Wednesday brings the first of three scrimmages at Development Camp this week. OFB reader Katie this week sent me this note pertaining to her arrival from out of town for Thursday’s scrimmage:
“In order to cure the hole in our hockeyless-in-summer hearts and in the heat of July, we’re planning a girls’ trip down to Kettler on Thursday to take in development camp. I know from reading your blog the past few years that you seem to be somewhat of an expert on Development Camp & Kettler, so I’m hoping you could take a few moments and possibly answer a few questions for me.
“We’re going to stay Wednesday night at a hotel near Dulles (one of the benefits of booking hotel rooms for pilots and flight attendants for a living is having hotels always wanting to comp a room for you!) and then drive into Kettler Thursday morning. Is there parking available, or would it be better to hit public transportation? Is it in a relatively easy area to navigate (I’ll have my GPS, so I should be okay)? Is the store at Kettler usually open during development camp (and selling Caps’ gear) so that a few chicks from Hershey can stock up on some articles to help facilitate red-rocking? Is there a place near the rink to grab a few puck sodas and talk about morning sessions before taking in the afternoon scrimmage?
“Sorry to barrage you, but as I said before, you seem so incredibly knowledgeable in all things Capitals, Kettler, & Puck Sodas, that I knew one email to you would tell me so much more than a 20-minute phone call to Kettler staff!”
Before I address Katie’s queries, I must acknowledge two standout elements to her correspondence: first, her identifying my an an expert in puck sodas. How sweet! Untrue, but sweet. Second, Katie and her modest sorority set of camp roadtrippers have designs on tipping back a few cold ones apparently not much after the clock strikes noon on Thursday — and maybe earlier. That’s my kind of puck bunny!
Ok. Onward to the answers. Public transportation to Kettler would most commonly refer to Metro. I cannot in good conscience direct any hockey fan into that system in its present state. Unless they’re from Pittsburgh. So drive, Katie. There is a good deal of garage parking available at the Ballston Mall, and on a weekday such as Thursday, likely in close proximity to the practice facility. I’m glad you’ll have GPS as guide. I’m a partisan Marylander, so I’m not one to advise on traveling about the Dominion state. Just get off Rt. 66 ASAP.
I poked my head in the Kettler Capitals gear store on Monday, and it’s brimming with fashion goodies, with an expanded branding of the ‘Rock the Red’ theme. Bring the plastic — a lot of good-looking stuff to be had in there.
My puckhead mates and I tend to patronize Bailey’s way down on level one of the Ballston Mall. The food in there is adequate, and more importantly, there’s nearly two dozen beers on tap, among them some relatively elite imports and micros as well as reliable regulars. Your whistle will be well wetted there. And if your party seeks the company of an eligible, thirsty blogger, you know how to reach me.
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Will you be there on Saturday? That’s when I’m going.
Katie… if you’re driving from out Dulles way and hoping to arrive in time for the first whistle of the morning session, leave early. Since it’s a weekday, you will be inbound during rush hour, and DC isn’t the second worst metropolitan area for traffic jams for nothing. I-66 between the Dulles Toll Road and Ballston (where Kettler is located) is usually bumper-to-bumper even after 10 am.
What’s wrong with the Ballston metro? Last time I went to Kettler during the Rangers playoffs series and I had no problem. Did something change? I like metroing in because you can get from the Ballston stop to Kettler while remaining indoors the entire time. Just cut through the mall, it’s nice.
The Front Page is a decent bar nearby too, although I’ve only been there once being a partisan Marylander myself.
A note about the gift shop: last time I was down at Kettler I saw Bradley, Varlamov, Jurcina, and Kozlov all in the gift shop at the same time when I went in to by a puck for my brother. I got Varlamov and Bradley’s autographs. This was the day before Varley made his first playoff start too. Cool, no?
For those of you who do not live locally, OFB’s reference to the Metro’s state pertains to a train collision that happened on the Red Line some weeks back, resulting in thousands of stranded passengers and nine fatalities. It pointed up a Metro system that is 40 years out of date and is old and dilapidated to the point of being unsafe to ride.
Rt 66 inside the beltway is HOV-2 only 6:30 – 9 AM east bound and 4:00 – 6:30 PM west bound. Since she’s driving with friends, she will be able to use the road and avoid traffic if she’s driving during those times. Otherwise, it is pretty crappy.
Well … Katie, there is no public transportation available (that’s reasonable anyway) that will get you from Dulles to Kettler.
Kettler Ice rink is the very top floor of a shopping mall known as Ballston Commons. I used to live 2 blocks away. So there is plenty of public parking there early in the morning before all the shoppers get there. Traffic can be a bear … but because you’ll have several riders in your vehicle, you can use the carpooling lanes (known as HOV lanes). They are somewhat faster in some instances. And you can use I-66 inside the Beltway.
Take the Dulles Toll Road (267) to I-66 Eastbound. Get off 66 at Glebe Road and turn Right at the first light. Follow signs for Ballston Commons Mall … it’s right there within a couple blocks. Here’s a link to a Google Map ( http://tinyurl.com/m3hbwk ) with directions from Dulles Airport.
Thanks so much, everyone! You’ve all been incredibly helpful!
I have had quite a few tastes of Metro culture, but its always been the Red Line (coincidentally, the line that Stanley? referred to) from Shady Grove to Chinatown (easiest path to the Phone Booth when driving down from Hershey). I’ll definitely be driving, and the hint about the HOV lane is wonderful!
Again, thank you so much!
Also a Marylander here, so all i can vouch for in terms of traffic is that it is bad. However, i ride the metro every day, including the day of the accident and the next day. WHile the system is not perfect, it is far from an unsafe death trap. The main issue now is there is the lines are still highly congested and crowded during rush hours, due to temporary changes in operation due to the “continuing accident investigation.” Come the season, i will continue to Rock the Red on the Red line to the phone booth, as will thousands of other fans. The drive from Dulles shouldn’t be too bad, comparatively.
John, Im up for the puck sodas as well with the group from Hershey.
Ah, I wasn’t aware the train schedule was still modified because of the accident. Under normal circumstances, I haven’t had any trouble metroing to Kettler. Mostly this is because I am going opposite of rush hour traffic. I’ve never gone to Kettler on the weekend though. The only time I drove down there, I ended up completely lost. That was without the aid of a GPS however.
just btw-
plus, $2 beers every wednesday! *wink wink*
you should try rock bottom post-camp sometime- the beer’s just as good, i promise, and i work there
Rock Bottom’s by far my favorite, if only for the nachos…
Careful with Rock Bottom – it gets PACKED EARLY – but if you can get in, it is worth it.
And Union Jack’s is also a decent spot (right next to RB)
As you’re driving on 66 beware of Maryland drivers. They are confused by traffic signals (having them disabled on your Maryland registered car is state mandated) and will often swerve between lanes, try to “race” you, and take right exits ONLY when they’re in the far left lane.
Best bet is to find a Virginia driver and let them protect you. You may end up going 5 mph under the speed limit though…
Everyone knows the only good drivers are those from the same state as the person expressing their opinion on other states’ drivers.
Oh for Pete’s sake. It is the Red Line that has had the delays since the accident. Kettler is on the Orange Line, which I have taken every work day since the accident and it has been fine. The only problem is that the lots at Vienna, Dunn Lorning and West Falls Church fill up early so she might have a hard time getting a parking spot as Thursday is a work day. BTW, just because Katie is a female fan, was there really a need to throw in the word “puckbunny”
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