I was excited to be in the stadium for the Wizards win over the Cavaliers. Coming off of a six game winning streak it was amazing to watch the team rally to beat Lebron James and the Cavaliers. It’s always nice to experience the energy of a team winning a game at home in the presence of a nearly packed house. Planning to catch a game in D.C? Here’s what you need to know.
The Verizon Center Info
Verizon Center
601 F St NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 661-5000
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C is a 20,000 seat arena is located in the downtown D.C. area known as Penn Quarter or Chinatown. The stadium offers modern style stadium seating as well as private luxury suites and boxes.
The Verizon Center also offers visitors numerous on premise dining options including Dunkin’ Donuts, The Green Turtle, and Noah’s Pretzels (which I throughly enjoyed).
Getting to Verizon Center, Parking & More
The best way to travel to the Verizon Center on game nights is to take the Metro to the Gallery Place/Chinatown stop serviced by the Red, the Green, and the Yellow line trains.
Parking at the stadium is NOT available for use by the public on game nights (accept for disabled parking) so the Metro is really your best, most cost efficient route.
There are other public parking garages in the area that you may utilize, but they can cost upwards of $25 for a night at the game.
Verizon Center D.C - Google Maps
Things to do Around Verizon Center
Want to make a night of it? Being that the Verizon Center is located in downtown D.C. you can easily enjoy a number of other attractions and dining facilities if you decide to make a day out of your trip.
For example, both the National Portrait Gallery and the International Spy Museum (tons of fun!) are located within walking distance to the center.
In addition, there is a movie theater just outside of the stadium as well where you can catch a flick before or after the game.
Washington, D.C Dining Options
The Penn Quarter/Chinatown area is teeming with notably delicious establishments. You can find everything from the standard American fare served at The Hard Rock Café (just blocks away) to Tony Cheng’s Restaurant & Mongolian Barbecue (located across from the Metro stop).
There are also numerous quick eateries in the immediate area including Chipotle and Burger King if you’re in a hurry to get to your seats.
Washington Wizards vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, My Night
I learned three important things at my event:
1. Sit Closer. While I had a great time just being at the game and watching the team come back from a deficit to win the game, it would have been nice to be a little closer to the action. The higher seats in the stadium provide a good enough angle to the court (no obstructions), but without binoculars, even the jumbotron action was difficult to see. Try sitting down in the 200s if you can afford it (the 100s are even better!) for a better view. The upper level seats are crowded and distant, but will do if you are in a pinch.
2. Read your Ticket. Finding the correct seat, no matter which section you’re in, is imperative. We spent the first 40 minutes of the game playing musical chairs with patrons and staff trying to sort out who was sitting where.
3. I LOVE the Kiss Cam!
All in all it was a great way to spend a Wednesday evening. Thanks again to RazorGator & EventChaser for the great Washington Wizards Tickets!
Go Wizards!
Related Resources
NBA Tickets
Cleveland Cavaliers Tickets
Final Four Tournament Tickets
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