Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
swimming is the water along the wall beginning at Ohio Street Beach, located
slightly northwest of Navy Pier. The Chicago Triathlon Club marks a course
here each summer with a buoy at both the 1 4 - and 1 2 -mile distance. This popular
swimming route follows the shoreline in a straight line. The water is fairly shal-
low. For more information, call the park district's beach and pool office
( & 312/742-PLAY ).
WINDSURFING
When are Chicago's gusty breezes actually a plus? When you're windsurfing
along the waves of Lake Michigan. This isn't the place for beginners, though; if
you decide to give it a try, sign up for the private lessons offered by Windward
Sports, 3317 N. Clark St. ( & 773/472-6868; www.windwardsports.com).
Classes ($50/hour) are offered on weekends from May through August and usu-
ally fill up, so call for reservations as far in advance as possible.
11 In the Grandstand: Watching Chicago's Athletic Events
Alas, Chicago's professional sports glory has faded since the days when Michael
Jordan was the most recognized athlete in the world. Now most of our teams
rarely rise above mediocre, despite a few high points—such as Sammy Sosa mak-
ing home-run history for the Cubs. But Chicago fans are nothing if not loyal,
and, for that reason, attending a home game in any sport is an uplifting experi-
ence. And look on the bright side: When our teams aren't doing so well, it's a lot
easier to get tickets to games—unless you're talking about the Cubs.
BASEBALL
Baseball is imprinted in the national consciousness as part of Chicago, not
because of victorious dynasties, but rather because of the opposite—the Black
Sox scandal of 1919 and the perennially losing Cubs.
Let's start with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubbies haven't made a World Series
appearance since 1945 and haven't been World Champs since 1908, but when the
team plays in so perfect a place as Wrigley Field, with its ivy-covered outfield walls,
its hand-operated scoreboard, its view of the shimmering lake from the upper
deck, and its “W” or “L” flag announcing the outcome of the game to the unfor-
tunates who couldn't attend, how could anyone stay away? After all the strikes and
temper tantrums and other nonsense, Wrigley has managed to hold on to some-
thing like purity. Yes, Chicago Tribune -owned Wrigley finally installed lights a
decade ago, but by agreement with the residential neighborhood it occupies, the
Cubs still play most games in the daylight, as they should. Because Wrigley is
small, just about every seat is decent.
No matter how the Cubs are doing, tickets ($14-$50) go fast; most weekend
and night games are sold out by Memorial Day. Your best bet is to hit a week-
day game, or try your luck buying a ticket on game day outside the park (you'll
often find some season-ticket holders looking to unload a few seats).
Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St. ( & 773/404-CUBS; www.cubs.mlb.com),
is easy to reach. Take the Red Line to the Addison stop, and you're there. You could
also take the no. 22 bus, which runs up Clark Street. To order tickets in person, stop
by the ticket windows at Wrigley Field, Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm,
Saturday from 9am to 4pm, and on game days. Call & 800/THE-CUBS for tick-
ets through Tickets.com ( & 866/652-2827 outside of Illinois); you can also order
online through the Cubs website.
Alas, the Chicago White Sox can't count on the same kind of loyalty as the
Cubs. Longtime fans rue the day owner Jerry Reinsdorf (who is also majority
Search WWH ::




Custom Search