The Crack of the Bat Heralds Spring in Chicago
Hard to believe, but spring is coming and we're looking forward to the commencement of the baseball season in Chicago in just a few weeks. We've got two teams--the White Sox, who won the World Series just two years ago, and the Cubs, who haven't won the World Series in more years than I care to count. Both have a long and storied history here. That makes Chicago a fantastic city for baseball fans, and the cross-town rivalry between the Northsiders and the Southsiders adds spice to our summers.
If you're from out of town, you're more likely a Cubs fan than a Sox fan. This is thanks to the nationwide availability on cable of local channel WGN, decades before today's TV landscape made all games available on pay-per-view, the Internet and other types of new media. But once you get here you'll feel the (mostly good-natured) rivalry between fans. White Sox fans see Cubs fans as arrogant yuppies/drunk frat boys who continue to give wasted money and support to a losing team; Cubs fans see White Sox fans as fair-weather supporters who can only be bothered to show up for games when their team is winning. Both sides are pretty much right. In the interests of full disclosure, here I should reveal that I am a Cubs fan, and probably making light fun of serious and abiding socio-economical differences between fans.
If you want to go to a baseball game while you're here, you've got two very different but very spectacular choices. Cellular One park on the south side, once known as Comiskey, is the winner when it comes to newness (built in 1991), sleekness, available parking and concession stand choices. My husband the vegetarian is able to eat a full meal here--a veggie burger, fries and Dippin' Dots, his favorite. You can walk around the entire stadium on the concourse and watch the game at the same time. Everything's electronic and clean and there's a lot of music--and the White Sox occasionally have a chance in the post-season. One thing I tend to avoid here if I can manage it is the nosebleed seats. They're extremely high up, and even though they improved them relatively recently, it still gives me vertigo to even think about sitting up there. The prices are a little cheaper than Wrigley, too--they'll run you between $16 and $44. Parking, at about $16, is cheaper also in the stadium lots.
Wrigley Field is the home of the Cubs, and it's a city stadium. That means no central stadium parking area (lots nearby can cost upwards of $20 and street parking within two miles is near-impossible on game days). It also means easy CTA access and tons of wonderful restaurants and clubs in the area, from the Cubby Bear across the street to Goose Island Wrigleyville. Most people come for the game and stay for the food and drink (this also makes it easier to avoid the Red Line rush at the end of the game). This is Wrigley Field--a sense of history permeates the entire stadium, and you can feel it. The scoreboard is still turned by hand, an organ player still provides music, and a local celebrity still leads "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch. This in itself makes up for the fact that the food inside is mostly basic stadium fare--burgers, nachos, Cracker Jack, beer. The mai tais are good, though. The bleacher seats are much in demand, and worth it for the party atmosphere; but if it's hot or rainy out they can provide a pretty miserable experience because there's no shade at all. The nosebleed seats at Wrigley are not too bad, especially since you can see a brilliant view of the lake or the city skyline even if you don't get the greatest view of the game. Prices are higher, starting at $19.
The Sox play their home opener against the Cleveland Indians on April 2 at 1:20 p.m. The Cubs play the Houston Astros a week later, April 9, also at 1:20 p.m. For tickets, go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/. For more information on the Cubs and Wrigley Field, visit http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/. For more information on the White Sox and Cellular One, visit http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com.
