Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
W. Madison St.
&
312/455-4000.
www.nba.com/bulls. Tickets $10-$85; purchase through Tick-
etmaster at
&
312/559-1212.
Bus: 9 or 20.
Chicago Cubs
Ages 4 & up.
The Cubbies haven't made a World Series
appearance since 1945 and haven't been World Champs since 1908, but don't
let the team's less-than-stellar track record stop you. You must, absolutely must,
take your kids to a game at Wrigley Field. Attend a day game. Buy a hot dog and
box of Crackerjacks, and join in the chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
during the seventh-inning stretch. (Since the death of longtime announcer
Harry Caray, the crowd is led by a guest singer, often a visiting celebrity.)
Because Wrigley Field is small, just about every seat is decent. Families might
want to avoid the bleacher seats, because fans there can get a little overzealous in
their routing for the home team (and drinking). The ivy-covered outfield walls,
hand-operated scoreboard, view of the shimmering lake from the upper deck,
and “W” or “L” flag announcing the outcome of the game to the unfortunates
who couldn't attend make Wrigley a pure slice of Americana. About a dozen
tours of the ballpark are led each season on various Saturdays in the summer.
Stops include the visitors' and home-team locker rooms, press box, security
headquarters, and—thrill of thrills—a walk around the field itself. Tickets are
$15 and are sold through the Wrigley Field ticket office (
&
800/THE-CUBS
),
or stop by the box office at 1060 W. Addison St. The entire area around the sta-
dium, known as Wrigleyville, is surrounded by souvenir shops, sports bars, and
restaurants. One sandwich shop, the
Friendly Confines,
is actually located
within the stadium itself, just off the sidewalk.
Sluggers,
a sports bar with real
batting cages, is right around the corner from Wrigley at 3540 N. Clark St.
(
&
773/248-0055
).
At Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St.
&
773/404-CUBS.
www.cubs.
mlb.com. Tickets $14-$50; games do sell out (especially against longtime rivals such as the Mets),
and most weekend and night games are sold out by Memorial Day, so it pays to call ahead. To
order tickets in person, stop by the ticket windows at Wrigley Field Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat
9am-4pm, and on game days. You can also order tickets online or call tickets.com at
&
866/
652-2827.
Subway/El: Red Line to Addison. Bus: 22.
Chicago Fire
Ages 4 & up.
The city's Major League Soccer team launched
in 1998 and quickly became a hit with families. The team usually plays at Sol-
dier Field from late May through October. Bringing your kids to a game is
highly recommended—tickets are cheaper than for other professional sporting
events, you can walk right up to the box office before a game and buy them, and
kids understand soccer because many of them play it. During the summer,
games usually take place in late afternoon or early evening. Regular fans of the
Fire make the games fun, with organized stadium cheers and a band. The team
reaches out to kids 12 and under with Sparky's Kids Club (Sparky the Dalma-
tian is the team's mascot), and to moms with the occasional Soccer Mom Satur-
day, with half-time games and prizes for moms. The occasional Kids' Fest
features music, games, and clowns, so check the website for upcoming events.
&
312/705-7200.
www.chicago-fire.com. Tickets $15-$40; to order, call
&
888/MLS-FIRE.
Chicago White Sox
Ages 4 & up.
Located in the South Side neighborhood
of Bridgeport, the former Comiskey Park (now known as
U.S. Cellular Field
)
has made a real effort to be family-friendly, although the sterile stadium and the
blighted neighborhood that surrounds it remain deterrents. When the owners
replaced the admittedly dilapidated former stadium with a concrete behemoth
that lacks the yesteryear charm of its predecessor, they did improve sightlines (if
your kids are afraid of heights, I'd recommend avoiding the vertigo-inducing
