MLB Ballpark Showdown- Nationals Park vs Marlins Park

Oct 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; A general view of Nationals Park during the National Anthem before game two of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game. Mandatory Credit: David Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

It’s the last game of the season for our Miami Marlins, and they are up against the Washington Nationals in Nationals Park. Take a wild guess where I was. It doesn’t take a detective to figure out that if this is MLB Ballpark Showdown then I am at Nationals Park for the final leg of my baseball road trip. Let’s let get started with MLB Ballpark Showdown- Nationals Park vs Marlins Park.

The Outside Look:
We are in the nation’s capital where you can see the Capital Building, The Washington Monument, The White House, and many other great sites, but Nationals Park does not get lost in it all. Marlins Park is the site in the Little Havana skyline, but National Park has so much to compete with yet is still a very recognizable part of that D.C. skyline. This also creates a spectacular view from the inside.

The Skyline:
You can see the Capital Building and the Washington Monument from inside Nationals Park. Sorry Marlins Park but there is nothing to compare to like that in Little Havana. It’s amazing to be able to be at America’s pastime while looking at America’s capital. What a sight!

The Inside:
The inside did remind me a lot of what the inside of Marlins Park would look like if the roof was always opened during the day (minus Marlins Park bright colors). It’s nothing special to write home about, but this is good because we are here to see a baseball game.

The Home Run Statue:
I didn’t see one so… good for you, Nationals Park.

Variety of Food:
There was a good amount of different kinds of food. Between BBQ, hot dogs, burger, wraps, food from other parks and a good beer selection, there was something for everyone. It felt a lot like Marlins Park last year, but I didn’t find any sushi.

The Must Have Food Item:
Shake Shack. Nope didn’t go there. Sorry, it was an hour wait to order something, we have one in Miami with less of a wait, and something else caught my eye. Miami Cuban Sandwich! That’s right, one of the items from another park was a Miami Cuban Sandwich and let me tell you I was highly disappointed. I’ll stick to my Taste of Miami Cuban in Marlins Park and next time wait in the Shake Shack line.

WI-FI:
They had WI-FI, I just kept getting kicked off and had no service. It makes sense that if even half of the 40,000 people there were signed on to it it would make for terrible service.

Seats:
See, here is where my “it’s an illusion” theory gets thrown out the window. Nationals Park is very wide and open yet I felt like I was right on top of the action in my seats. Is National Park smaller then other ballparks? Not really. There are just no bad seat to see the action just like in Marlins Park.

Well, that is it for this year’s MLB Ballpark Showdown. Come back in 2015 and see what the next series of Parks will be. Until then… Let’s Go Marlins!