How to Be a Red Bulls Fan In D.C. -- 2018 Edition

This coming Wednesday, the New York Red Bulls go down to Washington to play their arch-rivals, D.C. United. It will be their 1st visit to the new Audi Field, which opened last Saturday with a 3-1 DCU win over the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Before You Go. D.C. can get really hot in summer, and this will be late July, so heat could be an issue. Actually, The Washington Post isn't predicting serious heat, only in the low 80s by day, dropping to mid-70s by night. But they are predicting rain, specifically "scattered thunderstorms," including throughout the game. Maybe this is a roadtrip where waiting 'til next year is a good idea.

Washington is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to fiddle with your clocks, digital or otherwise.

Tickets. While Redskins tickets are notoriously difficult to get, D.C. United had serious attendance issues. The age and neighborhood of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium were often blamed, but this was typical DCU stupidity.

Actually, the neighborhood isn't any worse than the Ironbound section of Newark that a Red Bulls fan might go through on his pub crawl before going over the Jackson Street Bridge to the Arena. And RFK is a great stadium for soccer, which is why it's hosted more U.S. national team games than any other facility.

There will be no more excuses for games at Audi Field. It's brand-new, and in the Navy Yard neighborhood. If they don't draw well now, it'll be because the team stinks.

Visiting supporters sit in Section 113, in the southeast corner. Tickets are $49.

Getting There. Getting to Washington is fairly easy. If you have a car, I recommend using it, and getting a hotel either downtown or inside the Capital Beltway, because driving in Washington is roughly (good choice of words there) as bad as driving in New York.

It's 229 miles by road from Times Square to downtown Washington, and 221 miles from Red Bull Arena to Audi Field. If you're not "doing the city," but just going to the game, take the New Jersey Turnpike all the way down to the Delaware Memorial Bridge (a.k.a. the Twin Span), across the Delaware River into the State of, well, Delaware. This should take about 2 hours, not counting a rest stop.

Speaking of which, the temptation to take an alternate route (such as Exit 7A to I-195 to I-295 to the Ben Franklin Bridge) or a side trip (Exit 4, eventually leading to the Ben Franklin Bridge) to get into Pennsylvania and stop off at Pat's Steaks in South Philly can be strong, but if you want to get from New York to Washington with making only 1 rest stop, you're better off using the Delaware House Service Area in Christiana, between Exits 3 and 1 on the Delaware Turnpike. It's almost exactly the halfway point between New York and Washington.

Once you get over the Twin Span – the New Jersey-bound span opened in 1951, the Delaware-bound one was added in 1968 – follow the signs carefully, as you'll be faced with multiple ramp signs for Interstates 95, 295 and 495, as well as for US Routes 13 and 40 and State Route 9. You want I-95 South, and its signs will say "Delaware Turnpike" and "Baltimore." You'll pay tolls at both its eastern and western ends, and unless there' a traffic jam, you should only be in Delaware for a maximum of 15 minutes before hitting the Maryland State Line.

At said State Line, I-95 changes from the Delaware Turnpike to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, and you'l be on it for about an hour (unless you want to make another rest stop, either the Chesapeake House or the Maryland House) and passing through Baltimore, before seeing signs for I-895 and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, Exit 62.

From here, you'll pass through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Take I-895 to Exit 4, and you'll be on Maryland Route 295 South, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Take Exit 4B to Howard Road, which flows into South Capitol Street. This goes over the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge over the Anacostia River, to Nationals Park. You'll have to turn right on Potomac Avenue and make a U-turn, and then follow Potomac Avenue to the stadium, at 1st Street.

If all goes well -- getting out of New York City and through downtown Baltimore okay, reasonable traffic, just the one rest stop, no trouble with your car -- the whole trip should take about 3½ hours. However, being that this is a Friday night, and that you could be hitting the D.C. area at the height of rush hour, it could be 4½. Best to leave around lunchtime.

Washington is too close to fly, just as flying from New York to Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, once you factor in fooling around with everything you gotta do at each airport, doesn't really save you much time compared to driving, the bus or the train. So forget about flying from JFK, LaGuardia or Newark to Reagan National or Dulles International Airport. (John Foster Dulles was President Eisenhower's Secretary of State.)

The train is a very good option, if you can afford it. Washington's Union Station is at 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE, within sight of the Capitol Building. But Amtrak is expensive. They figure, "You hate to fly, you don't want to deal with airports, and Greyhound sucks, so we can charge whatever we want."

Union Station, outside

New York to Washington will run you $186 round-trip on a standard Northeast Regional, and $454 on Acela Express (formerly the Metroliner). And that's before you add anything like Business Class or, God forbid, Amtrak's overmicrowaved food. Still, it's less than 3 hours if you take the Acela Express, and 3 hours and 40 minutes if you take a regular Northeast Regional train.

Union Station, inside

Greyhound has rectified a longtime problem. They now use the parking deck behind Union Station as their Washington terminal, instead of the one they built 6 blocks away (and thus 6 blocks from the nearest Metro station), in the ghetto, back in the late 1960s. So neither safety nor aesthetics will be an issue any longer.

Round-trip fare on Greyhound can be as high as $46 but you can get it for as little as just $29 on advanced purchase. It takes about 4 1/2 hours, and usually includes a rest stop about halfway, either on the New Jersey Turnpike in South Jersey or on the Delaware Turnpike.

Once In the City. Founded on July 16, 1790, and usually referred to as "The National City" in its early days, and "Washington City" in the 19th Century, the city was named, of course, for George Washington, although its "Georgetown" neighborhood was named for his predecessor as our commander-in-chief, King George III of England.

The name of its "state," the District of Columbia, comes from Columbia, a historical and poetic name used for America, which was accepted as its female personification until the early 20th Century, when the Statue of Liberty began to take its place in the public consciousness. "Columbia" was derived from the man who "discovered America," Christopher Columbus, and places throughout the Western Hemisphere -- from the capitals of Ohio and South Carolina to the river that separates Washington State from Oregon, from the Ivy League university in Manhattan to the South American nation that produces coffee and cocaine, are named for him.

Like a lot of cities, Washington suffered from "white flight," so that, while the population within the city limits has seriously shrunk, from 800,000 in 1950 to 680,000 today; the metro area went from 2.9 million to double that, 6.1 million. The District was 71 percent white in 1940, but is now 51 percent black, 36 percent white, 9 percent Hispanic and 4 percent Asian. Overall, the metro area, including Maryland and Virginia suburbs, is about 46 percent white, 26 percent black, 17 percent Hispanic and 11 percent Asian.

As a result of this growth, the roads leading into the District, and the one going around it, the Capital Beltway, Interstate 495, are rammed with cars. Finally, someone wised up and said, "Let's build a subway," and in 1976, the Metro opened.

That metropolitan growth was boosted by the Maryland and Virginia suburbs building housing and shopping areas for federal-government workers. And, perhaps more than any other metro area, the poor blacks who once lived in the city have reached the middle-class and built their own communities (especially to the east, in Maryland's Prince Georges County, which includes Landover). The metro area now has about 6 million residents -- and that's not including the metro area of nearby Baltimore, which would boost it to nearly 9 million and make it the 4th-largest "market" in the country, behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, slightly ahead of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lots of people from the District and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs went up the Parkway to Baltimore to see the Orioles during the District's 1972-2004 baseball interregnum. However, during the NFL interregnum between Robert Irsay's theft of the Colts in 1984 and the arrival of the Ravens in 1996, Baltimore never accepted the Redskins as their team, despite 2 Super Bowl wins in that period.

(So from March 1984 to August 1996, if you lived in the BaltWash Corridor, you had to take the Orioles for baseball and the Washington teams for the other sports. Since April 2005, you've had options for MLB and the NFL. But if you live closer to Baltimore, you still have to go to D.C. for the NBA, the NHL or MLS.)

Downtown Washington, D.C.

Notice the lack of tall buildings.

When you get to Union Station, pick up copies of the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun. The Post is a great paper with a very good sports section, and in just 6 seasons (now into a 7th) has covered the Nats very well, despite the 1972-2004 era when D.C. had no MLB team of its own. As a holdover from that era, it still covers the Orioles well. The Sun is only an okay paper, but its sports section is nearly as good as the Post's, and their coverage of their town's hometown baseball team rivals that of any paper in the country -- including the great coverage that The New York Times and
Daily News give to the Yankees and Mets.

Do not buy The Washington Times. It was founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1982 as a replacement for the bankrupt Washington Star as the area's conservative equivalent to the "liberal" Post. (That's a laugh: The Post has George Will, Michael Gerson and Kathleen Parker as columnists, and also had the late Charles Krauthammer.)

Under editor-in-chief Wesley Pruden, the Times was viciously right-wing, "reporting" every rumor about Democrats as if they were established, proven fact, and giving Republicans a free pass. Moon's "Unification Church" sold the paper in 2009, and Pruden retired the year before. But it has cut about 40 percent of its employees, and has dropped not only its Sunday edition but also its sports section.

And now, there's another paper, the Washington Examiner, owned by the same company as the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, and it is so far to the right it makes The Washington Times look like the Daily Kos. It is a truly loony publication, where Michael Barone of the American Enterprise Institute and Byron York of National Review are considered moderates. So avoid the loonies and the Moonies, and stick with the Post. Even if you don't agree with my politics, you're going down to D.C. for baseball, and the Post's sports section kicks ass.

The sales tax in the District, once as high as 9 percent, is now just 6 percent. Unfortunately, not being a State, the city government has to do everything that a city government does and every thing that a State government does. Which also means that the Mayor, currently Muriel Bowser, has to do everything that the State's Governor would do. The Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO), a subsidiary of Exelon, runs the electricity for D.C. and neighboring Maryland communities.

The John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,

D.C.'s City Hall, and, effectively, also its State Capitol Building

The centerpoint for street addresses is the Capitol Building. North and South Capitol Streets separate east from west, and East Capitol Street and the National Mall separate north from south. The city is divided into quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest (NW, NE, SE and SW). Because of the Capitol's location is not in the exact geographic centerpoint of the city, NW has about as much territory as the other 3 quadrants put together.

Remember: On street signs, 1st Street is written out as FIRST, and I Street is written out as EYE, so as to avoid confusion. And for the same reason, since I and J were virtually indistinguishable in written script when D.C. was founded in 1800, there is no J Street. Once the letters are expended, they go to to 2- and then 3-syllable words beginning with the sequential letters: Adams, Bryant, Clifton, etc.

ZIP Codes for D.C. start with the digits 20, with 202 through 205 serving the federal government, and 201 serving Dulles Airport, even though it's in Virginia. For the Maryland suburbs, it's 206 through 209 and 215. For the Virginia suburbs, it's 220 to 223. The Area Code for D.C. is 202, with 301 serving the Maryland suburbs, overlaid by 240; and 703 serving the Virginia suburbs, overlaid by 571.

Washington's subway, the Metro, was not in place until 1976, but, thereafter, it was a relatively easy ride to Redskins games at RFK Stadium, and later D.C. United and (for 3 seasons) Nationals games.

D.C. is not exactly close to the Atlantic Coast. There are 3 places where area natives like to go to the beach: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, 120 miles to the east; Ocean City, Maryland, 146 miles to the southeast; and Virginia Beach, Virginia, 209 miles to the southeast.

Going In. The official address of Audi Field, with naming rights bought by the German automaker, is 100 Potomac Avenue SW, in the Buzzard Point area near the Navy Yard. It is 2 miles south of downtown Washington, on land bounded by R, 2nd, T & Half Streets SW, 3 blocks from Nationals Park.

If you drive in, you're a fool: Parking is $50. Take the Metro -- although you, a Metro/Red Bull fan, might get a kick out of that. From Union Station, take the Red Line to Gallery Place-Chinatown, then transfer to the Green Line to either Waterfront-SEU or Navy Yard-Ballpark.

From Waterfront-SEU, walk 4 blocks east on M Street. From Navy Yard-Ballpark, walk 10 blocks west on M. From either, when you get to First Street, walk 6 blocks south.

The playing surface is natural (Bermuda) grass, and runs north-to-south. (DCU have never played a home game on artificial turf.) So far, it's not scheduled to host anything but soccer -- so, no American football, no boxing, no concerts. It will host the Washington Spirit of the NWSL on August 25, because they're playing the Portland Thorns, the best-supported team in that league, and the 8,000 seats at the Maryland SoccerPlex might not be enough. And, on September 3, it will host a major college sports rivalry, the universities of Maryland and Virginia, this time in soccer.

Before the Audi Field deal was made, neighboring Prince Georges County (which includes the new Redskins stadium and once included the Capital Centre, home to the NBA's Bullets and the NHL's Capitals) had a proposal for a new stadium. Baltimore also offered to build one, leading Red Bulls fans to mock the club as "Baltimore United."

Food. I attended 4 events at RFK Stadium, and the food ranged from horrible to simply not very good. For the moment, there is no way to tell if the food at Audi Field is any better. All I could find was a seating diagram, showing concession stands under the north and south ends, and under the west stand, and information about the stadium's official concessionaire:

Audi Field will feature an innovative and world-class culinary experience, one of the first of its kind in a sporting arena. World-renowned chef and D.C.. resident José Andrés has partnered with United, in conjunction with Levy, to oversee all concessions at Audi Field. The Barcelona native and passionate soccer fan is serving as the culinary creator of the new home for the Black-and-Red, and is charged with creating a first-class culinary fan experience. As part of the 20-year partnership, Andrés plans to create a dynamic menu that is representative of the global nature of soccer. 

Team History Displays. Wanting to be synonymous with success, the Washington team named itself after Manchester United. As they never cease to remind us, DCU have won 4 MLS Cups, including 3 of the 1st 4: 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004. Previously, their display thereof was on the wall at the lower level of the east end of RFK Stadium. It is not yet clear where they will be at Audi Field.

They were runners-up in 1998. They've won the Supporters' Shield 4 times: 1997, 1999, 2006 and 2007. They won the U.S. Open Cup in 1996 (giving them the U.S. version of "The Double"), 2008 and 2013 (despite finishing with the worst record in MLS); they were runners-up in 1997 (just missing back-to-back Doubles) and 2009. And along with the L.A. Galaxy in 2000, DCU are 1 of just 2 MLS teams to have won the CONCACAF Champions League, in 1998.

It is because of their early success, and their arrogance about it, that most MetroStars/Red Bulls fans, ever since those early days, have considered DCU, not the New England Revolution, or the newer but closer Philadelphia Union and now NYCFC, to be their main rivals.

It doesn't work out this way in any other sport. Ranger fans consider their biggest rivals to be the Islanders, while fans of both the Islanders and the Devils consider the Rangers theirs. The Mets and the Giants have Philly teams as their biggest rivals, and the Tri-State Area hockey teams all have rivalries with the Flyers. The Yankees, Jets, Knicks, and, to a lesser extent, the Rangers all consider Boston/New England to be major rivals.

Washington? Surely, Met fans don't like the Nationals, Giant fans don't like the Redskins, and the hockey teams don't like the Capitals, but there isn't really hatred there. And the Knicks and the Nets barely even notice the Wizards. But in MLS? Metro fans call them "the D.C. Scum." Their fans call the Red Bulls "the Pink Cows."

There is also the Atlantic Cup. Metro and DCU play for this trophy, awarded to whoever wins the most points (not wins) in their games against each other at the end of the season. DC leads the all-time series, 43-32-15. The Red Bulls have won it in 2000, 2001, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2017. It was a tie in 2008. DCU have won it all other times, for a 12-9-1 lead in seasons.

DCU have a Hall of Tradition. At RFK Stadium, it was located on the wall at the lower level of the east end. It honors 8 players: Forwards Raul Diaz Arce and Jaime Moreno; midfielders John Harkes (native of Kearny, New Jersey), Marco Etcheverry, Richie Williams (native of Middletown, New Jersey) and Ben Olsen (now the team's manager); and defenders Jeff Agoos and Eddie Pope. (Moreno, Williams, Agoos and Pope were briefly MetroStars.) In addition, they've honored executives Kevin Payne, Betty D'Anjolell, and broadcaster Danilo Noel Diron.

Harkes (the 1st inductee), Etcheverry, Agoos, Diaz Arce, Pope, Williams and Moreno were charter players for DCU, and thus were all members of the 1996 MLS Cup winners -- and the '97 winners. Etcheverry, Agoos, Pope, Williams and Olsen played on the '99 win. Olsen and Moreno played on the 2004 win.

DCU don't retire numbers, but Harkes wore Number 6, Etcheverry 10, Agoos 12, Olsen 14, Williams 16, Diaz Arce 21, Pope 23 and Moreno 99.

Although Johan Cruyff (or "Cruijff," as it would be spelled in his native Netherlands) is the greatest soccer player ever to play for a D.C. team, the greatest legend ever to play for DCU is Bulgarian superstar Hristo Stoichkov, who played the 2003 season at RFK.

Stuff. The official D.C. United Team Store is located in the northeast corner, next to Gate A. A smaller one is in the southwest corner.

I looked up "D.C. United," and then "DC United" without the periods, on Amazon.com, and found no books and no DVDs about the team.

During the Game. The "Atlantic Cup" rivalry between RBNY and DCU might be the nastiest in the League. This is one roadtrip where your safety might be an issue, especially since one of their supporters' groups named itself a Barra Brava, after Argentine ultras groups, which tend to get violent. The best thing you can do is listen to the instructions of cops and stewards, and make sure you stay out of the sections for organized home supporters.

There are 4 main supporters groups, all of which became known for hosting pregame tailgate parties in the RFK Stadium parking lot. La Barra Brava (Spanish for "The Brave Fans") was the original MLS supporters' group, founded by South Americans living in The District, in support of original DCU players Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno, both from Bolivia.

With the passage of time, however, they are no longer a Latino majority. Unlike the notorious barras bravas of Argentina, they avoid violence whenever they can. At RFK, they sat in Sections 135, 136, 137 and 138, just to the east of midfield on the north side of the stadium, and in 233, 234 and 235 above. I can find no reference to where they sit at Audi Field.

The Screaming Eagles, also founded before the team actually began play, sat in Sections 132, 133 and 134 (collectively, The Nest) and above that in 230, 231 and 232 (The Perch), just to the west of midfield on the north side, across the midfield line from La Barra Brava. At Audi Field, they sit in the north end, in Sections 136 and 137.

Despite the ethnic and linguistic differences, the Screaming Eagles and La Barra Brava are allies, and have never fought with each other. (Fights between supporters' groups at a single club does, occasionally, happen at some soccer teams, although never, as far as I know, in the U.S.) They also serve as a supporters' group for the U.S. national team, particularly when they play in the Northeastern U.S. (not just in the D.C. area).

The other main Latino group is La Norte (The North), who were founded in 2001 as a breakaway group from La Barra Brava. They were evicted from their former section when RFK Stadium was reconfigured to return it to baseball use, and I don't know where they'll sit in Audi Field.

Like so many MLS teams, including ours, they use the "Vamos" song: "Vamos, vamos United, esta noche, tenemos que ganar... " (Let's go, let's go United, this night, we have to win... ) And, like the Yankees, they proudly proclaim themselves "The Evil Empire."

La Barra Brava do a lot of jumping, and they chant, "El que no salta es un hijo de puta!" meaning, "He who does not jump is the son of a whore!" This was problematic at the team's former home, as visiting fans would sing, to the tune of "London Bridge," "RFK is falling down, falling down, falling down! RFK is falling down! We hate D.C.!"

DCU hold auditions for singing the National Anthem, instead of having a regular. Their mascot, like those of the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals, is an eagle, in this case named Talon.

Talon and the Nats' Screech

After the Game. Especially at night (which this game will be), safety could be an issue. The stewards will probably keep you in your section until the rest of the stadium empties out, then guide you out. Let them do this. Then follow your fellow fans, and the directions of the D.C. Metro Police, back to your car or the subway.

The bar 51st State, at 2512 L Street NW, was a known hangout for Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, Knicks and Rangers fans (no mention of the Nets, Islanders or Devils, though), but closed in early 2017. A bar named Rebellion is also said to be a Mets fan bar. 1836 18th Street NW. Metro: Red to Dupont Circle. Nanny O'Brien's is said to be a football Giants fan bar. 3319 Connecticut Ave NW. Metro: Red to Cleveland Park.

If you visit D.C. during the European soccer season, supporters of the following clubs meet at the following places:

* Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City: Lucky Bar, 1221 Connecticut Ave. NW. Red Line to Farragut North. If you don't see your club listed here, and their game is on TV, chances are, Lucky Bar will show it. (I once watched matches by Arsenal, Newcastle, Real Madrid and Internazionale there, all at the same time.)

* Everton: Fado, 808 7th Street NW., in Chinatown, a block from the Capital One Arena. Red, Yellow or Green Line to Gallery Place. This is also a major bar for the U.S. National Team. Since it was, along with Lucky Bar, one of the first bars in the D.C. area to show games, you can find pretty much any group here. In 2009, I saw a renowned 4-1 win by Liverpool over Man United here, along with about 100 noisy faux Scousers and maybe 50 humiliated wannabe Mancs. (That latter number may have been significantly higher at the half.)

* Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City: The Irish Channel, inside the Fairfield Inn, 500 H Street NW in Chinatown, a block down H Street from Fado.

* Liverpool, West Ham United, Aston Villa and Barcelona: The Queen Vic, 1206 H Street NE. (Remember, that's Northeast.) Bus X2. The Queen Vic, of course, is also the name of the pub on the British soap opera EastEnders, which is set in West Ham territory. Liverpool fans and Barca fans also meet elsewhere, so read on.

* Norwich City and Swansea City: Walter's, 3632 Georgia Avenue NW. Named for Washington baseball legend Walter Johnson, they show soccer as well. Green Line to Georgia Avenue-Petworth.

* Barcelona: Elephant & Castle, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Blue or Orange Line to Federal Triangle. There's a Barcelona Wine Bar at 1622 14th Street NW off Corcoran Street, but it has no connection to the team. There's another Elephant & Castle at 900 19th St NW.

* Juventus: Parlay, 1827 M Street NW. Red Line to Dupont Circle.

* Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, or any other German club except Bayern Munich: Biergarten Haus, 1355 H Street NE. (Remember, that's Northeast.) Bus X2.

That's in the District. In the Maryland suburbs:

* Celtic: Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle, 4844 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. Red Line to Bethesda, then it's a bit of a walk.

In the Virginia suburbs:

* Chelsea, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, AS Roma, and a secondary meeting place for Arsenal and Tottenham fans (but never at the same time) and Celtic fans: Ireland's Four Courts, 2052 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington. Blue or Orange Line to Courthouse.

* Secondary for Liverpool fans: Ri Ra, 2915 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington. Blue or Orange Line to Clarendon. Liverpool fans also meet at Courthaus Social, at 2300 N. Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington, Virginia. Their joke is that "You'll never walk in alone." Orange or Silver Line to Courthouse.

* Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and River Plate: Summer's, 1520 N. Courthouse Rd., Arlington, across from Ireland's Four Courts. It also shows English games, although some fans don't like it, calling it "Scummer's" or "Slummer's."

There is an AC Milan supporters club in D.C., but I can find no reference as to where they meet. As I said, if you can't find a listing for your favorite team, Lucky Bar will probably show their game if you ask.

Sidelights. Washington's sports history is long, but not good. It took the Capitals 44 years, until this past season, to finally win a World Championship; the Redskins haven't won one in 27 seasons; the Bullets/Wizards, 39 seasons; all of its baseball teams combined, 94 years (yes, ninety-four). But, if you have the time, there are sites are worth checking.

UPDATE: On November 30, 2018, Thrillist published a list of "America's 25 Most Fun Cities," and Washington came in 7th. 

* Nationals Park. The Nats' new home opened in 2008, at 1500 South Capitol Street at N Street. It's not flashy, but it looks nice. They've won National League Eastern Division titles there in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017, but, due to Playoff collapses, no Washington baseball team has won a Pennant since 1933, and none has won a postseason round since the only World Series win in city history, the 1924 Washington Senators.

* Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Originally named District of Columbia Stadium (or "D.C. Stadium"), and renamed for the former U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senator from New York, brother of President John F. Kennedy, and martyred 1968 Presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium is at 2400 East Capitol Street SE, 3 miles east of downtown and 2 miles east of the Capitol building.

Metro's Orange Line or Blue Line to Stadium-Armory. Unfortunately, it's about a 10-minute walk from the station, at 19th & C Streets SE, to the stadium. The D.C. Armory, headquarters of the District of Columbia National Guard, is that big brown arena-like thing across the parking lot.

The Stadium, with the Armory behind and to the left

The NFL's Washington Redskins played there from 1961 to 1996. Baseball's "new" Washington Senators opened there in 1962, and JFK threw out the first ball at the stadium that would be renamed for his brother and Attorney General. (There was a JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, formerly Municipal Stadium, where the new arena, the Wells Fargo Center, now stands.)

The new Senators played at RFK Stadium until 1971, and at the last game, against the Yankees, the Senators were up 7-5 with one out to go, when angry fans stormed the field, and the game was forfeited to the Yankees.

The 'Skins moved to their new suburban stadium in 1997, after closing the '96 campaign without the Playoffs, but the final regular-season game was a thrashing of the hated Cowboys, with over 100 Redskin greats in attendance. Baseball's Washington Nationals Nats played the 2005, '06 and '07 seasons at RFK. The USFL's Washington Federals played there in 1983 and '84. And the Beatles played there on their final tour, on August 15, 1966.

D.C. United, once the most successful franchise in Major League Soccer, had played there since MLS was founded in 1996, winning the league title, the MLS Cup, 4 times, including 3 of the 1st 4. The MLS Cup Final was played there in 1997 (DCU over the Colorado Rapids), 2000 (the team now known as Sporting Kansas City over the Chicago Fire) and 2007 (the Houston Dynamo over the New England Revolution).

Previously, in the North American Soccer League, RFK was home to the Washington Whips (1967-68), the Washington Darts (1971), and the Washington Diplomats (1974-81), featuring Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Women's soccer's Washington Freedom formerly played there (2001-03 and 2009-11).

Why? Because it takes 11 men, not 1,

no matter how great.

DC/RFK Stadium was the 1st U.S. stadium specifically designed to host both baseball and football, and anything else willing to pay the rent. But I forgive it. It was a great football stadium, and it's not a bad soccer stadium. But for baseball, let's just say Nationals Park is a huge improvement. And what is with that whacked-out roof?

No stadium has hosted more games of the U.S. national soccer team than RFK: 26. (Next-closest is the Los Angeles Coliseum, with 20.) Their record there is 16 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses. So RFK is thus the closest America comes to having a "national stadium" like Wembley or the Azteca. The last match there was on October 11, 2016, a 1-1 draw in a friendly with New Zealand.

On June 2, 2013, I was in attendance at RFK Stadium for the 100th Anniversary match for the U.S. Soccer Federation. It was a 4-3 win over Germany, but this was not indicative of their true strength: They were operating at half-power, because their players from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund had so recently played the UEFA Champions League Final.

Only 4 players who played in this game went on to play and win for Die Mannschaft in the 2014 World Cup Final: Centreback Per Mertesacker (of Arsenal), left back Benedikt Howedes, and forwards Miroslav Klose and Andre Schurrle (you can't be serious). At least U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann, a German, took it seriously and tried to win. Then again, he's great in friendlies; in competitive matches, not so much.

RFK hosted 5 games in the 1994 World Cup, 9 games of the 1996 Olympic soccer tournament (6 men's and 3 women's, with the main portion of the games being played in Atlanta), and 6 games of the 2003 Women's World Cup.

RFK Stadium also hosted 1 Championship of the old North American Soccer League, Soccer Bowl '80. The New York Cosmos beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 3-0. One fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World was held there: Riddick Bowe defended it, and knocked Jesse Ferguson out there in the 2nd round on May 22, 1993.

With all teams that called RFK Stadium having moved elsewhere, its future is uncertain. There is no plan to demolish it and replace it with anything, but it probably won't still be standing 10 years from now.

* Site of Griffith Stadium. There were 2 ballparks on this site. Boundary Park was built in 1892 and burned down in 1911, within weeks of New York's Polo Grounds. Just as the Polo Grounds was rebuilt on the same site, the Senators rebuilt their home exactly where it was. Originally called League Park and National Park (no S on the end) before former pitching star Clark Griffith bought the team, this stadium was home to the old Senators from 1911 to 1960, and the new Senators only in 1961.

The Redskins played there from 1937 to 1960, and won the NFL Championship there in 1937 and 1942, although only the '42 title game was played there. There was another NFL title game played there, in 1940, but the Redskins were beaten by the Chicago Bears – 73-0. (Nope, that's not a typo: Seventy-three to nothing. Most points by one team in one game in NFL history, slightly ahead of the 'Skins' 72-41 victory over the Giants at RFK in 1966.)

A pro football team called the Washington Senators played there from 1921 until 1941 (when the manpower shortage of World War II forced them out of business), but only in that 1st season, 1921, did they play in the NFL. The University of Maryland played its home football games at Griffith in 1948 and 1949, while their old Byrd Stadium was demolished and rebuilt (the "new" one since renamed Maryland Stadium). Georgetown University and George Washington University played home games there from 1925 to 1950.

It hosted a fight for the Heavyweight Championship of the World on May 23, 1941: Joe Louis defended the title by knocking Jacob "Buddy" Baer (brother of former Champion Max) out in the 1st round.

While the Senators did win 3 Pennants and the 1924 World Series while playing at Griffith, it was not a good home for them. The fences were too far back for almost anyone to homer there, and they hardly ever had the pitching, either (except for Walter Johnson). In 1953, Mickey Mantle hit a home run there that was measured at 565 feet – though it probably shouldn't count as such, because witnesses said it glanced off the football scoreboard at the back of the left-field bleachers, which would still give the shot an impressive distance of about 460 feet.

The Negro Leagues' Homestead Grays also played a lot of home games at Griffith, although they divided their "home games" between Washington and Pittsburgh. Think of the Grays as the original Harlem Globetrotters, who called themselves "Harlem" to identify themselves as a black team even though their original home base was Chicago (and later moved their offices to Los Angeles, and are now based in Phoenix). It's also worth noting that the University of Maryland played its home football games at Griffith in 1948 and 1949.

By the time Clark Griffith died in 1955, passing the team to his nephew and adopted son Calvin, the area around Griffith Stadium had become nearly all-black. While Clark, despite having grown up in segregated Missouri during the 19th Century, followed Branch Rickey's path and integrated his team sooner than most (in particular going for Cubans, white and black alike), Calvin was a bigot who wanted to move the team to mostly-white Minnesota. When the new stadium was built, it was too late to save the original team, and the "New Senators" were born.

Griffith Stadium was demolished in 1965, and, as I said earlier, Howard University Hospital is there now. 2041 Georgia Avenue NW at V Street. Green Line to Shaw-Howard University Station, 3 blocks up 7th Street, which becomes Georgia Avenue when you cross Florida Avenue.

Howard's baseball field, named for D.C. native Maury Wills, is at 7th Street and Barry Place. Its 10,000-seat William H. Green Stadium is further up, at 6th and Girard Streets. Howard has won the National Championship of black college football 7 times: 1920, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1987, 1993 and 1996.

* FedEx Field. Originally Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, the old Redskins owner built it in suburban Landover, Maryland, across the Capital Beltway from the Capital Centre. The official address is 1600 FedEx Way.

The move from RFK in the District, where the fans had to walk down hard city streets from the Metro (hazardous even if you weren't wearing enemy colors), to FedEx (originally named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in memory of the team's former owner, before new owner Daniel Snyder sold the naming rights to Federal Express) in the comfortable suburbs, meant that the 'Skins could no longer play in a stadium where the upper deck was right on top of the field, and where the aluminum stand that retracted to fit in a baseball field could no longer be jumped on to create noise like an oversized high school football game.

The Redskins went from having the smallest stadium in the NFL, and possibly the best atmosphere and the best home-field advantage, to having the largest stadium (now the 2nd-largest, behind Dallas), with the worst atmosphere, and hardly any home-field advantage.

The Army-Navy Game was played at FedExField in 2011. So far, the U.S. soccer team has played just 1 match at the stadium, a draw with Brazil on May 30, 2012. There were 4 matches played there in the 1999 Women's World Cup. European soccer clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona, Internazionale Milano, Manchester United and Chelsea have plays summer tour games there. It has been selected by the U.S. Soccer Federation as a finalist to be one of the host venues for the 2026 World Cup. It's hosted concerts by Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Metallica.

* Uline Arena/Washington Coliseum. This building was home to the District's 1st NBA team, the Washington Capitols, from 1946 to 1951. They reached the 1949 NBA Finals, losing to the Minneapolis Lakers of George Mikan, and were the 1st pro team coached by Red Auerbach. Firing him was perhaps the dumbest coaching change in NBA history: By the time Red coached the Boston Celtics to their 1st NBA title in 1957, the Capitols had been out of business for 6 years.

The Coliseum was last used for sports in 1970 by the Washington Caps (not "Capitols," not "Capitals," just "Caps")of the ABA. It was the site of the first Beatles concert in the U.S. (aside from their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show 2 nights before), on February 11, 1964.

It still stands, and its interior and grounds are used as a parking lot, particularly for people using nearby Union Station. Unfortunately, it's in a rotten neighborhood, and I wouldn't recommend visiting at night. In fact, unless you're a student of NBA history or a Beatlemaniac, I'd say don't go at all. 1140 3rd Street NE, at M Street. Red Line to Union Station, and then it's a bit of a walk.

* Site of Capital Centre. From 1973 to 1997, this was the home of the NBA's Washington Bullets, who became the Wizards when they moved downtown. From 1974 to 1997, it was the home of the NHL's Washington Capitals. The Bullets played in the 1975, '78 and '79 NBA Finals there, although they've only won in 1978, and clinched that title at the Seattle Kingdome.

The Cap Centre was also the home for Georgetown University basketball, in its glory years of Coach John Thompson (father of the current coach, John Thompson III), Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. Remember those 1980s battles with the St. John's teams of Louie Carnesecca, Chris Mullin and Walter Berry?

Muhammad Ali defended the Heavyweight Championship of the World there twice, both times winning by decision: Over Jimmy Young on May 30, 1976; and over Alfredo Evangelista on May 16, 1977.

Elvis Presley sang there on June 27, 1976 and on May 22 and 29, 1977. (He never gave a concert in the District.) It was demolished in 2002, and a shopping mall, The Boulevard at the Capital Centre, was built on the site. 1 Harry S Truman Drive, Landover, Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside the Capital Beltway. Blue Line to Largo Town Center station.

* Capital One Arena. Opened in 1997 as the MCI Center, and known from 2006 until this year as the Verizon Center, the NBA's Wizards, the NHL's Capitals, the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and the Georgetown basketball team have played here ever since.

Unless you count the NCAA holding the hockey version of the Final Four, the Frozen Four, here in 2009, only 1 Finals has been held here, the Caps' 1998 sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. (Georgetown has reached a Final Four since it opened, but those are held at neutral sites.) But it's a very good arena. 601 F Street NW, at 6th Street. Red, Green or Yellow Line to Gallery Place-Chinatown Station.

* Maryland SoccerPlex. This suburban facility opened in 2000, with 22 soccer fields, 3 of them artificial. The main stadium, seating 4,000, is named Maureen Hendricks Field, after the wife of John Hendricks, founder of Discovery Communications. Together, they founded the Washington Freedom of the Women's United Soccer Association. Both are now defunct.

The Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League now play here, at the main field, with a stadium with 4,000 seats. DCU played its 2018 home games here until Audi Field was ready.

18031 Central Park Circle, in Boyds, Montgomery County, Maryland, about 30 miles northwest of downtown D.C. You want to get there without a car? Good luck: You'd have to take MARC (MAryland Commuter Rail, which doesn't run on weekends) to Metropolitan Grove, transfer to Bus 78, take that to Richter Farm Road & Schaffer Road, and then walk a mile.

* Site of Brookland Stadium. Seating 30,000, this was the football field of The Catholic University of America (CUA) from 1924 to 1983. It hosted the 2nd leg of the 1970 North American Soccer League Final. (No one had the guts to call it the Soccer Bowl until 1975.) The Washington Darts beat the Rochester Lancers 3-1, but lost 4-3 on aggregate.

Its replacement, Cardinal Stadium, opened soon after Brookland's final event, CUA's "Holy War" victory over Georgetown. Brookland was demolished in 1985, and the Columbus School of Law was built on the site. 3600 John McCormack Drive NE, off Michigan Avenue.

* The Smithsonian Institution. Includes the National Museum of American History, which contains several sports-themed items. 1400 Constitution Avenue NW. Blue or Orange Line to Federal Triangle. (You could, of course, take the same lines to Smithsonian Station, but Fed Triangle is actually a shorter walk.)

If you're into looking up "real" TV locations, the Jeffersonian Institute on Bones is almost certainly based on the Smithsonian. The real NCIS headquarters used to be a short walk from Nationals Park, on Sicard Street between Patterson and Paulding Streets. Whether civilians will be allowed on the Navy Yard grounds, I don't know; I've never tried it. I don't want to get stopped by a guard. I also don't want to get "Gibbs-slapped" -- and neither do you. However, they have since moved to the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, and that's a bit of a trek.

Of course, The West Wing was based at the White House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Metro: Red Line to Metro Center. (The only character to be a D.C. native was Charlie Young, played by Dulé Hill -- in real life, a native of Sayreville, New Jersey.) The best-known D.C.-based show that didn't directly deal with government officials was Murphy Brown. The FYI studio was said to be across the street from Phil's, whose address was given as 1195 15th St. NW. Neither the bar nor the address actually exists, but if the address did, it would be at 15th & M Streets. This would put it, rather conveniently, right down the block from 1150 15th Street, the headquarters of The Washington Post.

The University of Maryland, inside the Beltway at College Park, can be accessed by the Green Line to College Park and then a shuttle bus. (I tried that for the 2009 Rutgers-Maryland game, and it works very well.) Maryland Stadium (formerly Byrd Stadium) is one of the nation's best college football stadiums, but I wouldn't recommend sitting in the upper deck if you're afraid of heights: I think it's higher than Shea's was.

Across from the stadium is Cole Field House, where UMd played its basketball games from 1955 to 2002. The 1966 and 1970 NCAA Championship basketball games were played there, the 1966 one being significant because Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) played an all-black starting five against Kentucky's all-white starters (including future Laker, Knick and Heat coach Pat Riley and Denver Nuggets star Dan Issel). In the 1970 Finals, it was UCLA over the University of Jacksonville.

Elvis sang there on September 27 and 28, 1974. The Terrapins won the National Championship in their final season at Cole, and moved to the adjacent Xfinity Center thereafter.

Remember that Final Four run by George Mason University? They're across the Potomac River, at the EagleBank Arena, formerly the Patriot Center. 4500 Patriot Circle, in Fairfax, Virginia. Orange Line to Virginia Square-GMU.

The U.S. Naval Academy is 30 miles east in Annapolis, Maryland; the University of Virginia, 117 miles southwest in Charlottesville; and Virginia Tech, 270 miles southwest in Blacksburg.

Beach towns? Rehoboth Beach, Delaware is 120 miles east; Ocean City, Maryland is 146 miles southeast; and Virginia Beach, Virginia is 209 miles southeast.  

I also recommend visiting the capital's museums, including the Smithsonian complex, whose most popular buildings are the National Archives, hosting the originals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; and the National Air and Space Museum, which includes the Wright Brothers' Flyer, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, Chuck Yeager's Glamorous Glennis (the 1st plane to break the sound barrier), and several space capsules including Apollo 11. The Smithsonian also has an annex at Dulles International Airport out in Virginia, including a Concorde, the space shuttle Discovery, and the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the 1st atomic bomb.

Colonial Williamsburg is 150 miles south of D.C.

Being the Nation's Capital, D.C. has lots of Presidential-themed locations, aside from the White House. Mount Vernon, which now has a George Washington Presidential Library and Museum on the grounds, at 3200 Mount Vernon Highway in Alexandria, Virginia. Red Line to Metro Center, then, at 15th Street & New York Avenue NW, you can catch Bus 11Y, which will go right there.

After the White House was burned by the British Army on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, President James Madison and his wife Dolley moved into a house now known as the Octagon Museum, and stayed there for the rest of their term, with successors James and Elizabeth Monroe moving back into the White House in 1817. 1799 New York Avenue NW, 2 blocks west of the White House. Blue or Orange Line to Farragut West.

At the same time, Monroe was both Secretary of State and Secretary of War (the post we now call Secretary of Defense), and lived at 2017 I Street (Eye). Blue or Orange Line to Foggy Bottom-GWU. When he became President, his Secretary of State was John Quincy Adams, and, before he became the next President he lived a block away at 2133 I Street.

As Andrew Jackson's Secretary of State and then Vice President, future President Martin Van Buren lived at what's now 748 Jackson Place, 2 blocks north of the White House. As a federal official in the 1890s, Theodore Roosevelt lived down the block, at 736 Jackson Place.

Brown's Indian Queen Hotel was where John Tyler in 1841 and Millard Fillmore in 1850 were living when they became President when their predecessors died. The offices of the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys, and the Capital Grille restaurant, are on the site now. 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

Three blocks down, at 300 Pennsylvania, the National Gallery of Art Library was built on the site of the house where James K. Polk lived when he was Speaker of the House. Metro: Green or Yellow Line to Archives-Navy Memorial.

The Library of Congress – the current building, a.k.a. the Jefferson Building – is not only one of America's holiest sites in its own right, but it was built on the site of the house where Abraham Lincoln stayed during his 1 term in Congress (1847-48). 101 Independence Avenue South.

When Lincoln was assassinated, Andrew Johnson, the new President, was staying at Kirkwood House, at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. An office building and a Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse are on the site now. They're across from the Old Post Office Pavilion, now one of Donald Trump's money-laundering hotels. Metro: Blue or Orange to Federal Triangle.

Three blocks up, at 1401 Pennsylvania, is the Willard Hotel. The current version of this legend went up in 1901, replacing the 1847 version that was where Ulysses S. Grant stayed as General-in-Chief – making it, in effect, the Civil War's Pentagon. Metro: Red, Blue or Orange to Metro Center.

Between the end of the war in 1865, and taking office as President in 1869, Grant lived at what's now called the Scott-Grant House, at 3238 R Street NW, in the Georgetown section of town. You'll have to take Metrobus DCWE to get there, and to any Georgetown location. This includes the various homes of John F. Kennedy between his 1946 election to Congress and his 1960 election as President: 1528 31st Street, 1400 34th Street, 3260 N Street, 3271 P Street, 3321 Dent Place, 2808 P Street and 3307 N Street.

The Cleveland Park area, reached by the Red Line at the stop bearing the name, includes several Presidential residences. Grover Cleveland's "Summer White House" was at 3600 Newark Street; Lyndon Johnson lived at Woodley Park Towers while he was Senate Majority Leader from 1953 to 1960, 2737 Devonshire Place; and Richard Nixon lived at 3601 Connecticut Avenue while serving in Congress. The next stop up on the Red Line is Woodley Park-Zoo. As a Senator, Harry Truman lived at 4701 Connecticut Avenue.

The Riggs Building was built on the site of the Riggs House, where Benjamin Harrison lived as a Senator. 615 G Street. Red Line to Union Station. While serving in Congress, William McKinley stayed in a hotel where the National Press Club has since been built. 529 14th Street. Red Line to Metro Center.

The Dupont Circle area, reached by the Red Line at the stop bearing the name, includes several such homes. While Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William Howard Taft lived at what's now the Syrian Embassy. 2215 Wyoming Avenue. Warren Harding lived a block away at 2314 Wyoming. The only post-Presidential home to be an official historic site in the District is the Woodrow Wilson House at 2340 S Street. In the Cabinet in the 1920s, Herbert Hoover lived at 2300 S. While stationed in D.C. from 1927 to 1936, Dwight D. Eisenhower lived at 2022 Columbia Road.

From 1955 until he became President in 1974, including his tenures as House Minority Leader (1965-73) and Vice President (1973-74), Gerald Ford lived in the Virginia suburbs, at 514 Crown View Drive in Arlington. Yellow Line to King Street. As with his (and Ford's) fellow Yalie Taft, George H.W. Bush lived in what's now an Embassy, Algeria's, during his Congressional (1965-70) and Ambassadorial (1971-75) and CIA Directorial (1976-77) service. 5161 Palisade Lane. Metrobus D6. And the Naval Observatory has been the official Vice Presidential residence since 1974. 3450 Massachusetts Avenue. Metrobus N4.

Barack and Michelle Obama rented a house in Washington to use while daughter Malia finished high school. They have since gone back to Chicago with younger daughter Sasha, but the house is still a private residence, and I won't list the address here. Same with the house that Bill and Hillary Clinton have in the District.

Ronald Reagan was shot outside the Washington Hilton on March 30, 1981. 1919 Connecticut Avenue. Red to Dupont Circle. His life was saved at George Washington University Hospital. 900 23rd Street. Blue or Orange Line to Foggy Bottom-GWU. That's also the station for the nearby John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (2700 F Street) and the Watergate complex (700 New Hampshire Avenue) -- Kennedy and Nixon, forever linked.

Arlington National Cemetery has its own Metro Station, on the Blue Line. It is the final resting place for Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, plus JFK's wife Jackie and his brothers Bobby and Ted, former Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis, and General (but not baseball inventor) Abner Doubleday, among other notables.

Ironically, given its status as land seized from Robert E. Lee's family and its establishment as a cemetery for the Union dead of the American Civil War, the street it's on is the Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington, Virginia; however, like all federal installations in Arlington, it has Washington, D.C. as its official mailing address.

One of the 1960 Presidential Debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon was held in Washington -- still the only Presidential Debate held in the capital. On October 7, it was hosted not in a sports arena, a theater or a college auditorium, but in front of no live audience other than the panelists and the TV crew, at the studios of the NBC affiliate, WRC, Channel 4, 4001 Nebraska Avenue NW. Red Line to Tenleytown-AU.

In spite of what some movies have suggested, you won't see a lot of tall buildings in the District.  The Washington Monument is 555 feet high, but, other than that, no building is allowed to be taller than the Capitol. Exceptions were made for two churches, the Washington National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the Old Post Office Pavilion was built before the "unwritten law" went into effect.

In contrast, there are a few office buildings taller than most D.C. buildings across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, and in the neighboring Maryland cities of Silver Spring and New Carrollton.

*

For Red Bulls fans, RFK Stadium was the belly of the beast, the home of "The D.C. Scum." Now, the "old" enemy plays in a new home. It may be less dangerous. Nevertheless, be careful when you go to Washington to watch the footy. We want you to live long enough to once again sing, "D.C. United went to Rome to see the Pope, and this is what he said... "