Chicago Page
I went to Chicago during the summer of 2008 for a long weekend to see the Angels Play the White Sox at their home park
US Cellular Field
. It was an interesting trip. I will leave it at that. I did have a great time at the park. I went to two or three games and meet a lot of Angles fans as well as TORII HUNTER! It was awesome. He is the nicest guy. I was talking to a person outside the park before it opened who said he knew Torii and if I stayed around he would try to get him to come over and say hi. I was skeptical at first, but I figured it didn’t hurt. It turned out that he really did know Torii. He was a local pastor and Torii had been there a few times for church when he played with the Twins. Torii is one of the nicest guys I have met, in or out of baseball. He hung around at least 15-20 minutes talking to us and signing autographs. He even gave a kid a used bat. It was so nice to see someone who understands the effect he has on people and gives back when he can. I know he has done a lot since he moved to CA to help the local communities. I knew he was a good player, but I also saw what a nice guy he is. I have so much respect for him. Anyway, the games were good and I got a few other autographs as well.


Since I am talking baseball, I will also let you know that I went to Wrigley Field where the Cubs play . Wrigley Field, built in 1914, is the second-oldest ballpark in the majors. The Wrigley Field bleachers and scoreboard were constructed in 1937 when the outfield area was renovated to provide improved and expanded seating ... the original scoreboard remains intact. Here are some interesting facts about the park.

• The score-by-innings and the pitchers' numbers are changed by hand ... the numbers signaling batter, ball, strike and out, along with "H" and "E" to signify hit and error, are eyelets. • no batted ball has ever hit the centerfield scoreboard ... two baseballs barely missed - a homer hit onto Sheffield Avenue (right-center) by Bill Nicholson in 1948, and one hit by Roberto Clemente onto Waveland Avenue (left-center) in 1959. • 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. • It was also the last park to add lights. They weren’t added until 1988.

The tour showed that it has a lot of character but it is really old and as they approach their 100th year, I wonder if that will be the end of Wrigley Field. Read more about Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs on my blog.

Anyway, besides the ballpark I did a few other attractions in the area. I went to the Navy Pier . I had a nice time walking around the shops and ended up having lunch at a restaurant called Capi’s Italian Kitchen . It was really good, and it was fun sitting outside and watching people walk by with ice creams, packages, or both. After lunch I took one of the Architecture Cruises. It was really cool and it was the one the Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney rode in My Best Friends Wedding. It was a very insightful tour. The tour guide talked a lot about the history of Chicago and the Great Chicago Fire. There are several theories about how the fire started, but most people still believe in the O’ Leary legend that her cow knocked over a lantern and started the fire. Besides all the history, you also get to view 40 masterpieces of modern architecture. It is quite interesting and well worth the money and time. Here is a link to their website if you are interested. Shoreline Sightseeing .

One exhibit I saw that I was completely thrilled to see was at the Chicago Cultural Center! I saw the Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend exhibit. I had never known that much about her so it was interesting seeing the exhibit, especially when it was free. The best part of the exhibit, however, was the prints of Marilyn done by Andy Warhol on display. Apparently they were on loan from somewhere but I can’t remember where. I have loved art for a long time and it was so nice to see a piece of his work that you usually only see in books or magazines. Unfortunately since they were on loan, we couldn’t take any pictures. I was disappointed, but I at least I can saw I saw them once.

I walked around , took the bus and the "L" to different parts of the city, but couldn’t get a real feel for the city. It seemed to have many different cliques. Being from LA area I know what that’s all about, but it was completely different than LA. I can’t explain it. The only thing people seemed to agree on was that they either liked the Sox or the Cubs, not both. Sort of like NY I guess. Being at the game was the only time. I felt like the city had any sense of unity. I’m sure they also unite over their Bears. Anyway, like I said earlier, it was interesting.

Here are a few pictures of Chicago , Wrigley Field , and US Cellular Field for you to enjoy. You will have to sign up for a Walgreens account, but it is free!

There was still a lot of things I didn’t get to do so Gene and I will go back together sometime and do more exploring. In the meantime, here are a few fun and interesting things to do in Chicago.

Sears Tower (Willis Tower) Lincoln Park Zoo Six Flags Great America
Art Institute of Chicago Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Millenium Park
Union Station The Hancock Observatory Shedd Aquarium

Chicago is also host to several unique events throughout the year. Below are just a few:

Air and Water Show Blues Festival Taste of Chicago

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Page last updated August 2014