Field Plaza and on the main concourse beyond the left-field wall.

Josh:
I’ll bet the Nationals wish they had a few more spring bloomers in their farm system.

Kevin:
Maybe Japan would be willing to part with a few more gifts, say another Ichiro or two?

At the bottom façade of the second level behind home plate appear the retired numbers from the Montreal Expos’ days, and the names of favorite players from Washington’s baseball past. From the Expos, find Gary Carter’s No. 8 and Andre Dawson’s No. 10; from the Homestead Grays, find “Cool Papa” Bell, Ray Brown, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cumberland Posey, and Jud “Boojum” Wilson; from the Washington Senators, find Joe Cronin, Rick Ferrell, Goose Goslin, owner Clark Griffith, “Bucky” Harris, Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, Henry “Heinie” Manush, Sam Rice, and Early Wynn. Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 is retired as well and displayed here.

Fans have close interactions with pitchers in the bullpens at Nationals Park, because the outfield seating sections surround the pens without a barrier. It’s a great place to hang out just before the game and see if you can talk to a player or get a ball from them. We do have to wonder if the players actually like this close interaction or not. Actually, we don’t wonder. We think we know the answer. But it’s a treat for the fans.

The left-field power alley has a curious little notch where the bullpen wall gives way to the left-centerfield wall at the base of the Red Porch and juts forward for no apparent reason. Well, there is a reason. This peculiarity is a recreation of the notch in the same location at Griffith Stadium. However, this attempt to recreate a quirk in the old ballpark is dwarfed by the Red Porch itself, making the quirk barely noticeable.

Nationals Park offers one of the most diverse and highest quality ballpark dining experiences in the majors. There are plenty of great options, from fancy french fries and dipping sauces at Box Frites, to crab cakes, chicken and waffles, Mexican mole and Jamaican jerk meats, to more standard ballpark offerings like burgers, barbecue, hot dogs, peanuts, and shaved ice. Truly, there’s something for everyone at this big eater’s paradise. Unless you’re a
really
big eater, though, you won’t be able to try everything over the course of one game, which is a good thing.

Ben’s Chili Bowl gets the nod for trademark food at Nationals Park. They start simply with a bun and a grilled pork and beef dog—burned ever so perfectly at the edges. Then they smother it with chopped onions, grated cheese, cheese sauce, and slather Ben’s famous “half-smoke” chili over the top. To finish it, they apply a ribbon of mustard. It smells like burnt heaven and tastes twice as good. You can also get your chili in a bowl, vegetarian, or on a turkey burger.

Ever notice how if you bite the two tops off a pretzel, it makes a “W”? Probably not, right? Well, someone did at Noah’s Pretzels, and another trademark food was born of these enormous soft pretzels, baked golden brown and covered in salt. Named for the owner’s autistic son Noah, part of the proceeds for the gluten-free treat goes to supporting autism in the greater D.C. area.

Grilled and with plenty of bite in its flavor, the Nats dog stacks up against any dog in the majors, which is more than you can usually say for the home team whose fans devour it. The only problem? You can’t get half-smoke chili served on top without going to Ben’s.

The
Shake Shack
will set you up with a juicy burger caked with cheese, served on a real bread bun, with lettuce and a thick slice of tomato. Don’t forget the thick shake flavor of your choosing and their delicious crinkle cut fries smothered with cheese sauce. Shake Shack shakes aren’t technically shakes at all because they’re made with custard and not ice cream, but they are very tasty. Gotta go for the black-and-white shake. They don’t come cheap, but are thick and full of cool flavor and great for a hot day.

Blue Smoke
has plenty of great options as well, even though like Box Frites and Shake Shack, it’s an import from Citi Field. Pulled pork, Kansas City spare ribs, chipotle chicken wings, and a BBQ beef bologna sandwich are the order of the day. For dessert, try the salty jalapeno chocolate bar. Josh did, and then he ordered two more to take home with him. Predictably, they melted in his pockets though.

As you rise up to the scoreboard walk on the escalator, one delicious smell wafts past you, overpowering all others: the unmistakably wonderful aromas of grilling meat covered in jerk seasonings at the
Jammin’ Island BBQ
stand in centerfield. The jerk chicken and ribs combo gives you a sampling of most of their offerings and will not leave you disappointed.

The carnitas at the
El Verano Taqueria
make for better than average Mexican eats. Try the chicken mole pipian, served with two corn tortillas, braised chicken mole, chopped onions, fresh-cut cilantro, and fresh tomato salsa and you will change your mind about avoiding ballpark Mexican food as a hard-and-fast rule to live by.

Josh:
El verano. That means “the summer,” right?

Kevin:
In that case, I just ate the whole summer.

There are too many ballpark delicacies for you to waste stomach space on standard ballpark fare at Nationals Park. The DuPont Deli sandwiches are nasty. It might sound good, but avoid the Georgetown Grille and its more generic burgers, chicken tenders, and fries. Also avoid the Change-Up Chicken. You’ll thank us, because it’s truck-stop quality. Philadelphia Italian Hoagies: Don’t even think about them.
You’re two hours from Philly. Best to get them there when you visit town.

The park represents itself well in the beer selection category, but the deal of the day is the $5.00 Happy Hour before the first pitch just behind the stadium. We found High Life and Miller Lite, and Pilsner Urquell, which is a heck of a beer at that price no matter where you are.

If you want to pay more, the Red Loft in center specializes in overpriced drinks. The people are a cut younger and cooler than other areas of the park. And the drinks are that much more expensive.

Bloody Marys are big in D.C. and you won’t have to go far to find a cart that will make one for you. With the heat of a day game, the good food, and the Bloody M’s, it feels more like a summer Sunday brunch at the ballpark!

Nationals Ballpark offers a little something for all its fans. It’s not as flashy as Yankee Stadium, but nowhere near bland either. If you’re a corporate raider and you want to impress your clients, or a government employee hosting a visiting dignitary, there’s room for rubbing elbows with other rich, famous, and powerful folks. Heck, Kevin even got mistook for the former undersecretary of the Navy by one fan. If you’re a young adult, there’s a scene at the park where other like-minded congressional aide and legislative assistant types congregate. If you’re the head of a family that wants to take in a pro game without having to sell Daddy’s organs to pay for it, Nationals Park fits that bill too. Since the franchise (dating back to the Montreal days) is one of only two to never play in a World Series, attendance naturally wavers based on how well the team is playing that season.

Josh:
Remind me, which is the other team that’s never played in the Series?

Kevin:
Isn’t it about time for you to go into “shut up” mode?

As has become a customary midgame diversion at nearly every Major League park, people dressed in large, overstuffed depictions of city-specific iconography must run a staged race, usually in the middle of the fourth inning, to keep fans entertained. If you can’t tell by our tone, we are not always big fans of goofball entertainment in the middle of a baseball game … at least not goofball entertainment not of our own choosing. But the Nationals have put a humorous twist on things. George, Abe, Teddy, and Tom (no, they’re not the Beatles, Martha, they’re former presidents direct from the face of Mount Rushmore) get to do the honors and race around the warning track. We like the ironical commentary of four dignified figures, dressed in era appropriate garb, with their bobbing oversized heads and desperately flailing arms and legs, trying to push past one another to win a completely arbitrary race. Now, that’s entertainment.

It is difficult not to notice one rather unpleasant factor in this ballpark, and that is that most all of the people working the concessions are African American, while most all who are attending the game are not. We’re not here to comment on issues of race, class, and the culture of a place that is not our home, but there is something about this fact that seems more heightened than in the other ballparks we visited. We’re left to conclude that a large percentage of the working stiffs in this town are black, while the members of the pampered upper class who have enough coin to go to the ballpark for pleasure are predominantly white. And it ought not to be that way.

No, this is not the lovable loser from
Saved by the Bell
turned angry porn star. This bald eagle mascot of the Nats started out as a nestling chick who pecked his way out of his shell while the team was still playing at RFK. But since moving his nest to Nationals Park, this little birdie has been taking wing and has really learned to fly on his own. Literally, the mascot changed from a chick to a full-grown bird, perhaps symbolizing the team’s desire to do the same.