A Night with the Cubbies at Wrigley Field
June 16, 2007 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Outdoor Activities, Uncategorized
What’s there to do on a warm, sunny evening in Chicago?
On a recent evening there, friends and I didn’t have to think twice before deciding on a trip out to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubbies play a make up game against the Houston Astros.
The stadium is located at 1060 W. Addison Street, in a residential area called Wrigleyville. Movie fans may recall that this is the home address given by Elwood Blues (played by Dan Aykroyd) in The Blues Brothers. The area around the stadium has lots of little bars and restaurants, and we had no problem finding a place for a cold beer before the game. We had no problem buying tickets on a walk up basis, but that may have been because this was a make up game. If you want tickets for a popular game, you’d be well advised to buy tickets in advance.
Built in 1914, Wrigley is the second oldest active major league ballpark, right behind Fenway Park in Boston.
As a big baseball fan, I’m trying to visit a lot of the ballparks. (You can read about my adventure to Yankee Stadium here.) I’ve always appreciated these classic ballparks, and Wrigley is one of my favorites. Here are a few reasons why:
- It has dug outs that are really dug out.
- The ivy wall in center field, with the manually operated scoreboard.
- The rooftop businesses and residences around the outfield, where people gather to eat, drink, and watch the game.
- Former announcer Harry Caray.
- The goat curse. (Legend has it that the team was cursed for insulting a patron’s goat.)
Wrigley Field is accessible by public transportation. We were staying near the airport, and took the Blue Line to Addison, and then the 152 bus directly to the stadium. (A one day CTA pass costs $5, and covered both the train and the bus). It’s a very easy trip. The Red Line stop at Addison is about a block away from the stadium.
I don’t know whether this is true, or just an urban legend, but after a game a flag is supposedly put up to signify a win (white flag with blue “W”) or a loss (blue flag with white “L”) so that riders on the train will know the result of the game. Anyone know if this is really true or not?
And by the way, the Cubbies won the night we were there, beating the Astros by a score of 2-1.
Photo credit: wikimedia (Wrigley sign), others from my personal collection. __________________________________________________
Tags: b5media, baseball, Chicago, flight attendants, Flyaway Cafe, outdoor activities, travel, travel blogs, vacation, Cubs, Wrigley Field
Nice way to kill some time in Chicago!
Yup, that is absolutely true. The win or loss flag is flown from the centerfield pole above the scoreboard, not too far from the “eL”. In fact, the Red Line is so close to Wrigley, if you’re at just the right spot on the platform, you can actually see into the stadium while you’re waiting for your train.
Hey MJ. I really enjoy your blog – keep up the great work. Yes the flag story is true. (I guess Matt beat me to the punch though)
I remember the win/loss flags as a kid traveling to and from high school downtown and passing the Addison Ave. el stop on the Howard…er, Red Line. .
Here’s a link about the flags from the Cub’s website… http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/ballpark/index.jsp
“One of the traditions of Wrigley Field is the flying of a flag bearing a “W” or an “L” atop the scoreboard after a game … a white flag with a blue “W” indicates a victory; a blue flag with a white “L” denotes a loss”
Thanks everyone for clearing up what I thought was an urban legend.
Wrigley is a great place to watch baseball and spend some time.