Washington City Paper: Contents for May. 14

Squeeze Play
RFK crumbles while the commission charged with operating it chases a spanking-new downtown field of dreams.

Cover Story

On Nov. 14, 26,000 soccer fans filled RFK Stadium to watch D.C. United play the first leg of the InterAmerican Cup tournament. It was a big night for the team. D.C. United had won the Major League Soccer championship twice in three years of existence, but the team had never played a world power. That night at RFK, however, D.C. would face Vasco da Gama, a 100-year-old club from soccer-mad Brazil.

It was also a big night for RFK. After the Washington Redskins abandoned the stadium in 1996, city officials worried that it would become a civic white elephant in the middle of East Capitol Street. But, much to everyone's surprise, the arrival of Major League Soccer has been salvation for the 38-year-old structure. With 16,000 fans regularly attending 16 home games a year, D.C. United brings RFK $1.2 million a year in rent and other revenues, enough to ensure that RFK, far from being a big money suck, is modestly profitable.

But while RFK made it into middle age by reinventing itself as a soccer stadium, wear and tear is written all over its creaky façade. It's not exactly a FanTastic place to catch a game. When Brazilian star Felipe faced off against D.C.'s Marco Etcheverry that night in November, hundreds of the team's fans were idling in a half-mile traffic jam outside the stadium because too few parking attendants were on hand to collect fees. Some angry ticket-holders missed as much as half the game waiting to park. Once fans left their cars, they dashed past closed-up ticket offices that still read "Washington Redskins." Water dripping from the ceiling made visitors feel as if they were walking through an underground parking lot.... Continued

Issue of May. 14 - 20, 1999

News and Features

Squeeze Play
RFK crumbles while the commission charged with operating it chases a spanking-new downtown field of dreams.
Cover Story By Stephanie Mencimer
Never on Sundays (But Intermittently on Fridays)
The Lord works in mysterious ways at one Dupont Circle property.
The City By Elissa Silverman
This Gentrified House
Dean Henney's Logan Circle home is being remade for TV.
The City By Nefretiti Makenta
Schism Nation
Black Muslims in D.C. are in the midst of a Holy War.
The City By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Questionnaire: John Bowman
The City By Jason Cherkis
White Sepulchers
The Mail By Jennifer White
Property Wrongs
The Mail By Phil Carney
Posters From the Edge
The Mail By Jonathan Heller
Chain Boycott
The Mail By David Ochroch
Dramatic Claws
The Mail By L. Sampson
Seeing Red
The Mail By Mike Malloy
Cheap Seat, Cheap Story
The Mail By Harold Bell
Hunger Pangs
The Mail By Rick Nelson

Columns

That '70s Showoff
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
Pulling Up the Grassroots
Loose Lips By Erik Wemple
Raving Mad
Paper Trail By David Carr
You've Got Hate Mail
City Desk By Laura Lang
Free Fascists
City Desk By Elissa Silverman
Revenge of the Nerfs
City Desk By Amanda Ripley
Hell on Wheels
City Desk By Jason Cherkis
Montgomery Ward Circle
City Desk By Elissa Silverman

Eats

Thai Me Up, Thai Me Down
Young & Hungry By Brett Anderson

Movies

In All Fairiness
Film Review By Arion Berger
At Home Abroad
Film Review By Joel E. Siegel
The Age of Reticence
Film Review By Mark Jenkins

Music

Of Natural Causes
Music Review By William Jelani Cobb
The Great White Hype
Music Review By Sean Daly
Go Non-West, Young Man
Music Review By John Murph

Theater

Feeling Dead Yet?
Theater Review By Bob Mondello

Arts and Events

Who Is This Boy Warrior?
Marqus Brown prepares for battle as the decorated DJ Fresh.
Arts By Neil Drumming
Travel Light
Books By Arion Berger
Where's Williams?
Artifacts By Elissa Silverman
Fifteen Minutes of Shame
Artifacts By Amanda Ripley
Looks Easy to Me
Artifacts By Jessica Dawson
Hidden Pictures
Artifacts By Ayesha Morris