My trips to Verizon Center occurred during a visit to the Washington D.C. area for residency.
My classes ended early on two evening which happened to coincide with Wizards basketball games. I was ticket surfing after class and found some reasonable pricing.
The two games I witnessed during this time was a match-up between the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards and the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards.
Here are my thoughts on Verizon Center.
Pros
The Chinatown location of Verizon Center is the biggest attraction. There is a large number of shops, restaurants and bars. You can literally find any restaurant that you can think of in walking distance of Verizon Center.
The concession options on the inside are also plentiful. You can find healthy options and cost effective options at the concession stands. Each level of the arena has different choices but they are all good. My personal favorite was the nachos.
The ticket pricing was also very good for a perennial playoff team. I purchased each game ticket for under $30 and each was in the lower 100 level. Access to the arena is also easy as the Metro train has a stop right by the arena.
The parking decks surrounding the arena were only $20 and for the location of the arena that is very reasonable. The flow of traffic getting out of NW D.C. was also not bad as most people took the Metro as their mode of transportation.
Cons
The fans were hot and cold in the arena. They were loud and rowdy for the Celtics game but rather pedestrian for the Wizards game. This could be because of the match-up but either way they were not consistent.
The atmosphere in the arena doesn’t really give off a basketball vibe and it’s clear that D.C. is Georgetown’s home. There was also a lack of mid quarter entertainment to get the fans into the game. There was virtually no activities and just music playing to a quiet arena.
Overall Game Day Experience
I would give Verizon Center a 7.5 out of 10. The location, food selections, and ticket prices are a plus but other than that it doesn’t really offer much. The parking is easy to access and very reasonable but the fans on the inside don’t keep the building alive.
This arena is still one to visit if in the D.C. area because the ticket prices will make seeing your favorite team very reasonable.
