Nationals Park Experiences
 

	Quick Facts and Figures
	Tenant: Washington Nationals Capacity: 41,222 Surface: Grass Cost: $611 Million Opened: March 30, 2008 Architect: HOK/Devrouax-Purnell Architects Dimensions: 336-L, 377-LC, 403-C, 370-RC, 335-R Nationals Park PAGE
Submitted By: John Grade: A Pros of the ballpark: I drove down from Philadelphia to see this new ballpark. I was both happily surprised as well as disappointed. First, I must say that they were very successful in capturing the feel of a retro ballpark. The rounded curvilinear architecture of the grandstands really gives the feel of an old turn of the century park. I liked how the press boxes were located up and behind homeplate just like at Fenway. The Nationals need a park like this because with so little team history, they need something that successfully conveys the long and storied history of the sport. The park accomplishes that in flying colors. The food was good although the process of getting it was dysfunctional as the people behind the counter were far from customer oriented. The Nationals fans were GREAT! Baseball fans should not be belligerent as this is baseball not football. The NATS fans were friendly and I feel you could go in an out of town Jersey and be OK and that's the way it should be. Cons of the ballpark: Now the cons. The field! If I ever thought they built Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia small, well then this field felt CRAMPED! The left field is fine but the right field wall juts at an angle into the right outfield. The wall is pretty high to prevent easy homers, I guess, but it just looks awkwardly small. Ballpark beauty comes in two ways: one from the seating sections and the sightlines and the second from the field itself. I felt they built an overall gorgeous park that captures the feel of old fashioned baseball and then dropped the ball by making a field that doesn't complement the rest of the stadium as much as it could. Why are these new parks built with small fields? Also, the sightlines are OK, not great. And lastly, the skyline of the outfield is an office park complex and that just doesn't work. I feel that maybe if the stadium were built against a great backdrop the smallish and strangely angled field would work. But they probably wanted to build it downtown so it could be near the city. These downsides standout in sharp contrast to how right everything else was done. Additional Comments: Overall, I like Nationals Park and plan on making it down to DC at least a few times a year. Seeing new fans getting used to baseball and starting their own traditions and history was heartwarming. It's everything that's good about the sport. Submit your Ballpark Experience!