Washington, D.C.: New stadium helps power city's move to green
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Let's get it on.
Change is in the air in the nation's capital. A mood indigo floats from the new Nationals Park -- the greenest sports stadium in America -- to the gentrified U Street corridor with a restaurant anchored by the colorful spirit of Marvin Gaye, a D.C. native.
The city's extensive Metro train system makes it easy to get around in an earth-friendly way. You can take the Metro's Green Line to snag a pre-baseball game dinner at Marvin, 2007 14th St., N.W., which opened in October. The place is noisy and bawdy in a way the late soul singer would approve. Black and white photos of jazz singer Abbey Lincoln and entertainer Pearl Bailey hang near the entrance of this former Subway shop, and a large '70s portrait of a relaxed Gaye in platform disco boots graces a wall.
I loved Marvin's moist, country fried chicken and waffles served on a modest concert of brussels sprouts ($16). My traveling companion enjoyed the rich mussels flavored with coconut curry ($16). She heard about it through the grapevine. Our Belgian cheese croquettes appetizer ($7) was a tad gooey. The Marvin bar serves lots of Belgian beer, but I went for a more affordable Stella ($6). Lots of what appeared to be preppy attorneys, lobbyists and congressional aides packed the upstairs porch. It looked like a John Mayer concert.
Marvin.Why haven't we thought of this in Chicago?
Mavis could serve the black-eyed peas and gumbo made by the mother of local treasure Mavis Staples.
Mahalia would revisit "Mahalia Jackson's Glori-Fried Chicken" once served by the legendary gospel singer.
Gaye was born April 2, 1939, in the U Street neighborhood. Not long ago, the area was a haven for drug dealers and hookers. Restoration work has started on the historic Lincoln Theatre, which opened in 1922. Much like Chicago's Regal, it was main stage for African-American artists like Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald. The city's 34-year-old Mayor Adrian M. Fenty wants to see the theater turned into a boutique hotel and/or office space.
The Lincoln is next door to Ben's Chili Bowl, 1213 U St., N.W., featured in the dynamic film "Talk To Me" about local radio DJ Ralph "Petey" Greene. A Ben's Chili Bowl half smoke is mandatory at Nationals Park. Lines form early for the half smoked hot dog with Ben's chili, mustard, onions and cheese ($6.75).
Local purveyors are one of the treasures of the new 41,888-capacity stadium. Besides Ben's, there's Red, Hot & Blue BBQ and Gifford's Ice Cream, the oldest ice cream parlor in D.C. Try "The Dinger," a vanilla ice cream and chocolate sandwich ($5). Fans who don't want to spend $5 on vitamin water can bring in a sealed bottle of their own.
Unlike most new major league stadiums, tickets here are still easy to come by. I showed up two hours before game time to catch the World Series-bound Cubs and scored a $5 day-of-game seat in the upper, upper grandstand along left field, where the real fans sit.
One nearby Nats rooter brought along his trumpet in the manner of Mike Murphy and the 1969 Bleacher Bums. The Nats fan played "Charge" even though the home team was down 5-0 in the second inning.
Before the game I walked around the upper deck and took in views of the Capitol's dome and the Anacostia River. Pay close attention to the right angle jog near the right center field wall. The feature was put in to resemble the same jog built around a tree at the city's since-razed Griffith Stadium.
I saw many Cubs fans with their kids at the game. Although the Cubs do not return this season unless the Nationals make the playoffs (there's a story), any summer getaway to the stadium makes for a nice combo with D.C.'s historic sites. The $611 million publicly funded stadium is the first U.S. sports venue to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, just like the Sun-Times' home field of the Merchandise Mart. The stadium was built out of 95 percent recycled steel, and a 6,300 square-foot green roof above the left field concession area minimizes heat gain.
Mayor Daley should take in a game here in prep for his Olympic bid. He would also approve of the bike racks for 250 riders. Most fans use public transportation. The Green Line takes you to the ballpark's Navy Yard stop, where fans walk about a block down Half Street, which will become an entertainment district. Plans also call for 1,200 hotel rooms and 9,000 residential units. Right now, there's nothing there, which explains the post-game mass exodus.
The people greeting fans at the Metro stop are business owners from Capitol Riverfront BID (Business Improvement District). Local business owners taxed themselves to improve the neighborhood, a rugged industrial area anchored by a former ship building plant.
"People are coming for the ballgame right now," said Claire Schaefer, deputy director of Capitol Riverfront BID. "We say 2008 is the year of the ballgame. And 2009 is the year of the neighborhood. That's when the [four] neighborhood parks open up and the restaurants and bars will come."
Smart locals now make the 20-minute walk to the Capitol Hill neighborhood to go to the timeless Hawk 'n' Dove sports bar, 329 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. That's what we did after meeting Julio, a Cubs fan and Dominican-born native of Logan Square who has relocated to D.C. We scored bottles of Rolling Rock for $2.15 each during the bar's 4-7 p.m. happy hour. When I visited the Hawk 'n' Dove back in 2005, it was strutting its stuff as a President Bush/Texas-oriented sports bar with Houston Astros games on the TV. Not so much this time.
In keeping with the theme of our trip, we stayed at the Fairmont, a green hotel near Georgetown that offers a baseball package, which appeared to be a hit judging by the many guests I saw in team garb. The Fairmont was the first major hotel chain in North America to make eco-friendly policies part of its daily operations.
Like more and more hotels I see, the Fairmont uses low-wattage compact fluorescent light bulbs. Last year, the D.C. Fairmont inked a three-year deal with Pepco Energy Services to supply the hotel with more than 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity from renewable resources. About 10 percent of the hotel energy comes from wind farms.
My favorite part of the Fairmont is its lush courtyard garden, filled with Kwanzan cherry trees, juniper bushes, geraniums and an herb garden for the restaurant. It was in full bloom during my visit.
"Mercy, Mercy Me," as Gaye once sang, it's green in D.C.