Explore Chicago CTA Edition: This is Addison
This is Addison. Doors open on the right at Addison. This is a red line train to Howard. Hey everyone, welcome back to the seventh installment of Explore Chicago CTA Edition! As always, I’m your blogger, Miguel Molina! Today, we are going to be having some fun with both eats, treats, and sights down at the CTA’s Addison stop. Be sure to bring your student ID card, ventra card (u-pass), and as always, a hungry belly. So come on, let’s go out and explore!
Getting There:
There are three ways that I would recommend getting to Addison, depending on where you live and with time considered. The first way is the easiest. You can take the CTA Red line down from Loyola straight into Addison station (toward 95th). This may take around 25 minutes, give or take. Or, you can take the Intercampus shuttle from the Lakeshore Campus to the Water Tower Campus and take the El from Chicago and State north toward Addison (only five stops away). Lastly, you can always take an Uber or a Lyft, depending on the size of the group you are traveling with, and what time of day you are planning to visit the area.
Main Attractions:
Wrigley Field: Right off the Addison Red Line stop, from the El tracks, Chicago’s historic Wrigley Field comes into view. The crunch of Cracker Jacks are heard, the smell of freshly flash fried funnel cakes are brought out of the fryer, and the sight of a truly dedicated fan base is seen in the stands and bars surrounding the park. You have just stepped into a piece of history. Built in 1914, Wrigley is the second oldest professional baseball park in the United States, the first being Fenway Park in Boston. This was the site where the Cubs won the World Series in 1908 (which is coincidentally the same year that Dumbach Hall was built at Loyola’s Lakeshore campus). Wrigley is truly a place of character and is a true representative of what it means to be a Chicagoan. Like many historic buildings in Chicago, Wrigley Field has been retouched and fixed but never torn down and built from scratch. This helps preserve the history and sanctity of the structure. What makes this park so iconic are the ivy covered outfield wall, the grand marquee at the entrance that ushers spectators into the park, and of course Harry Caray’s tradition of the song belted out during the seventh inning. It is classic and true Chicago.
Music Box Theatre: Within the Addison and Wrigleyville area is the eclectic Music Box Theatre. This venue is the perfect place to watch independent, foreign, and cult classic films. This is the place where I got to see one of my favorite authors, David Mitchell, and director of his work Cloud Atlas, Lana Wachowski during my freshman year of college. The theatre is the place to visit if you enjoy movies that are not typically shown as the summer blockbuster at your hometown theatre. Additionally, if you like ghost stories or haunted places, the Music Box has its own theatre ghost, dubbed “Whitey”. For a classic Halloween tradition outing with your friends, be sure to come and watch the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (with your toilet paper of course). And if you watch The Room be sure to bring spoons! For more information on what’s showing check: (https://www.musicboxtheatre.com)
It’s Time to Eat:
Old Crow Smokehouse: Are you in the mood for some quality barbeque and hearty comfort food? You have come to the right place by checking out Old Crow Smokehouse! As always, I would recommend the tasty brisket (who can go wrong with brisket and burnt ends?), the pulled pork, and their sausage. If you are looking some good sides to accompany that meal be sure to check out their macaroni and cheese (many good barbeque places offer this), cornbread (psst it has bacon in it), and their baked beans! If you want more options, be sure to check out their menu with the link attached: http://oldcrowsmokehouse.com/wrigleyville/dine-in-menu/
Moe’s Cantina: Tacos! Need I say more? Moe’s Cantina is a traditional Northern Mexican restaurant that specializes in tasty and truly flavorful meats in delicious rubs and spices. This is a great place to hang out with your friends before and after the baseball game. There are two types of ways you can appreciate this meal, with either mesquite grilled skewers of meat (e.g. carne asada, camarones con tocino, pollo pimiento, etc.) or some tacos (al pastor, carbon, de camaron, etc.); or if you are likely me and order both! Here you can sample a bunch of different flavors with your friends and share a quality meal! If you want more options and suggestions check out: https://moescantina.com/wrigleyville/menu/
Still hungry and looking for more to visit? Be sure to tune in March 13, 2018 as we go and start to explore more of the north side as we stop at Argyle, Home to Vietnamese Town “Little Vietnam” on this edition of Explore Chicago CTA Edition. Doors closing.
