Not much to do in the neighborhood. Take the subway to the game. I’d say 90% (or more) of people do that.

Maybe the biggest concentration of stuff to do in DC is in Chinatown, and you can get on the green line of the subway in Chinatown to get to the game.

Others who go more can give you better suggestions, but you don’t want to stay in the neighborhood of the ballpark…there might not even be any hotels there. It was a warehouse district and the city took over the area and builty the stadium. So not much development.

There’s at least one hotel within a few blocks of the stadium, but there’s nothing to do in the area yet. It was a neighborhood of dodgy clubs that got bought out and torn down to make the stadium, and the remaining businesses in the area are either government office complexes, cement factories, or scrapyards. I understand that there’s a nice museum ship at the nearby Navy Yard, but you’re better off staying someplace closer to other DC attractions or in a nicer neighborhood.

If you want to stay in DC proper, try Chinatown—the area is packed with shops, restaurants and theatres (both stage and movie), as well as the Spy Museum and the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery (I’ve heard that the Red Roof Inn in Chinatown is affordable if there isn’t a convention in town). Of course, just about anyplace with Metro access with give you an easy path to the Mall—a miles-long rectangle of green space that’s bordered by the major Smithsonian Museums (Air & Space, Natural History, American History, American Indian, various museums of modern, classical, and ethnic art) not to mention the Capitol and the major monuments and memorials (Lincoln, Washington, WWII, Korea, Vietnam).

Hotels in DC, itself, are likely to be expensive. Beltwayboy’s recommendation to look for accomodation in nearby Virginia (which is just across the Potomac River from DC) is a good one: try to find a place close to a Metro stop. Places in Arlington or Falls Church will be on the Metro Orange Line, which goes directly into DC—get off at the Smithsonian, L’Enfant Plaza, or Capitol South stops, depending on how far down the Mall you want to start your sightseeing. When I first moved to the area, I stayed at a Comfort Inn in Ballston (part of Arlington) which was a block or two from a metro stop and not too pricey—of course, that was in the last millenium…

Metro is the easiest way to the get to the ballpark for an out-of-towner, too. Take the green line to the Navy Yard metro stop (you can change from Orange to Green at the L’Enfant Plaza station; there are Green line stops in Chinatown and near the National Archives, too), and follow all the fans dressed in the visiting team’s livery.

Pro tip: if you’re coming from elsewhere in DC (that is, coming from the North), try to get on towards the back of the train; make a left as you exit the train, go around the mass of people taking the escalator, and take the stairs just behind it (if you’re coming from the south, get on the train at the front and make a right as you exit). Pro tip #2: you can bring food into the ballpark and bottled water, but not booze or soda (or water in your own container); there are vendors selling food at carts outside the park for about half the price as inside the park. So far, there is one “bar” next to the ballpark, a place called “The Bullpen” just across the street. Is essentially a parking lot with a tent set up over one half selling beer for a dollar or two less than inside the park. They also usually have a live band, plus hotdog/taco/soft-serve stands… the feel is very much that of a college frat party, with the same good and bad points you might imagine. The closest real strip of bars and restaurants is probably Barracks Row along 8th St SE—a least two or three places there have free shuttles than run to and from the ballpark on game days (take Orange Line to Eastern Market and head south down 8th St). Again, there are lots of places in Chinatown, and you can take the Green Line straight to the park from the Gallery Place/Chinatown or Archives/Navy Memorial stops.

Good luck with your trip. We’re happy to have more people along to enjoy the game, even if we have to get them from the other side of the world. If you have more questions, please post them here—I’m sure someone will be able to address them.