Chicago, IL
Today we took our first form of public transportation in Chicago. The "L" train system is very clean and got us where we needed to go with no hassle. Taking the Red Line towards Howard, Drew and I exited at Addison, right next to Wrigley Field. We walked down Addison until we saw the famous red Wrigley Field sign, which we learned is now a protected Chicago landmark. We entered the stadium directly under the sign to begin our tour of the ball park.
Wrigley Field is awesome. Built in 1914, it is the second oldest park only behind Fenway Park in Boston. We learned all about the history of how the Cubs came to occupy the park and how rowdy Chicagoans can become during baseball season. Apparently, the "Bleacher Bums" caused quite a scene back in the sixties and seventies. The rooftop bleachers are also a staple of Wrigley, and may cause a problem when the Cubs finally try to install a Jumbotron in the near future because this may obscure the view from the roofs. After sitting in the bleachers in center field, we walked into the old, tiny visitors clubhouse, sat in the tiny pressbox, strolled through the less tiny Cubs clubhouse, and finally stepped onto the field. I took a few pretend practice swings in the on-deck circle to get my money's worth, and then Drew and I got back on the "L" and headed downtown.
Today we took our first form of public transportation in Chicago. The "L" train system is very clean and got us where we needed to go with no hassle. Taking the Red Line towards Howard, Drew and I exited at Addison, right next to Wrigley Field. We walked down Addison until we saw the famous red Wrigley Field sign, which we learned is now a protected Chicago landmark. We entered the stadium directly under the sign to begin our tour of the ball park.
Wrigley Field is awesome. Built in 1914, it is the second oldest park only behind Fenway Park in Boston. We learned all about the history of how the Cubs came to occupy the park and how rowdy Chicagoans can become during baseball season. Apparently, the "Bleacher Bums" caused quite a scene back in the sixties and seventies. The rooftop bleachers are also a staple of Wrigley, and may cause a problem when the Cubs finally try to install a Jumbotron in the near future because this may obscure the view from the roofs. After sitting in the bleachers in center field, we walked into the old, tiny visitors clubhouse, sat in the tiny pressbox, strolled through the less tiny Cubs clubhouse, and finally stepped onto the field. I took a few pretend practice swings in the on-deck circle to get my money's worth, and then Drew and I got back on the "L" and headed downtown.
Entering Wrigley Field
After getting off the subway, we got some lunch at Portillo's Hotdogs. The hotdogs had hot peppers, a pickle spear, relish, mustard, and tomato. It was probably the best hotdog I've ever had. Amazingly delicious. Extremely full, we walked to Merchandise Mart to check out Tech Week. I felt very out of place, but at least Drew enjoyed it a bit. Basically, a bunch of startup tech companies had booths and they just explained their products. We were there for about a half hour before we'd had enough.
We then decided to check out the line to the Sky Deck in the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. The line was surprisingly short considering the 25,000 people each day who zoom up the elevators to floor 103. We learned that the Willis Tower was the tallest building in the world for twenty-three years. Recently, the architects added four enclosed glass ledges in which visitors can stand and look straight down 1353 feet to the streets below. This made waiting in the line worth it and we got some neat photos.
Panoramic View from the Sky Deck in the Willis Tower
Drew and I in the glass box on the Sky Deck of Willis Tower
Drew and I in the glass box on the Sky Deck of Willis Tower
Our nighttime activity consisted of a nice Italian meal at Trattoria No. 10 and seeing The Book of Mormon musical, which was absolutely terrific. This was the funniest musical I have ever seen and, even though we were in the highest part of the theater, way up in the balcony, I am certain that the actors and actresses could hear our laughter. Our phones both dead, Drew and I walked back to the apartment to get a good night's rest before leaving early Friday morning to beat the traffic from the Blackhawks championship parade.
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