Live from the Windy City

Greetings to you all from beautiful Chicago, Illinois!

It's midnight here and I'm finally getting around to writing an entry. My dad is trying (and succeding) in getting some sleep, but I'll try and keep this as brief as I can. (Not likely)

We got to our hotel here in downtown late Friday morning before our first of two outings to Wrigleyville. The Cubs start the second half of the season vs the visiting Astros from Houston (division opponents).

The weekend started off funky because we were harassed by the doormen about moving my Dad's F-150. It was either pay the local valet dudes 80 bucks for two nights, or drive fivr blocks away and walk back. (We went with the more expensive, if only more convient, option.)

Then it was time to head to 1060 W. Addison. The plan was to take the Red-Line train up north and get to the ballpark in time so we could down a brat and a beer or two before the game.

It took us a few minutes, but we found the station and boarded the train. Even though we were packed in like sardines it was a fun experience all the same.

We got to the park fairly early so we staked out my Dad's favorite pre/post-game Wrigleyville watering hole: "Murphy's Bleachers" at Waveland and Sheffield. I bought the first round; a couple of Old Style's while my Dad got the brats. He did his best but could only choke down half the beer. I was more than happy to finish it while he got more fancy import and darker brews. I stuck with the Bud and Bud Lights.

Before the game, a reporter from NPR snagged us and asked us some questions about whether it's worth it to be a Cub fan even though it's been so long since a World Series victory. We did our best to set her straight even though we had had a few brewskis.

We had OK seats for the first game up along the left field basline in the terrace. They were nice except for the fact that the wind was blowing into the park, and that caused some rather cold conditions. (I guess they don't call it the "Windy City" for nothing) The only thing I could do was suck it up and drink my beer. Which I had a lot of...

After a great game where the Cubs shut out the Astros 6-0, we went back to Murphy's for a few more beers. We met some pretty cool guys from Texas. One had a tongue like Gene Simmons and my dad asked him, "Jesus, do you smell with that thing?"

Three beers later, we decided to find something to eat and ran around to a place called "Goose Island" over on Clark about a half-block from the field. It was kinda crowded but we had no problem getting a booth and had some fish and more beer. After that, we got back on the train and headed for downtown.

As soon as we got back around 7:45, I was out cold. All told, I had downed 11 beers during the course of the day. The only problem was that I forgot to pack any asprin. So when 3 o'clock rolled around, my head was saying, "Don't EVER forget the asprin, you douchebag."


Next Time: Day Two of the trip to Chitown.

~Nate-O