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Thursday, November 21, 2024
HomeIllinoisChicagoMemories of Memorial Day: Sox & Tigers at U.S. Cellular

Memories of Memorial Day: Sox & Tigers at U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular Field is part of the Round The Atlantic Trip Report.


Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of baseball.  I have only been to a few games in my life, most notably seeing Bonds hit #667 at SBC Park, the 2007 NLCS between the Rockies and Diamondbacks, the 2013 AL Division Series at Fenway, and the World Baseball Classic in Guadalajara in 2017. Not included in the list are my numerous adventures at Arizona’s spring training exhibitions.

Coming back to America after being gone for too long (see Round the Atlantic Tour Trip Report), the most American thing I could do was go to a baseball game on Memorial Day. And, as luck would have it, the White Sox were playing my Detroit Tigers in Chicago that day.

Train 

I took the L train from my hotel to the stadium. a sign on a train tracka view of a highway through a fence

Tickets 

TPOL is a master of second-hand tickets (see Ticket Scalping NYC: Know Before You Go and Michigan Ohio State: A Case Study in Ticket Scalping). I saw some entrepreneurs and was able to get tickets for next to nothing.a glass of beer and tickets on a table

a man standing in front of a large building with statues
Would the tickets be real?

Pre Game

Baseball is better on booze (see If You Hate Baseball, You’ll Love Spring Training). To save a marginal amount of cash, I stopped at the bar next door for a few beers.a sign on a building

U.S. Cellular Field 

Just like it will always be Cowboy Stadium (not AT&T Stadium), it will always be U.S. Cellular Field to me. 500 level notwithstanding, I was able to take some beautiful photos.

a large building with a parking lot and people walking on the street
Horrible name for a company and stadium sponsor.

a sign from a ceiling a baseball field with people watching a baseball stadium with a crowd of people a large crowd of people in a baseball stadium a baseball stadium with people watching

A Note on the Cubs

While the White Sox are in Detroit’s division, the only team I resent in Chicago are the Cubs (and their fans). I’ve only seen Wrigley from the outside, but my White Sox friends tell me it’s a dump compared to U.S. Cellular.

Hot Dogs

What’s America without baseball? What’s a day at the ballpark without a hot dog? a man cooking food on a grilla hot dog with onions on a bun a man eating food in a stadium

Views

An advantage of 500 level seating is the view of downtown Chicago as I made my descent from the upper concourse.

a parking lot with cars and trees and a city in the backgrounda man standing with his arms out in front of a city

Overall

This Memorial Day, I’ll have fond memories of my time at the park and a greater appreciation for Memorial Day.

a statue of baseball players in front of a stadium
I don’t remember who won, but if I had to guess, I’d bet the Tigers lost.

 

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