July 10, 2013
Being in the same city, the White Sox and Cubs are rarely both in Chicago at the same time, which made planning this trip all the more difficult to try and see both teams. Thanks to the make-up game, we were able to see the White Sox at home when they originally had a day off before a road trip, and that allowed us to see both the Cubs and White Sox at home. With a day in between the Chicago games we drove to Milwaukee for the Brewers game and then back to Chicago for historic Wrigley Field.
Upon arrival, we wanted to walk around Wrigleyville, the neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field, but not pay for parking yet since it was so early. That’s when we met this super sweet lady who let us park the car for about an hour just to walk around. We made our way around the outside of the ballpark seeing the Harry Caray statue and walking on Waveland and Sheffield Avenue behind the outfield bleachers. The whole atmosphere everywhere around Wrigley Field felt like a true baseball town. My dad kept telling us that this was a dream come true for him.
We made our way back to the car and thanked the parking attendant, even taking a picture. My dad and Adrian then parked the car somewhere while my mom and I went to the team store. That’s where the amazing Tim Parks had the MLB Ballpark Passport waiting for me. I had never heard of the passport until I got in touch with Tim before my trip, but once I got it, it marked the true beginning of my ballpark chasing days. I got my first ever stamp at the store, and off we were! (For more information on this amazing item and its story, go to https://mlbballparkpassport.com/)
Adrian and my dad met us at the picturesque entrance, and we finally entered Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. The smell of Chicago style pizza mixed with the aroma of peanuts and cracker jacks hit us like a wave from the moment we walked in. Then, walking up the dark steps revealed a pristine diamond with the lively green ivy covering the outfield walls and the old-time manual scoreboard towering over center field. It’s one of the most majestic views I’d ever seen.
Before the game started I had to eat some delicious deep-dish pizza, a nice change from the typical ballpark hot dogs.The game itself proved to be a blowout, as the Los Angeles Angels crushed the Cubs 13-2 thanks to five Halo homers. Even through a blowout the Wrigley faithful remained loud all game. We unfortunately didn’t get to hear “Go Cubs Go” after a victory, but we did sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” a tradition here every game at Wrigley led this time by actor Jeff Garlin.
Visiting Wrigley Field was an unforgettable experience. It’s not flashy with tons of amenities like most new stadiums. It’s an everlasting masterpiece and a crown jewel of baseball.