1. I agree on the $5 seats, although they only sell ‘em after the gates open, and I think you have to go inside right away. They’re up in the corner on the upper deck in LF, but there are plenty of good places to wander around in the ballpark (not that I would in any way endorse sitting in a more expensive section than what you paid for, although the ushers are usually pretty mellow, at least up on the 300 level). The $10 tickets are also fine, and you can buy them in advance. As always, the service fees are extortionate, and “plenty of good seats” are almost always available day-of-game—go to the box office! (Or one of the ticket machines out front.)

2. $5 after the gates open—can’t beat it. Or get one of those sweet $325 President’s Club tcikets with complementary buffet and food delivered to your seat!

3. The area right around the ballpark is pretty much a wasteland. The best options are probably to go somewhere close near a close Metro stop for food/drink. I’d recommend the Chinatown/Verizon Center area (Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro, 4 stops up the Green Line for convenient ball park access). Plenty of bars and decent restaurants in the area, including RFD, Clyde’s, Matchbox, ... a ton of places, from beer-and-burger to quite fancy. Another good area is the 8th St/Barracks Row area near the Eastern Market stop (it’s Orange/Blue line, so you’ll have to change at L’enfant to get to the ballpark… or it’s about a 20-25 minute walk to the park). 8th St south of Penn isn’t quite as developed as Chinatown, but there still plenty of decent places: Cafe 8, Ugly Mug, Capitol Hill Tandoor, Jordan’s 8, Belga Cafe, Banana Cafe (even another Matchbox, opening soon… what? I live in the neighborhood—I’m a booster!).

4. Advice for a day game: the gallery (300 level) along the 3B line generally gets shade in the 2nd or 3rd inning depending on how close you are to the edge. I’d recommend walking around and taking in the game from all over—try the red loft if you can squeeze in!

5. Not much to see right by Nats park. But the Metro access is a nice synergy (a word I used in my last TPS report)—you can check out Chinatown and the Spy Museum and the Navy memorial and zip right down on the Gallery Place or Archives metro; you can go to Air & Space or the Museum of the American Indian and hop on at L’enfant. Or you can wander the Mall and take Smithsonian.

6. Biking is a great way to get to the park; they actually have a free bike valet there! Two of the other season-ticket holders in our section swear by it. Metro is, of course, a great option-one trick is to take the other entrance (there are two, one that lets out right next to the park and is often jammed, and another than adds maybe two blocks to your walk… just follow the people in red hats when you get outside). Single-game/day-of-game parking is available, and best of all, you can buy it in advance on the internet. It’s expensive, though, and not necessarily that close. A great option for parking is to park at RFK (for FREE) and take the (FREE) shuttlebus to the stadium. The parking is in legendary RFK Lot 8, so you can even tailgate! (Note that parking is in Lot 7 when United has a home game-BOO!)

7. Veggie options are limited-there’s a deli on the 200 level behind RF that has salads, plus veggie burgers/dogs at some of the stands. The Kosher Sports stands have surprisingly decent potato-garlic knishes. Best burger definitely Five Guys in the CF pavilion (behind the scoreboard-though note there’s a Five Guys outside the park at New Jersey and M, maybe three blocks way, where the price is about half what it is inside the park). Ben’s Half Smoke (all the way!) is another great option, and you can get them at the Nats Dogs stands if the line at Ben’s is too long. Curly-W pretzels at Noah’s in LF on the 100 level (which is where Red, Hot & Blue BBQ, Boardwalk Fries and Hard Times Chili are), and there’s usually a bunch of Pretzel Guys making the rounds during the game. For sweets, hard to beat Gifford’s over by 1B (try “the dinger,” an ice cream sandwich favored by the Nats bullpen), although the gelato stand by 3B is nice backup.

8. One trick is to use the “family” bathrooms, which, though single-occupancy, generally have a very short lines. Of course, if you’re not actually wrangling a poopy diaper or some unruly tots, you’ll go to hell. Lines generally aren’t bad, though, even right at the end of the game.

9. The crowd filters out, but there’s usually a good fraction left at the end of the game. A tip for upper-decksters: look for the stairs! You can only use them to get to the main concourse, but it’s much quicker that wading through the crush on the escalator. For going up: absolutely take the escalator; the handicap-accessible ramps take FOREVER to walk up if you’re headed to the cheap seats (unlike the Everest-steep ramps at RFK).

10. Any day at the ballpark is a win. I believe in the 5 year plan.

chili nachos at Hard Times.

5) The Navy Yard / Museum (NAVY YARD METRO STOP). If you and your family want to combine a half day by taking in the museum and the ship at the pier (which is a museum in itself) and then rest your tired ol dogs at the NATS game, this isn’t a bad idea.

Also, I recommend just taking a walk around the tidal basin adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial park. Then hop a cab (not too pricey) or take the METRO to the NATS game.

In the near future (estimates vary 3, 5, or 10 years), “Half” street will be alive and kicking right there at NATS park. Condos, restaurants, bars, shops are currently being planned / built. Also, the Washington Post did a recent article on the eye sore that is the cement making plant right beside the stadium. The owners of that are in talks to sell it and create a livable community there as well. I think all of this will be of great value for the fans because it will give them a reason for arriving early and staying late and also to avoid being crushed by departing fans on the METRO.

Good luck! See ya at the park!

from a new kid. I was in the area last summer and i’m moving out to be a freshman at George Mason Universtiy. What’s the best stop to get off at to get to the park?

on a side note, I’m becoming a part time Nats fan while I live on the east coast. I’m a lifelong Giants fan so i’m hoping the disappointment will hurt less.