I arrived at Tuesday night’s Nationals game early. Rather than burn some time walking around the inside of the park or hanging out at The Bullpen, I took a walk along the Anacostia riverfront east of the stadium.

About 25,000 people went to the game but I didn’t see a dozen folks along this scenic walk over a carefully and beautifully constructed pathway. I then doubled back along M Street SE, winding my way back to First Street and heading back south toward the stadium. Here is what I saw:

Gone, finally, is the eyesore of a cement plant that was across the street from the park for so long. And here and there, construction has finally bloomed. Restaurants are starting to appear, with some looking likely to open within a few months. Soon — finally — it will be possible to spend a whole evening in the area, instead of sprinting in for a baseball game and then sprinting away.

The Washington Post documented this emergence back in March. It’s taken many years longer than initially expected and promised, but finally it is happening.

There is a similar emergence on the field. On this night, the first-place Nationals won a thrilling 12-inning game against the Mets, who were kind enough to boot three double play balls in one inning. Bryce Harper, the kid who I thought was called up too soon, hit the game-winner and arguably has become the Nats’ biggest offensive threat. The Nats are in one of the most brutal stretches of a schedule that I have ever seen any team have to endure — they’re currently playing the entire National League and American League east divisions, neither of which has a team with a record below .500 — and so far they appear to be surviving. After that, perhaps they can beat up on some weaker folks and we’ll see how good they really are.

This is when we find out whether Washington can become a baseball town. This team and this neighborhood are emerging together. If the people come along for this ride, then perhaps we’ll talk about the Nats in the same way we now talk about the Caps and (for some reason) the hapless-for-a-generation Redskins. And we’ll talk about the neighborhood in the same way we talk about Chinatown — another area uplifted first by sport, and then by people. Here’s hoping to that outcome.

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