Today, Sohna and I continue our tour of New Nationals Park with Chrystal Stowe--Director of Community Affairs and Business Development for Smoot Construction.
And, we pick up where we left off--talking about concessions. This is a reminder. Just because The Club Levels were first up on yesterday's Detail look of New Nationals Park--doesn't mean regular ticket holders are being left behind or left out. No matter what price seat you choose to sit at New Nationals Park--Premium & Regular Concessions will be available to you. Yes, some of the higher end fare will only be available in The Clubs--but it is my understanding, after talking to more than a few folks involved--that items other than regular ballpark fare will be accessible to all. 
Look--if you want to spend your money for food and drink--you will be given that opportunity--and not just for junk. A $10 Ticket will not greatly reduce your choices. The Centerfield Restaurant will be open to all fans. There will be Premium Food Stands & Concessions on all levels. And, special options for children. Although at this point--no complete details have been released on where those premium choices will be located--hopefully very soon. The specifics are being worked out. 
One Regular Concession Stand on the first base side of New Nationals Park has cleared its inspection. Chrystal Stowe took Sohna and I inside for a look. 
The Soft Drink & Beer Vats for some choices are located on the service level--below the stands. From there, the liquids are pumped up to the various concessions for serving. This particular kitchen setup was HUGE!! A gigantic storage and freezer area. And, this was just one of many such service areas throughout The Main Concourse. The Upper Level has similar set ups--but slightly smaller in size.
Outside of Gifford's Premium Ice Cream Choices--there will be regular soft serve as well. Including an item called "Frozen Rope". We were not really sure what a "Frozen Rope" is? Any help?
And--for those who care about this topic (Curly W's Mom in particular)--its Coke!!, Not Pepsi at New Nationals Park.
Moving back inside to The Nationals Clubhouse. Our Washington Nationals have an Oval Office of their own. Sohna and I LOVED the Mini--Louisville Slugger Bats that frame EVERY LOCKER. Every Single One. Of course--all three of us realized right away that some frustrated player is going to take some of those mini-bats out after a bad outing. You just KNOW THAT's going to happen? And, would be fun to watch.
Showers, Hydro-Therapy, Steam and Team Family Room (adjacent to Clubhouse).
In the center of the Main Clubhouse is a Special Washington Nationals Logo Mat. Currently protected from the ongoing construction--Chrystal gave us a sneak peak.
Walking out of The Nationals Clubhouse--down the stairs toward the home dugout--just to your left is located The Indoor Batting Cages. Presidents Club Patrons can watch any player take his swings from the windows just above.
Our Washington Nationals Dugout is almost complete. Wide and large--far greater than RFK Stadium.
The Stone backstop behind home plate is very nice. Now, you just know any baseball that hits that hard surface is going to ricochet back to the plate!! Not many runners are going to be heading home on a wild pitch.
And, just to prove the grass is protected under that white tarp--here you go.
The Visitors Dugout
Presidential Club Seating--completely padded chairs (when finished).
Sohna and I found plenty of leg room in most every row--far greater than RFK Stadium.
But, Front Row of both Club Level and Gallery Sections have lesser widths to the wall in front.
What this shorter distance does accomplish on Club Level is the allowing of most anyone to see above the plexi-glass barrier in front. Sohna has no problems seeing over the railing (A big relief for me--by the way).
What this shorter distance to the wall has NO effect on--is Gallery Level Row A. Being 6'3" tall, sitting in the Front Row of Gallery Level--I still found myself peering through the plexiglass to watch the batting circle. Not ideal, but far better than railings in your face. Still, for the price--one of the best deals in the park--great views of the games.
Many have mentioned their concern about the railings in the aisles. Some believe those metals objects will take away their view of the ball game. Sohna and I sat in three different sections and found no problems. The slope of the stairwell negates having a blocked view. Looking up--away from the field--to your side--maybe. Otherwise--as far as the game is concerned--no, your only concern is a taller person sitting in front of you.
And, at the bottom of every elevated aisle a higher plexi-glass partition. A safety feature to make sure no one falls over. The higher you sit in New Nationals Park--the steeper the climb.
Of course--I can't forget about those cupholders. Hopefully, no longer will some careless fan be kicking over your drink as he/she heads out for the 3rd time over the past two innings. Or, someone behind you spills over their drink onto your stuff under your seat (yeah, I know--that's a pipe dream).
Finally--The African Queen and I LOVED the signage. Vintage style--cream base color with navy pinstripe and gold/navy borders--really, they are attractive.
As it turns out--there are many more pictures to post of Our Tour from this past Friday--at New Nationals Park. So tomorrow--the detail photos will conclude with The Press Box and other assorted shots of Our New Ballpark on South Capitol Street. Many of these assorted photos will show the openness of Our Washington Nationals New Stadium.
18 comments:
SBF...
Fantastic...as always. Thanks!
Jim
A "frozen rope" refers to a hard-hit line drive.
Anonymous--Yes, I know a Frozen Rope refers to a hard hit line drive--but we are talking about an ice cream product of some sort--using that name as a baseball treat. That's the question. Come on.
Did someone tell you there would be a product called "Frozen Rope"? The sign in your picture would seem to indicate it's the name for the ice cream stand itself (like "Diamond Classics" in another of your pictures, or the various stand names at RFK).
Oh man, I wish they had kept Pepsi.
Great photos though, I can't wait to go there. Anybody got an extra for Opening Night? I need a miracle!
Both sets of photos are terrific--thanks. Happy to see, for example, the switch to Coke. Did they use Plexiglas railings in most sections? We have front row seats in the LF mezzanine and I can't tell from your photos whether they placed normal or Plexiglas railings. Looking at your photos sitting in your similar Club seats make me think that I will be able to see over the railing, so it may not matter.
SBF-
Some of the press articles i've read from other publications who have toured the stadium have mentioned the cozy, intimate feel to it (the Baltimore Sun writer said it surpasses Camden Yards in that aspect-and compared the smaller feel to PNC Park in Pittsburgh). Did you get that sense when sitting in your seats?
Also, they should do a silohuette of the Capitol, Washington Monument and Lincoln memorial buildings on top of the restaurant.
Also just read that single game ticket info and the promo schedule will be released tomorrow.
SBF,
Thanks for the great photo tour.
In your collection of pictures, do you have some snaps that show the width of the concourses and maybe a shot that shows the view of the field from the edge of the main, mezzanine and gallery concourses?
One of the strengths of this park design (DC, Phila, Pgh, SD) is to allow you to stay connected to the game while on the concourse. Grab a dog and a beverage and you can catch half an inning standing on the concourse. Phila even has small counter tops on the concourse railings.
Excellent info - I'll forward a link to my ticket partners.
Glenn
kr--the left and right field mezzanine have railings--not plexiglass. I have a picture that will post up tonight of the left field foul line stands with The US Capitol Building. That shot clearly shows the railings. Hope that helps.
And yes, our understanding is Frozen Rope is a product.
And yes--I would prefer Pepsi--as well.
Natsva--what stands out at Nationals Park is the OPENNESS--like PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia--you can be anywhere--on any concourse level and still see the game. You can walk from right field to left field on the concourse in less than five minutes. I doubt you could have accomplished that at RFK Stadium.
I love Camden Yards, always will-and can never say anything bad about it. That ballpark--changed the game back to its roots--and everyone should be thankful for that.
New Nationals Park is going to be a great place to watch a ballgame. Unique in its own way. Sohna and I LOVE PNC PARK--and we got that same feeling this past friday--for the first time--about Nationals Park.
Yes, it will be cozy. A nice venue.
Glenn--those pictures are coming tonight.
Thanks a lot for your wonderful work! I am confident that whatever still needs to be finished by Opening Night, Nationals Park will be finished ENOUGH, and it will be a home that baseball fans in Washington can be proud of for years to come!
COKE! YES!!!!! That's better news than cup holders (OK, maybe not...) - Curly's Mom.
Cup Holders Yes! I am surprised some entrepenuerial company out there didn't sponsor the cup holders, so you could set your cold beer into a Chevy Chase Bank cup holder or the like.
Just curious - does Chrystal Stowe work for Smoot or Clark Construciton - because she's wearing a Clark hard hat?
SBF
Great Stuff! Nice shot of how the rail affects the view from the front row of the Infield Gallery. Do you have an idea how many rows up you'd have to be to take the rail out of the batter's circle?
On the infield gallery railing question--I did not sit in the second row--honestly didn't think about it. But, the 2nd row has to clear the batting circle--if it did not you are talking about an entire level of folks that can't see the majority of the action. The Upper Deck is VERY STEEP. This stadium rises up decidedly. No way--there could not be a mistake like that to block patrons sightlines.
And yes--Chrystal works for Smoot--its just a hard hat. This is a Three Way Construction Project.
Great shot of infield Gallery seats, row A. As a holder of 311 Row A, I can see that I may have an issue.. or not. Any idea if the "picture frame" stays, or is this there to protect the edge of the glass during construction - in other parts of the stadium its not there! (like around the stairwells of the upper gallery).. in other stadiums (San Diego), its not there..
In any event, I probably have a legitimate gripe. These seats are obstructed view.
That, and $5 will get me a bottle of water, I'm sure.
I'm thinking of buying tickets in the front row of the club level.
I am under 6' tall; will I have to lean forward the entire game to see over the plexi-glass?
I know up in Baltimore the first two rows of any section upstairs are no good b/c of the railing; I fear the same in D.C.
Thanks for any info!
Anonymous: I am 6'3" tall, the glass lip is below my field of vision to the field. For Sohna, who is small--it's in her vision of view. If you are 6' tall, the glass lip might be at your eye level. But we both did get use to it and it doesn't bother us anymore. I do tend to lean forward anyway. The Second Row does not have this problem, but what the first row does offer, outside of no one getting in your line of sight, is the opportunity to see everything going on below you as well, not just on the field.
Hope some of that helps.
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