If your looking for the authentic "Chicago" vacation as baby suggests that can be arranged as I know some guys out of work now and with nothing better to do. Just let me know.
Hey, BDub! Let me know if we'll see your son there, or if he's got tickets going unused! We're just under two weeks until our trip, and I've already got my jersey packed. Can't wait to be there! Like I said, all - if anyone's around the city that week (20th - 24th), let me know! Would love to see you!
Sorry for not getting back to you on this. He's actually going to be out of town and gave away his tickets to friends...I didn't get to him soon enough I'm sorry.
Nothing to be sorry about, my friend. The fact that you asked is enough of a favor, to me. I'm just regretful I won't get to buy him a beer at the game. We'll be there, either way. Really glad the team is putting up a fight down the stretch, this season. Would love to be there for a meaningful win.
I'll be around as I probably won't head south until the week after so I'm actually looking forward to it.
I don't know what made me look, but Soldier Field is having a tour during the week that we're there. They've got the VIP version, which lets you onto the field. Has anyone ever done / heard of this before? Is it worth the time? How much do they really let you onto the field? I appreciate any input! Also, looking forward to seeing you, Tuna! Awesome that you'll be in town.
That sounds awesome. Outside of going to actual games etc, one of my greatest memories as an Everton fan was taking the VIP stadium tour at Goodison years ago. I know you've said ur on a tight budget etc buddy and these city trips are never cheap, so if you wanna go to this and have the time, then as one lifer to another who never gets to Chicago, we can continue this convo via pm.
Dline buddy did you make it to Chicago? How was it? Been traveling a lot with work the last month but was expecting to come back to some epic tales from your trip to Chi-Town!
Ah, sorry, all! Just jumped straight back into work when we got home, and forgot to give any update! I hope travels were safe and enjoyable for you, too, Ev! (if you want to skip straight to the sports stuff, look below the solid line) We had an absolutely phenomenal time. It had freshly snowed, the morning that we landed, and we spent the day exploring the city and jumping in the patches of fresh snow we could find. You could imagine the looks we got from everyone. During the plane's descent, we kept staring out the window, waiting for our first glimpse of the city from overhead once the plane cleared out of the clouds. Instead, after about 10 minutes of clouds, the runway appeared about 100 feet beneath us. Being from South Florida, it was just totally unexpected. It was crazy, seeing every building disappear into the clouds, as we walked around. You take it for granted, spending life down here. We sat about 12 rows back dead-center at Hamilton that night. Phenomenal show. Turns out there was a food court right across from our hotel, so we just crossed the road every day and got to sample some awesome places from around the area. Some of the best baked goods I have ever had, without exaggeration. They had brownies topped with a layer of fudge, then covered in what were very much like melted Crunch bars... I put on a little weight. We had planned to do a lot more than we ended up doing - girlfriend got sick not long after getting there, so we had to slow our pace a bit. Missed out on the Museum of Science and Industry, which was a real bummer, but we took our time soaking in the sights otherwise. We also missed out on seeing Tuna, which was a serious disappointment! We just didn't have any spare time with her being down for the count, and trying to tough it out for most of the trip. Of course, I've already made reparations, and have offered Tuna a Matt Nagy-style visor. ___________________________________ We spent Friday touring Soldier Field and going to a Blackhawks game. I had never been to either, and getting to just walk around the exterior of Solider Field itself, man... what a gorgeous, monumental place. The innards of it were super neat - we didn't get to see the Bears' locker room, unfortunately, because the team specifically keeps it under lock and key. And there's some swanky digs to watch a Bears game, in that stadium. That view from the skybox... I'm thinking about getting on the waiting list, and just moving there if / when my time comes. You don't realize how close the seats are to the field from TV. It all feels much smaller than I anticipated, which was really cool. It all feels really close, and the view from the field... Oh, man. What a day. I got to run around on Soldier Field to my heart's content. It was still half-covered in snow. I was out there running post routes across the middle of the field, took a couple handoffs near the goal line (the girlfriend and I had a small football with us, but she doesn't exactly have a good throw), ran a fade to the back pylon... Played some middle linebacker, running to the flats. Told the girlfriend to stand still, got into a three point stance, and tried turning the corner... Only for my skater shoes to slip out from under me and go busting my ass all across field. I've got Soldier Field grass stains on my pants, paint from the endzone on my shoes... I love it. Every bit of it. The Blackhawks game was great. An uninspiring loss to a Colorado team who's goalie stopped some serious attempts, but fun nonetheless. It was a seriously different experience from Panthers games - one is a stadium half-filled with die-hards, the other is a stadium with packed standing room only and a bunch of people there for a regular Friday night out (more fans = more casual fans, it's just how it goes). The arena itself was super impressive. And being in a sold out house cheering through the anthem, or after a goal... what an experience. I appreciate getting to share that, for a night. Walking around Chicago in my Blackhawks jersey... felt like I was at home, man. For one time that week, we weren't there on vacation - we were part of it. It was awesome. They've got a freakin' bus that goes straight to the stadium, filled with Blackhawks fans. How do you beat that? We didn't get to eat at too many notable places outside the Loop, but we tried. We hit both Portillo's and Al's Beef - we both preferred Portillo's. She did so much so that we went back for more on our way out of town. We also hit Lou Malnati's twice, she was such a big fan. The day of our return flight, I asked, "If there's one thing you could do today, what would it be?". She said, "Portillo's and pizza. Please". So I'm a lucky guy. Went to The Doughnut Vault - holy f***, kids. That's the most delicious donut I've ever had. We joined family for dinner at Harry's on Navy Pier. She did her best to get me drunk - she succeeded. Weather was nice - never poured rain, and the wind was so strong our last day there we were walking at an angle through the streets, which was really cool. We dealt with the cold, and are happily relaxing in our 80 degree weather, as I write this. It was a great trip. So great, she said she wants to make it an annual trip, regardless of time of year / weather. So, we'll be back very, very soon. Still lots to see and do. We also talked about living there one day, which she was interested in. Sorry for the diatribe, all - I tried to keep it brief, but we had such a great time and did so much, it's tough. If anyone wants pictures, we were light on the camera, but have a couple shots from field-level at Soldier Field, ice covering Lake Michigan, the city itself... that kind of stuff. Many thanks and much love to everyone that chimed in - no way we could've been as well prepared to make the most out of our trip as we did. And now we've already got our list for the next trip. You guys are the damn best.
We did, indeed. I appreciate the help in getting prepared for the trip. And if anything, it just proved why she's the one for me, man: she was clearly struggling, but never once did anything but enjoy the trip. She never complained, never sulked, never derailed anything - just needed to get some extra rest, when we could. She's become a huge Bears and Panthers fan, so going to Soldier Field was neat for her. Going to the Blackhawks game? Well, she was wearing a Panthers shirt under the Blackhawks top I got for her, just out of principle. But never once complained, never said "I'm just here because you are", that kind of thing. I couldn't have imagined enjoying my trip more with anyone else.
Not so fun when the temps are about 1 and you turn the corner and get blasted by those wind tunnels those buildings in the loop create. While many complain that they dropped a UFO in Soldier Field when you're inside you seem to forget about all that, and enjoy the game in a stadium with the leagues the smallest seating capacity. Hahahaha Well if I had that I would surely have to participate in the St. Baldricks fundraiser that happens around St. Patricks day where they shave your head, but I don't, so I won't. This is still a must see at some point, and you must allot plenty of time for it so you can really enjoy it. Remember the important thing here is you didn't get shot or even shot at based on the perception being spread around the country about this great city.
Thats so great dline. Glad you had such a good time. And possibly found a bird who's a keeper too. Bonus!
