Tag: Wrigley Field

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

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The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox.

Not every city is blessed (cursed?) with two Major League Baseball teams, but Chicago boasts a team for the North Side and the South Side. I was raised a Cubs fan and still hold true to the red and blue (no bandwagon-ing here, I promise), but growing up on the other side of the state the biggest rivalry I knew was Cubs vs. Cardinals. I didn’t realize the extent to which the MLB divided this city.

I do my best to stay out of any Cubs vs. Sox heated discussions, but I have been caught in the cross fire. I think that especially at a time when the Cubs are better off than the Sox, the Sox’s fans are holding even tighter to their team allegiance. While they can boastfully ask when the Cubs won their last championship, the Cubs can come back with questioning the Sox last visit to the play-offs…

Even as a Cubs fan, I went to a Sox game last fall for fun. I definitely enjoyed it, but will (somewhat biased-ly) admit that Wrigley is where it’s at. For me, Wrigley’s historic charm and ivy wall are so much more appealing for an afternoon of baseball. Wrigley is also much easier to get to from LUC’s red line L location, rather than a long journey to the South Side for a Sox game.

I had planned to go see the White Sox game this Saturday, but waking up to a snow-covered ground doesn’t exactly put you in mood for baseball. Sooner or later Chicago will get its weather back on track and going to a baseball game will be much more appealing.

As a Loyola student, be sure to keep your eyes out for discounted tickets for baseball games (and all kinds of other shows and events)! Then you’ll have a little extra money to spend on a hot dog or pretzel at the game.

If you come to Loyola from out of town or without an MLB allegiance, I encourage to pay a visit to Wrigley and U.S. Cellular Field to experience all that Chicago baseball has to offer–then you can let me know who really does baseball best.

 

Making College Fun

Making College Fun

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Even with a lot of work to do, I still find time to do enjoyable activities. Studying is important, but having downtime is just as important. I don’t work well when I’m stressed because my mood and motivation go down and nothing gets done. Therefore, I’m going to write several of the things I’ve done thus far since school started and things I hope to do in the month of October do de-stressing and have some fun.

Things that I have done:

1. I went to a Cubs game. They lost 2-1, but the game was still worth it. My boyfriend and I sat four rows behind home plate, the weather was perfect and the game wasn’t boring. Even though I’m not a baseball fan, I had a great time because I completely focused on being at Wrigley Field with someone I love spending time with instead of thinking about work, classes, or actually getting stuff done. It was really nice to give my brain a night off and not have to think too much about the stressful aspects of my life.

2. I’ve gone out to dinner about once a week. Since school started, I have gone to Outback Steakhouse and Bakers Square, and discovered Five Roses out in Rosemont, Moretti’s in Edison Park, and Rogs in Schiller Park. These places are out of the way for most Loyola students, but there are many delicious places to go out to eat in the area. Some of my favorites are FoodLife in WaterTower Place, Elly’s near Lincoln Park, and Pete’s near the Granville Red Line.

 

Things I Look Forward to Doing:

  1. I’m going camping this weekend. I’m really excited because I’m going to Milwaukee, WI tomorrow with my boyfriend and some friends. I’ll be spending a lot of time fishing, sitting by a campfire, gazing at the stars and hopefully doing some hiking. Smores and tents, here I come!
  2. I hope to finally do a corn maze this year. I’ve never done one so I would love to finally make that happen.
  3. Go to Fright Fest at Six Flags and go to the haunted houses. I’ve never gone to the haunted houses at Six Flags and I would love to see if they scare me because thus far, the only haunted houses that terrified me were the ones I went to when I was 12.
  4. I’m going paint balling at the end of October. I went once when I was 13 and I had a lot of  fun so I can’t wait to go again after all this time.
  5. Potentially go to a pumpkin patch and carve pumpkins. The last time I carved a pumpkin, the nice word to describe what it looked like is interesting. This year, I want to try again and really make a pumpkin that can look worthy of sitting outside on the front porch for people to see.
Backflips at the Ballpark

Backflips at the Ballpark

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For everyone who believes that the city of Chicago offers something for everyone, this past weekend was proof.  On Saturday, I was interrupted from my studies by a friend who was down at the historic Wrigley field.  He was on his way to attempt the infamous Lucky’s Sandwich Challenge (A daunting task that not even he could complete) and was brought right past the stadium.  He called to spontaneously inform me about an event we would be witnessing later that night.


Just off the Addison stop sits the heralded Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team.  Today, though, baseball was not being played.  The millions of people who visit Wrigley every year to watch Cubs baseball would have been taken aback at what they saw.  In fact, almost anyone would be taken aback.  That is because the outer-limits of Wrigley field had become a playground for snowmobiles.
Yes.  It was a chilly 50 degree day in early November in Chicago, but there was certainly no snow on the ground.  What there was, though, was multiple 25-foot tall mound of dirt covered by a rubber tread.  This tread became the launching pad for 450 pounds snowmobiles.  In addition to these mounds were tall ramps that sent snow machines and their riders 50+ feet in the air, giving the rider just enough time to show off a trick or flip the machine.  As the fearless riders propelled themselves into the air, the crowd cheered for them in excitement, but mostly in awe.  This was the Red Bull Fuel+Fury freestyle Snowmobile Competition.
I had never seen such a sight.  Eight riders from around the world were flipping and spinning large snowmobiles outside of Wrigley Field to the dismay of all observers.  Occasionally there were close calls, and in one instance a rider flipped off the vehicle upon landing, but wound up being okay.  The best part about the evening (besides experiencing something entirely new, and of course, the Red Bull) was the free admission.  On a college budget, nothing beats free, and this event did not disappoint.  In terms of bang for the buck, this event ranks up there with $5 Broadway Lion King tickets and $10 Blackhawk tickets.
So, for all of those snowmobile buffs, or all those who like extreme sports, or even all of those who like adrenaline rushes, make sure to remember that Chicago can and will provide.
For the record, Daniel Bodin won the competition and received his trophy from the great Cub, Ernie Banks.

The photo in this picture was taken by student Brian Bafaro.