Mrs. Sothball, the junior Ms. Sothball (daughter) and I got to attend a game at Wrigley Field on Sunday 6/21/09. It was a day game between the Cubs and Indians. The Cubs won the game, 6-2. For us, the star of the show was Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Field is one of only 2 baseball stadiums remaining that were built prior to the "automobile age". The other is Fenway Park. As a consequence, these 2 fields have very limited parking facilities, and are surrounded by a mix of residential and commercial buildings. So, you either walk, take the subway (the "El" in Chicago), or park as close as possible. The parking rates are pretty high close to the park. For our game, the asking rate was $30.00. We parked on the street for free about a mile from Wrigley, and then walked to the field. It was actually a great experience. The surrounding area is called "Wrigleyville". There are lots of stores, shops, restaurants, and sports bars…lots of sports bars.

Here are some of photos;

Here’s the view of the main entrance…sort of. It’s below the red "Wrigley Field" sign.

This is the view just inside the main entrance to the right.

Here’s a 4 picture panorama inside the main entrance.

I hadn’t realized how many seats there are on rooftops of adjacent buildings. This photo was taken from the very top corner seat. That’s Sheffield Avenue below. Sheffield intersects with Waveland at the upper left of the photo…where the red car is turning.

This was the view from our seats.  The "luxury" box seats were added about 10 years ago. They are directly over our heads. It’s the thin layer of seats directly below the upper deck (seen at upper middle of the photo).

The hand operated scoreboard. This photo was taken at the end of the game, right after the final score was posted. It’s on the lower left side.

Here’s the sign at the front displaying the final score…Wrigley’s version of lighting the halo.

Impressions?

1) If you’ve ever met a Cub fan, they seem more "in love" with their team, almost as though the team is a part of their extended family. I think I understand part of the reason why. Wrigley Field and the surrounding residential neighborhood are tightly interwoven. They are a part of one another, and seem to play off each other.

2) People we met were friendly and curious. I had no problems with anyone, even though I was wearing an Angel cap and shirt. About the only team identity that may have caused problems would have been a White Sox gear.

3) The food was great, and the facilities were adequate. No extended waiting time for food or restrooms.

 If you ever have a chance to see a game at Wrigley, take it! You can suspend time in your mind and imagine what it was like seeing a baseball game 75 years ago.

To check out more photos, go to this link (taken the day of the game) and at this link (taken on Monday, 6/22 on a tour of the stadium). There are two pages of photos for each link.