Trip To Chicago And Wrigley Field 2014!! Go Cubs!!

What better way to break into writing than a story about our trip to Chicago this year? My husband Rick and I had this getaway planned for many months ahead of time. He knows I am a fanatical Cubs fan and that it was the underlying reason why I suggested the trip in the first place. I forced him to learn the name of at least one Cubs player and he obediently memorized their awesome first baseman, Anthony Rizzo. I told him it would do and that he had earned the right to go to a game. The following is an account of our game day shenanigans and the fun events leading up to it.

We stayed in the Congress Plaza hotel, located right on Michigan Avenue. This iconic landmark is heavily touted for housing many famous people. We decided to save a little on the parking valet service, choosing to haul a heavy suitcase, an even heavier cooler and various other items from the parking garage around the corner to the main entrance of the hotel. Unfortunately, after registering, we had more lugging to endure as there was no luggage cart in sight and we were left no choice but to shake, rattle and roll our way up to the eighth floor. 

The hotel had an ample amount of history and character. Our king-sized bed was awesome. We even took a picture of the glass doorknob on the bathroom door. Would we stay there again? Probably not. It was a little too run-down for the money. Also, the wi-fi Internet was nonexistent in the guest rooms. Here are a couple of pictures of the hotel and the beautiful doorknob for your viewing pleasure.

 

We enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at Bruna's the first night we were in Chicago. Talk about authentic atmosphere and cuisine! Upon our return to the hotel, we were so stuffed with fine food and wine that we almost forgot to undress for bed. We left the curtains open so the moonlight could find its way in the dark crevices of the room and help us stumble our way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Saturday morning I awoke to the excitement that we were going to be initiated to the L train and then hit a Cubbie game!!! The famed Redline is the train which takes you to the Friendly Confines. We had purchased our Ventra cards and transit fare the day before. These are Chicago's new travel credit cards, which can not only be loaded with transit value but also used to purchase just about anything, as they are actually debit cards.

As hubby and I prepared for the game I started to get more and more pumped up. We decided to chug some beers in the hotel room before we left and also filled two styrofoam to-go cups with additional beer because ale at Wrigley is very expensive. Decked out in our bad-ass Cubbie outfits we grabbed our inconspicuous cups of brew and headed out the creaking door to walk to the nearest L station. It was a little longer of a walk, because the station closest to the hotel was undergoing renovations. Before we went down the station steps we did our best to gulp the beer without being noticed as the lushes we are. One must wet his/her whistle heavily before even getting close to Wrigley. And we did.

The L train trip was cool as hell....until about three stops prior to Addison. There we were, all fired up for the game, when all of a sudden, about twenty loud-mouthed Cardinal fans boarded the train. They didn't hesitate to shout out their team's glorious and illustrious history and how they were going to kick the Cubs' asses. Being the mature fans that we are, we mumbled and grumbled under our breath, while secretly wishing for the doors of the L to accidentally open and have a strong current of wind suck the mindless twits out into baseball oblivion. Ahhh, but no, we had to endure the snide remarks until we got off at Addison. Good thing I utilized the deep-breathing technique I resort to when I'm about ready to collapse at the end of a 5k run. At long last we heard the melodious sound of the automated recording announcing that the next stop was Addison!!!!! I no longer heard the venomous tirade-we were here! We walked down the street and made our way to the nearest bar while scalpers offered to turn over or provide us with tix to the game. The noise was pleasantly deafening and it didn't diminish much even after we stepped into the Cubbie Bear bar, one of Wrigleyville's most popular hang-outs. The beers were cold and the company was quite interesting.  Here we are in the beginning stages of drunken bliss...

 We struck up a conversation with a young couple. The smart one, (the female Cubs fan of the pair), stated she and her Cardinal-loving boyfriend had sexual favors riding on the game. Another Cardinal fan couple revealed an amusing fact. The guy, who was decked out in a Wainwright t-shirt, confessed that he was only wearing it for his girlfriend and that he was in fact a huge Pirates fan. I thought that was hilarious. He was either very much in love with her or was a complete panty-waste. Stand up for your team, bro! We were chugging our third beer and soaking up the pre-game excitement when out of the corner of our eye we spied a dwarf Cardinal fan surrounded by a minion of squealing girls with shots of Jagermeister ready to be imbibed. My husband does an excellent impersonation of them plugging their noses and tapping their feet in a frenzied effort to get the shots down. Don't choke or better yet, barf!

Feeling pretty damn good we ventured back outside, crossed the street and wasted no time in taking drunken selfies beneath the famed Wrigley marquee.

Once inside, finding our seats was fairly easy even after enjoying two vodka lemonade slushies which were really tasty. In retrospect, it was pretty cool being part of the record-setting attendance that enjoyed the game together in spite of the Cardinal fan invasion. Wrigley was breathtakingly beautiful and the scoreboard was painstakingly manned, as usual. I paid more attention to the stats being posted than the game at times.  Personally, I cannot wait for the renovations to be completed at Wrigley.  A jumbotron will bring a whole new level of  exciting coverage to games. It's time for Wrigley to get an update!

Of course, two stuck-up Cardinal fans (two out of the sea of red which took over the Confines) were sitting right in front of us.  Initially, they attempted to contain their reserved excitement as the Redbird runs mounted. It looked to be a father and son. After awhile, however, they started to get really mouthy so  I decided to take out my Cardinal hatred on their eardrums. I shouted, cheered, whistled and wooted over every Cubbie hit and great play. And I cajoled, derided and jeered every Cardinal equivalent. There's not too many things that give me more satisfaction!!! Too bad the Cubs lost. It was a maddening and fun day all rolled into one. I have decided, however, to go see a different opponent next time we go to Wrigley. If you are a Cubs fan and you haven't yet been to the most beautiful and magical ballpark in the world, stop everything. Score some tickets. Go see the Cubs and enjoy a break from life. Even if you see young fans like this who are in the early throes of heartache......

Witness the slow reincarnation of a powerhouse team. All things come to those who wait. You will have the time of your life, I promise. I'm going back with my daughter in September!  God help us.  GO CUBS!

Follow me on Twitter!  @wrigleygrl5