Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
277
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SPECTATOR SPORTS
Chicago is one of the countr y's great sports towns, and its fans ar e nothing if not lo yal.
For that reason, win or lose, attending a home game in any spor t is an uplifting experi-
ence. And look on the bright side: When our teams ar en't doing so w ell, it's a lot easier
to get tickets to the games (unless y ou're talking about the perennially sold-out Cubs).
Chicago Bears
Ages 8 & up.
The Bears play at a r enovated Soldier Field, although
the project was contr oversial and continues to be booed b y architecture fans. B ut the
original stadium, built to commemorate the soldiers of World War I, was undeniably
shabby and lo w on amenities. The stadium 's most distinctiv e featur e, its classically
inspired colonnade, was r etained, but a giant addition that r esembles a spaceship was
crammed awkwardly on top (thus, the complaints that the place is an architectural disas-
ter). But from a comfort perspective, the place is much improved. Regale your kids with
stories of the notorious “Monsters of the Midway” who battered opponents into submis-
sion under the aegis of NFL founding father and legendar y coach G eorge “Papa Bear”
Halas. There is still something quintessentially Chicago about brav ely freezing off y our
derrière at Soldier Field, or, for that matter, grilling up ribs and brats in the par king lot
before the Bears go to battle against our ar ch enemy, the Green Bay Packers. True story:
I once sat thr ough a B ears-Packers game late in the season in which it rained, then
sleeted, then snowed (and still, it seemed that not one spectator left!). Just make sure you
bring a thermos of hot chocolate for the kids and a flask of something warming for the
adults before you experience “Bear Weather” for the first time.
At Soldier Field, Lake Shore
Dr. and 16th St.
&
847/295-6600.
www.chicagobears.com. Tickets $45-$300. Bus: 12, 127, 130,
or 146.
Chicago Black hawks
Ages 8 & up.
The 'H awks hav e a dev oted, impassioned
following of fans who wor k themselv es into a fr enzy with the first note of the “S tar
Spangled Banner.” But don't expect any her oics on ice along the lines of past 'H awks
legends such as Bobb y Hull and Tony Esposito. Any play er who turns into a star and,
hence, earns the right to restructure his contract for a higher salary is immediately traded
by penny-pinching owner Bill Wirtz—derided by fans and local sportswriters as “Dollar
Bill.” Blackhawks's practices at “the Edge,” the ice facility in w est suburban Bensonville
(near O'Hare Airport), are open to the public; for information, call
&
312/455-7000.
(Practices at the U nited Center are not open to the public.) F or a more family-friendly
and affor dable hockey experience, catch the semipr o
Chicago Wolves
at the Allstate
Arena (
&
847/724-GOAL
[724-4625]; www.chicagowolves.com). The team has been
consistently excellent over the past fe w years and the games ar e geared toward all ages,
with fir eworks befor e the game and plenty of on- and off-ice enter tainment (tickets
$13-$30).
Blackhawks at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St.
&
312/455-4500.
www.chicago
blackhawks.com. Tickets $15-$100. Bus: 9 or 20.
Chicago Bulls
Ages 8 & up.
When it comes to basketball, Chicagoans prefer to live
in the past, associating the Chicago Bulls with the days of Michael Jordan and the never-
ending championships of the 1990s. Back in the glory days, the planet's most celebrated
athlete, Michael Jordan, pulled off the impossible: r eplacing the world 's perception of
Chicago as gangster Al Capone's playground with an image of his royal Airness executing
a signature tomahawk dunk. We started to take for granted the fr enzied celebrations in
the str eet that inevitably occurr ed each J une in the wake of the latest championship
crown. It was a wonder ful boost for a per ennially pessimistic spor ts-loving metropolis,
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