During the summer of 2005, my family attended a Washington Nationals baseball game at RFK stadium in Washington DC. The game was a day game, a 1:05 pm start.

Access to the ball park was OK. We were in the city for a week, so we rode the subway to the park. We arrived less than an hour before the game started, and the subway was packed with others who were going to the game. The subway station opened about a block from the stadium, and was an easy walk, albeit through a large number of people, from the park.

Entrance to the park itself was slow. There were very few gates open, and between long lines and security checks, it took a while to get in.

Once in the stadium, markings to get to seats were poor at best. We knew our seats were in the upper deck, so we just kept going up, but there were little markings to let us know we were in the right spot. Even once we were on the upper deck, there were no signs pointing out section locations, only individual section markers.

The stadium itself is obviously fairly old. The walkways and ramps are narrow and dark. Lining up for such things as concessions and restrooms is somewhat difficult, given the cramped quarters - always feeling like I was in someone's way.

Inside the stadium bowl, things get better. As an old stadium, the seating area was actually built to accomodate humans instead of a group of sixth graders. The seats were plentiful in size, giving me (240 pounds) room to slide around. Knee room was plentiful. The view of the field was excellent.

One problem in the field was the public address system. We could rarely tell what was being said, either because it was not loud enough, or because it was sonically blurred.

Concessions were limited to traditional fare, including hot dogs, cotton candy, peanuts, and the various basic beverages available at any ballpark. The line for hot dogs, the only one I stood in, was long and moved very slowly. This was due to the limited availability and cramped conditions.

Egress from the ball park was easy and fairly quick. It all slowed down at the subway, as we stood in a jammed line for quite a while just make it on the subway.

In the end, though, it was a good day. The ultimate purpose for attending a game is to watch the game, and that was quite enjoyable.

Recommended: Yes

Parking Availability: Busy But Manageable
Seat Location: Upper Deck