Okay, we start this review off with a disclaimer – I am a White Sox fan who grew up on the south side of Chicago. I despise the Cubs and all that they stand for including their decrepit old ballpark. Michael pretty much shares my beliefs through copious amounts of brainwashing.
Now, having said that I would like to say that our early morning tour of Wrigley Field wasn’t half bad. I had not been in Wrigley Field in about 17 years. But with the exception of the added seating to the buildings around the outfield, not much else has changed.
Our tour guide Brian was outstanding. He was a very knowledgeable Cub fan (who also happened to grow up on the south side) and knowledgeable Chicagoan. We did what most people who grew up in Chicago do when they meet each other – ask what high school you attended, and if you establish that both of you went to a Catholic high school you ask the follow up question of what Catholic parish or grade school you attended. From that information alone, you can pretty much learn everything you need to know about each other. It’s something very unique to Chicago and if you grew up there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Anyway, Brian gave us a great tour. He started off with a story about Babe Ruth’s called shot, which he insisted never happened and I told him he was wrong. He gave us a great history of the Cubs and their park and then we started on the walking tour.
When we sat down inside the park, the first thing I noticed was that these guys hadn’t cleaned up the joint as shown below. Huge strike against there for me.
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| Hey Cubs - you could have cleaned up the place for the tour. |
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| Looks like a Cubs fan couldn't wait to get to a restroom :) |
Wrigley Field is old – very old. It opened in 1915 and while some things are very cool about the place (the ivy, the manual scoreboard) the place could use some upgrades. Probably the best way to describe Wrigley Field is it is a great place to see a game in once so that you can say that you’ve seen it. But after that, there are much better old-style minor league parks that are better experiences. Yes, it has character and yes in my experience the fans are like all Chicago fans are with their sports teams – enthusiastic and loyal. But other than the ivy, it’s just a quaint cozy place to watch a game. I would say that even if I wasn’t a Sox fan and I’ve talked to others that have said the same thing. It has small bathrooms and even smaller locker rooms (really small). The press box feels like a sardine can, and there are too many obstructed view seats. The thing that gives Wrigley its charm is that the Cubs and all their history play there. Were it not for that, people wouldn’t care so much about it. I would give the place a 4.5/10 for the charm and history and the tour guide, but that’s about it.
Here’s Michael’s take:
I don’t quite agree with my dad. I thought Wrigley Field was better than he thought. I liked the bleachers and the ivy and the manual scoreboard was cool. The place was really old and run down though. I think there does need to be some more comfortable seats and they should have cleaned up the place before we got there. I’d give it a 6.5/10.
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| Wrigley does provide a great view of the north side of Chicago |
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| The coolest thing about this caricature of Haray Caray is that it is made out of one of the old pinwheels from the scoreboard in old Comiskey Park. Most people don't know Haray got his fame in Chicago as a White Sox announcer in the 1970s |
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| We actually got to visit the Cubs locker room - the only tour to show the home locker room in the majors. |
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| If you look close enough, you can see Steve Bartman's ghost |
After we left our tour, we had a spectacular day in Chicago. The sun came out and the temperature was perfect. We went to the Sears Tower (will never call it the Willis Tower) and went to the Sky Deck and then we spent the rest of the afternoon over at Navy Pier. Navy Pier was great for the whole family. Lots to do. We did some rides, ate at Bubba Gumps, and then took a speed boat tour along Lake Michigan. After that, we spent the rest of the evening visiting my old neighborhood where I showed my kids where I grew up. We stopped by my old neighbor’s house – always a fun time. We were treated to a Sunday evening soul food dinner. Yum!
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| Walking out onto the glass overhang in the Sears Tower was pretty scary for us. |
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| A great view of the Chicago Skyline from the boat ride on Lake Michigan |
Anyway, tomorrow brings a visit to some more tourist stuff in the city and we cap the evening off with a trip to U.S. Cellular (Comiskey) Park to see my White Sox take on the Seattle Mariners. I look forward to showing my family how the scoreboard explodes quite frequently tomorrow.
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