Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
plaza also offers a fitness center, locker rooms, and tennis courts, plus ice-skat-
ing in the winter. (For more on the skating rink, see “Sports & Games,” below.)
Another heavily used playground is
Seneca Playlot Park,
228 E. Chicago Ave.,
located just west of Chicago's venerable pumping station on Michigan Avenue.
Seneca Park features both a lawn with shaded walkways and a play lot with a stan-
dard swing set, slide, and more. It's small, and could use a little updating, but
Seneca provides a quiet oasis near the bustling Magnificent Mile. On the lawn sit
two recent sculptures by nationally recognized artists:
Ben,
a bronze horse by sculp-
tor Debra Butterfield, and
Farmer's Dream,
an abstract piece by sculptor Richard
Hunt. The heavily used play lot is named for Eli Schulman (1910-88), a well-
known restaurateur who founded Eli's, the Place for Steak, and who was active in
promoting recreational activities for children. The park itself takes its name from
adjacent Seneca Street, named for the Iroquois tribe of upstate New York.
4 Sports & Games
BASEBALL
Chicago's Park District offers baseball in many of its 552 parks; one diamond
that's easily accessible and in a central location is
Lincoln Park.
The baseball
fields are located on the southern tip, just north of the Chicago Historical Soci-
ety. Even if a game is underway, you'll find some room to throw a ball back and
forth with your child. For more information on baseball in city parks, visit
www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Chicago parents who want to get kids involved in baseball should contact
Lit-
tle League.
Kids ages 5 to 12 can participate. Teams change every year, so the
best way to find one near you is to visit www.littleleague.org. Click on the
“Finding a Local League” link to start your search for a team for your child.
Comiskey Park,
333 W. 35th St. (
&
312/674-1000;
www.whitesox.mlb.com),
does a great job getting kids excited about baseball. Before every Chicago White Sox
home game, White Sox Training Center coaches conduct a baseball clinic. Kids can
practice in the batting cages, at the base-running drill, and in the practice pitching
areas. It's all free of charge. Enter Comiskey Park at Gate 3 or ask a Guest Services
Representative how to get there. FUNdamentals, as the program is called, opens the
gates about 1
1
⁄
2
hours before game time and stays open for 1
1
⁄
2
hours after the game
starts. (If you're hungry after your pregame workout, stop by the Pepsi Kids Corner
near Section 100 for kids' concessions like peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, plus
other kid favorites. Near Section 101, you'll find a kids' gift shop, featuring kids'
souvenirs and apparel.)
If it's a little batting practice you're seeking, head for the batting cages
Slug-
gers,
located near Wrigley Field at 3540 N. Clark St. (
&
773/248-0055
). This
neighborhood sports bar is super-kid-friendly. It offers dozens of TV screens
bringing in games via satellite, a fitting backdrop for you and your kids to test
your skill in the batting cages. The upstairs batting cages approximate both soft-
ball and baseball pitches; there's also Pop-a-Shot and high-ball (a basketball-type
game played on a trampoline), and an arcade. In the northern suburbs, try
Skokie Sports Park,
3459 Oakton (
&
847/674-1500
). The cages are open
from April through October, Sunday to Thursday from 8am to 10pm, and Fri-
day and Saturday from 8am to 11pm.
BASKETBALL
One of Chicago's better public parks to catch (or watch) a game of hoops is
Black-
hawk Park,
located at 2318 N. Lavergne Ave. in the Irving Park neighborhood
