WIP · World in Pocket

Nationals Park

Washington, Italy

Nationals Park

Nationals Park is brand new, having opened just in 2008, and is home of the equally new '''Washington Nationals''' baseball team, '''The Nats'''. The Nationals, though, have history beyond its latest 2005 beginnings—D.C.'s first baseball franchise from 1891-99 bore the same (interchangeably with the

'''Washington Senators'''), as did its two other successors throughout the twentieth century. None were very successful though. The first disbanded after nine years with a 0.366 win percentage; the second and third eventually left the city to become the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers. And the modern incarnation was formerly the Montreal Expos. Following in the D.C. tradition, the latest incarnation of the Nats performed progressively worse with each passing year, until 2010, when the team finally started turning itself around, and acquired a bonafide superstar-prodigy in pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The games are fun, and are a great excuse to spend the latter half of a day in the Waterfront District, and to enjoy the new stadium. The stadium is big, with comfy seats, an enormous scoreboard, and happily vendors from venerable D.C. food establishments like Five Guys, Ben's Chili Bowl, and Dogfish Head and Flying Dog Brewery.

Listen to the audio guide for Nationals Park Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off

Nearby