07/24/17 - Day 112 - Chicago, IL - Cubs game and the Riverwalk
I continued my streak of attending at least one sporting event at each stop by checking out the Cubs / White Sox series on Monday afternoon. The Cubs won the world series last year, breaking about a hundred year drought so the city is still pretty high on the team. It also gave the owners a chance to significantly raise ticket prices. The cheapest seat was over $70, so I went with a $30 standing room only pass.
Of all the baseball games I've seen so far (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox), Chicago had the most enthusiastic fans. The game started at 1pm on a Monday and the stadium was damn near full and quite rowdy. Part of that was due to the fact that it was a cross town rivalry game as both teams call Chicago home. It's also why the tickets were unusually expensive, as they charge more for their marquee games.
Wrigley field is an unusual stadium compared to most all others. It's the second oldest park in operation today (Fenway is the oldest). It opened in 1914 and until recently hadn't changed much since. It's in the middle of the Lakeview neighborhood and is surrounded by houses, shops, bars, and restaurants. The outfield seating is fairly small, and some enterprising building owners across the street from the park have install seating on their rooftops, seating they sell tickets for on game days. You can see a few examples of this in the photo below.
There isn't a whole lot to see inside the stadium (except for the game, of course). I found a decent spot on the railing behind home plate and watched several innings. Around the seventh, I was ready to get going but decided instead to check out the area outside the stadium. The Cubs have set up a really nice viewing area in a lawn immediately outside the stadium. The game is broadcast on a giant screen affixed to an adjoining building. It was a pretty day and the lawn was a lot more comfortable than the rail so I changed my mind and watched the rest of the game there. The Cubs gave up a 1-0 lead late and the game and had to chance to tie it in the bottom of ninth but ended up popping out with two men on base. The police on traffic duty applauded (literally) the loss as it meant they wouldn't have to stay on the job through extra innings.
The game was over by mid afternoon so I had plenty of time to go back to the Riverfront area and take some pictures. I'd ridden my bike to the game from my Airbnb location (about 6 miles), so I took the Lake Shore trail back towards downtown. I passed one of several beaches along the way, reminding my why I like this area so much.
The sun was getting lower in the sky by the time I made it to the walkway, providing some interesting lighting along the river.
I stopped by one of the few places that have a reasonable happy hour to watch the river traffic go by.
Eventually I made my way back home after logging around 20mi total on the bike. Chicago is a good city for getting around by bike if you have the time and energy (and don't want to pay for parking). It's not nearly as hectic as New York, and the views along the rivers and lakes are gorgeous. This has been my favorite city of the trip thus far.
Of all the baseball games I've seen so far (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox), Chicago had the most enthusiastic fans. The game started at 1pm on a Monday and the stadium was damn near full and quite rowdy. Part of that was due to the fact that it was a cross town rivalry game as both teams call Chicago home. It's also why the tickets were unusually expensive, as they charge more for their marquee games.
Wrigley field is an unusual stadium compared to most all others. It's the second oldest park in operation today (Fenway is the oldest). It opened in 1914 and until recently hadn't changed much since. It's in the middle of the Lakeview neighborhood and is surrounded by houses, shops, bars, and restaurants. The outfield seating is fairly small, and some enterprising building owners across the street from the park have install seating on their rooftops, seating they sell tickets for on game days. You can see a few examples of this in the photo below.
There isn't a whole lot to see inside the stadium (except for the game, of course). I found a decent spot on the railing behind home plate and watched several innings. Around the seventh, I was ready to get going but decided instead to check out the area outside the stadium. The Cubs have set up a really nice viewing area in a lawn immediately outside the stadium. The game is broadcast on a giant screen affixed to an adjoining building. It was a pretty day and the lawn was a lot more comfortable than the rail so I changed my mind and watched the rest of the game there. The Cubs gave up a 1-0 lead late and the game and had to chance to tie it in the bottom of ninth but ended up popping out with two men on base. The police on traffic duty applauded (literally) the loss as it meant they wouldn't have to stay on the job through extra innings.
The game was over by mid afternoon so I had plenty of time to go back to the Riverfront area and take some pictures. I'd ridden my bike to the game from my Airbnb location (about 6 miles), so I took the Lake Shore trail back towards downtown. I passed one of several beaches along the way, reminding my why I like this area so much.
The sun was getting lower in the sky by the time I made it to the walkway, providing some interesting lighting along the river.
I stopped by one of the few places that have a reasonable happy hour to watch the river traffic go by.
Eventually I made my way back home after logging around 20mi total on the bike. Chicago is a good city for getting around by bike if you have the time and energy (and don't want to pay for parking). It's not nearly as hectic as New York, and the views along the rivers and lakes are gorgeous. This has been my favorite city of the trip thus far.
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