Opened: 2008
Capacity: 41,546
What the authors say: “Nationals Park feels like a ballpark should on the inside: intimate, well apportioned, and roomy enough to get around easily, with seats that are tucked in close to the action.”
Learned from the book:
• The box office sells $5 grandstand seats that provide an inexpensive way to access even better seats than the location actually designated on the ticket.
• The neighborhood around the ballpark lacks the vibrancy and commercial appeal found at many other stadiums. The authors recommend spending time before games in Georgetown or Alexandria.
• Environmentalists can feel good about attending games at Nationals Ballpark, which has achieved a high rating from the US Green Building Council. The effort to be environmentally responsible ranges from energy-efficient light fixtures to the use of recycled building materials.
• It’s easy to forget that the Nationals used to be the Montreal Expos, which may partly account for a retired number oddity. Two former Expos whose jersey numbers were retired in Montreal (Gary Carter and Andre Dawson) have had them re-retired in D.C., while names of two other stars (Rusty Staub and Tim Raines) have seen their numbers put back into circulation.
• In a fitting variation on the races used for midgame entertainment at many parks, the Nats stage a race with oversized presidents – Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Teddy Roosevelt.
