I did not have Swizzler at the game today (almost always eat outside the park before games to either save money or get better food for the same cost), but I have gone to their location on 1st Street SE about four times (work nearby). Their burgers are very good, not quite as good as Shake Shack but similar in style (and IMO better than Five Guys), and the cost is a few dollars less than Shake Shack or Five Guys if you get a combo. (The fries are good but unspectacular IMO.)

Saying the above more simply, Swizzler is a solid option at Nationals Park, though like Shake Shack I think eating at the location outside but near the ballpark makes more sense. The non-ballpark location is a few dollars less and doesn’t have the sports event/captive customer markup.

IMO, one of the big issues with City Winery was the location access. Many people don't want to deal with the hassle of driving through the infamous Dave Thomas Circle (i.e. New York Avenue/Florida Avenue intersection) to get to a venue that has relatively little nearby.

I think the lack of cross-promotion with other venues, i.e. having a common promoter for multiple venues in the DC area (like LiveNation, I.M.P., and the people operating/promoting shows at Union Stage, Jammin' Java, Howard Theatre, etc.), didn't help either. City Winery isn't like The Birchmere or Black Cat that have been around for many, many years and people know to look for show listings for those venues.

I typically have done pickup at Lucky Buns. (My girlfriend lives about 3 blocks away.) I’d guess the last time I went there was probably late 2021 or early 2022.

Regardless of the cost difference, Roaming Rooster is NOT a fast food place. It is a fast casual restaurant.

I would give consideration if the games are on Tuesday or Wednesday nights between say 7 PM and 9 PM. (I work in the area and am in the office those two days of the week.)

Mind you, I have 10 years of age on the oldest person in the current group.

???

I haven't gone to either place for a while, but I remember Roaming Rooster's sandwich was about $10 while Lucky Buns' Hot Tiger Bun was about $13 or $14; there's a cost difference but they are in the same general category and Roaming Rooster is definitely NOT a fast food restaurant. RR is definitely closer in price to Lucky Buns and Hot Lola's than it is to Popeyes (was $4, now $4.50).

RE: people attending games during the holidays, I think that’s the case.

This morning I actually checked the Wizards’ attendance for weeknight games between Christmas and New Year’s Day during non-pandemic years (basically the 2016-17 to 2019-20 seasons). I also kept tabs starting last night on ticket demand for their game tonight against Phoenix. The Zards usually (though not always) DO get a significant attendance boost for weeknight games the last week of the calendar year. I didn’t realize there actually was a significant difference attendance/ticket demand-wise until I looked into it. (Re: Tuesday night’s game, in my personal case I didn’t want to buy in advance because I wasn’t 100% sure I’d return from my Christmas family visit in time to attend; I got back around 4:45 PM, a little more than 2 hours prior to the game.)

I can tell you I’ve never previously had a major problem getting a reasonably-priced ticket to a 76ers/Wizards game in the roughly 20 times I’ve seen the teams play in DC, most of them bought on the day of the game. There were plenty of seats available at the box office when the 76ers made their first visit this season back on Halloween night (Monday 10/31).

Note to shabbosstroller - this will work for most 76ers/Wizards games….just not games held between Christmas and New Year’s Day. 😉

(I say that because I’m a 76ers fan and usually attend their games in DC when I don’t have a schedule conflict…except Tuesday night when the prices were ridiculous partly due to the holidays, partly for unknown reasons. I actually bitched via texts to my brothers and a couple friends about Tuesday’s ticket prices, LOL.)

Interesting you mention DC9. I’ve never had their chicken sandwich, but I know their burger is very good. (I usually only go there when I attend concerts at the venue.)

Lucky Buns’ Hot Tiger Bun definitely tops Popeyes’ spicy chicken sandwich IMO, but as a 20+ year member of Popeyes Nation, their spicy chicken sandwich is good enough to make me sometimes pass on getting my usual spicy bone-in chicken when I go there. (Sometimes I also say screw it and get both bone-in spicy chicken and a spicy chicken sandwich.)

Yeah, I’ve had Roaming Rooster’s Nashville hot chicken sandwich twice, and I can eat it without really needing a drink. (That should NEVER be the case when eating the hottest level of any Nashville hot chicken variation. Your mouth should be on fire, and your brow should be moist with sweat.)

Regardless what anyone else says, Roaming Rooster is overrated. Twice I’ve had their sandwiches and twice I’ve been disappointed. Their chicken sandwiches are good but not great, IMO no better than Popeyes’ spicy chicken sandwich (which is about 40% of the price).

To me, Lucky Buns (Hot Tiger Bun) is the answer to the question. Hot Lola’s is pretty good too, though its standout feature is the massive filet they give you.

I’ve heard good things about Wooboi, but I haven’t eaten there yet.

For most Wizards games, you can.

That is harder to do for Capitals games.

There are a small number of Ticketmaster fees applied EVEN IF you buy at the box office. (It's absolutely ridiculous.) However, the amount of fees paid on tickets bought at the box office is considerably less than it is for tickets purchased online.

Incidentally, the Capital One credit card discount on Wizards/Capitals tickets I've bought at the box office is $4/ticket.

I usually buy them at Capital One Arena to reduce the service fees and still get physical tickets. (I like saving my ticket stubs.)

Pro tip if you do the above - use your Capital One credit card to get an additional discount off the listed ticket price.

Hmm, nobody tell the people in Ottawa about that conversation.

It isn’t out of the realm of possibility they’ll never be released. Consoles are getting powerful enough/close to powerful enough to achieve graphics photorealism and physics realism that a successor console would provide only marginal enhancements at high cost.

Why should governments forgive people’s college loan debts? Those people agreed to pay for a service (paying for their higher education) under the terms provided. Sure, the terms may have been financially questionable and ridiculous for those paying for the service, but people agreed to pay for it.

In my eyes it is people’s responsibility to pay for services they agreed to purchase. I mean, I didn’t like paying off tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt either when I had that debt, but I made sure I budgeted to enable myself to pay it off.

LOL, I agree the right has pushed the line very far (actually extremely far) to the right, but if you think the left hasn’t also pushed its own line pretty far to the left, you are on some serious drugs.

Saying the left’s extremism isn’t as bad as the right’s extremism (a viewpoint I’d largely agree with) is NOT the same thing as saying many of the left’s current positions are A-OK.

LOL - you won’t complain about the DC subway rats once you see the New York and Philadelphia subway rats.

Regular, non-fancy hot dog carts (not to be confused with the fancier food trucks) are a good bet.

You can get 2 half-smokes, a small bag of chips, and a 12 ounce can of soda for $7 at those carts.

I.M.P. website

Scroll down a bit. You should see the Arcade Fire shows listed in a couple different spots.

I.M.P. (not LiveNation) is the promoter for this show. Ticketmaster is merely the ticket seller.