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Pregame
The first stadium on our list for 2015 is U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.Having been in Chicago last year, we decided to forgo some of the activities that we took part in last year. One thing we did want to check out were the new renovations at the Navy Pier. We found some cheap parking on the street ($4 per hour) and walked a couple of blocks to the pier.
Even with it being a Monday, the pier was filled with people shopping, going on boat rides, or simply taking a stroll up and down the walkway. Boat tours ran about $30 and lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. There is plenty of food choices on the pier and tons of places to go shopping — most of the stores inside the main building on the Navy Pier. The view from the pier is great, looking back at the city you can see skyline meet the lake.
After making our way to the end of the pier, we decided it was time to get some food. Ben and Nate had been itching for some Thai food, so Laura and Tyson knew of a place nearby called Dao Thai Restaurant and Noodle Place.
The inside of the establishment had an authentic feel, to the best of our knowledge anyway, to a restaurant in Thailand. We started the meal out with two kinds of spring rolls (one of which is pictured below) and each got our own variety of entrees. The portions were large and the pricing was actually very respectable — a little more than $12 per person after the appetizers.
We did our best to clean our plates, but eventually we gave up. After all, we had to save some room for the stadium food. The time had flown by, and we wanted to make sure we could all get ready for the game. Also, our parking time was running out.
A light rain had begun as we got to Laura and Tyson's. We had to park a few blocks away, so we figured we could wait in the car a couple of minutes to let the rain pass. One of us decided that the rain had let up enough for us to make a break for it. This was a bad idea, and we later voted that it was Ben's voice that sent us on the foolish mission.
With every step we took, the intensity of the rain increased. We tried to walk under every building awning or tree possible. By the time we got to our destination, it looked as though we had all jumped in a pool.
Travel tip: It's always smart to bring more clothes than you need, just in case events, such as the one above, occur. Do not forget that shoes are included in this. Omission of an extra pair can lead to a soggy remainder of the night.
The game
We finally dried off and elected to start our travels to U.S. Cellular about an hour and half before game time. After our intelligence was verbally assaulted last year by a train attendant for not getting the day pass — which is definitely the way to go — we made sure to get one opposed to a round trip ticket.The train ride lasted roughly 25-30 minutes. We had finally arrived at the home of the White Sox.
This game had several intriguing story lines, the most prominent being White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale's quest to become the first pitcher in Major League history to record 10 strikeouts in nine straight starts. Toronto's Mark Buehrle spent the first 12 years of his big league career with the White Sox, throwing a no-hitter in 2007 and a perfect game in 2009.
As we entered the stadium, we were asked to take everything out of our pockets, revealing that Ben and Nick had brought an extra pair of socks for their squishy shoes. But upon entry, we were given a T-shirt as part of that game's giveaway.
Our seats were great, in the outfield in row three. It was a lot of fun to be that close to the action.
One of the first things we noticed was the abundant food options. U.S. Cellular had everything from hot dogs, sausage, and hamburger to pizza and tacos. The pricing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't cheap. Some combo meals — a cheeseburger and fries — ran about $10.
There were plenty of beer varieties, domestic and premium. A large domestic was $9, while premium was just a buck extra.
Those two home runs — one from Chris Colabello and the other from Josh Donaldson — were enough to give Toronto a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs, Chicago's Jose Abreu singled home the tying run with two outs. The next batter, Melky Cabrera, drove in two runs on a double, right in front of us down the left field line.
Sale came out to pitch the ninth inning, and after allowing two of the first three batters reach base, Toronto's Danny Valencia grounded into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Postgame
After the game, we were on our way back to the train when we noticed that the Chicago Cubs were still playing their game against the St. Louis Cardinals. So, we decided to take the train all the way to Wrigley and at the very least see if we could watch the rest of the game at a bar, if they wouldn't, for some reason, let us in for free.By the time we got there, the game, which had been in a delay, was about 15 minutes from resuming. After grabbing a quick drink at the Sports Corner, and getting rejected by Cubs' officials when trying to get into the game without a ticket, we decided to walk down Clark Street and find a bar to watch the end of the game.
We walked by the Irish Oak — which turned out to be a Notre Dame and Denver Broncos bar — and thought it looked like fun on the inside.
Good music, fun crowd — not too many people but not empty either — and TVs with the game on made this the perfect bar for us to go to. When the game was over and the crowd began to thin, we started chatting with the bar's bouncer, Mike. He was a younger gentleman, who plays semi-pro football in addition to his bouncing duties.
Mike was a fun guy to talk to, telling us about the crowds that visit and discussing other sports topics. Next thing we know, Mike is bringing us free samples of a local beer called, "Not Your Father's Root Beer."
These beers were magnificent. Not only did they taste exactly like Root Beer, but they were 10 percent alcohol. Mike told us there is another version which is about 18 percent alcohol. The Root Beer, and some sound advice from Mike, gave one of us the courage to approach someone on the dance floor, but
Some advice that Mike gave us that did end up being worthy was where to grab a late night bite after we left the Irish Oak — which as a tradition plays Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" to close the night. We found Dimo's Pizza, and this place had so many obscure toppings that we didn't know where to begin. Thankfully we met two locals in line that helped us decide.
The slices we got was Waffle Pizza, BBQ Chicken and Mac & Cheese, and also Spinach Tomato Pizza. At 2:15 a.m., all slices were, of course, delicious.
After the pizza, we took the train back to Laura and Tyson's. We met some people as we got off the train that loved to talk baseball. A few minutes of walking passed before we parted ways. We finally arrived out our destination and got some much needed sleep before setting out for Milwaukee.
Standings
This was our second time in Chicago, but, when looking at the numbers, this trip was better. But not by much.When it came down to the rankings, the two Chicago trips were tied down to the nearest tenth, but U.S. Cellular beat out Wrigley by just a few hundredths of a point. The White Sox stadium tied Wrigley with an 8.3 rating. We all agreed that the "sex appeal" of the stadium was one of the ballparks' best appearance, right next to the food and beer selection. U.S. Cellular had just about any type of food you could think of. And for Chicago, it wasn't to bad of a price.
The night life was great. There were plenty of bar choices, and most of them had fun and lively crowds. When desired, we found a couple bars that we could just sit and relax in as well. The big selling point for the night life was the transportation. The train takes you anywhere you want to go and is always available. And the day pass makes for a cost-efficient way to get around if you're interested in using it more than twice.
| Rank | Stadium | Rating |
| 1. | Kauffman Stadium | 8.4 |
| 2. | U.S. Cellular | 8.3 |
| 3. | Wrigley Field | 8.3 |
| 4. | Coors Field | 7.1 |
On deck
Be sure to check our blog soon, because coming up next we'll have a post on our trip to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play at Miller Park! And then we'll cap the trip off with a game in Minneapolis at Target Field. Once again, please feel free to hit us up with suggestions on things to do at any trip we are going on. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, @MLBjourneymen, and check out our Instagram account, mlbjourneymen.Thanks for going on this journey with us!
"Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal."
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