Wrigley was a completely different experience for me this time; I enjoyed it so much more! I'm still not crazy about the stadium and I certainly do not like the scoreboard. (I think those holes with people in them are creepy!) But, we had a great experience.
Here's a picture of Randy standing where I sat the first time I went. You can see why I didn't have a great time (and yes, that's chicken wire up there)
We stayed at the Old Chicago Inn a few blocks from the park. We got there early Tuesday, so we had the day to explore Chicago. Dave, our innkeeper, was extremely helpful and suggested the three-day rail pass, which turned out to be a lifesaver. We became pretty proficient getting around the city. We had Bloody Mary's and lunch in the Signature Lounge on top of the John Hancock building, walked down to Millennium Park and over to Navy Pier. Typical tourist stuff.
That evening we walked down to Cubby Bear and had some pretty standard bar food before heading across the street to the stadium. The atmosphere outside was so fun and exciting. We took a walk around the stadium so Randy could take in the entire experience, including checking out the rooftop seats. It's a pretty fun crowd out there, including this fella.
The guy selling programs was extremely friendly. (He has been married 47 years, has seven kids and 29 grand kids.)
The Cubs Dixieland Band adds great atmosphere to the outside of the park. They've been playing there for something like 31 years. The band has not missed a home game, although band leader Ted Butterman has gone through about a hundred different members. They also play inside between innings in the stands.
The fans were great, and there was a lot of excitement. We met some really fun gals from Chicago who gave us some tips about things to do.
Mike and Mike from ESPN led Take Me out to the Ballgame. I don't think I've ever seen absolutely everyone in the stands get up and sing!
It was great fun but of course, there are some things I didn't like. I've already mentioned the scoreboard, and I don't even want to get into the controversy about it. For me, it's time to update.
The Reds beat the Cubs 6-4 thanks to Shin-Soo Choo. (Have I mentioned I'm not a Shin-Soo fan?) However, I did get to see Joey Votto (why yes, I am a fan) hit a double early in the game.
If you don't know the story about the Billy goat curse check it out http://www.billygoattavern.com/legend/curse/
The tavern is as you would imagine it to be and is a fun side trip when you are downtown.
The vendors were few and far between. When he did come by, Joey Votto was at bat and the vendor decided to stand right in front of me, even though I asked him to move, and dish out a couple of beers. There probably is some park rule he was breaking, but he didn't seem too concerned about it.
I think we've decided this needs to be a yearly trip!
Thumbs up
Atmosphere
Fan enthusiasm
Seventh inning stretch
History and tradition
Thumbs down
Scoreboard!
Vendors
No mascot (kid at heart I suppose)
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