Day 8 - A Tour of Wrigley and seeing the Sox on the South Side #20 - Guaranteed Rate Field

After making it back to our hotel from watching the Cubs/Braves game, we decided to order pizza and eat in the room while we enjoyed a relaxing evening just doing nothing.  Of course, we ordered some of the famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza from a local well-known restaurant (for me, it was okay, not blown away by it).  The next day we would start out by taking a tour of Wrigley Field and for me, it would be a chance to decide once and for all which is my favorite stadium that I have seen (more on that in a later blog post).
We pack up the van and drive into Chicago on the famous Lake Shore Drive and I am made even more aware of the fact that I am so thankful that I do not live in a city and have to deal with that traffic every day.  We arrive early and find some breakfast and then make it over to Wrigley for our Tour. It was kind of a rainy and dreary day but the weather improved as we progressed through the tour.

Soaking it all in at the "Friendly Confines"

A lot of upgrades have been taking place in the last few years.

Neighbors trying to take advantage of their priceless location selling seats looking over the left field wall.

Our Tour Guide's name was Bryan and he was very knowledgable of the history of Wrigley Field (who many may know was named for the owner of the Wrigley Chewing Gum Company).  We learned about the history of the Cubs, whose name has a connection to the Football Team, the Bears.  We also learned about the history of the Bleacher Bums as well as the manual scoreboard and the guys that work it every game.

The manual scoreboard in the upper right operated by an all-male crew.

We even got to go up into the visiting team's clubhouse where the Braves had just been the day before.

Tate and Trey sitting in the lockers used by Freddie Freeman or Ronald Acuna Jr. just the day before.

Then we got to go up to the Press box and see where the Hall of Fame Broadcaster Harry Caray used to entertain the crowd when he sang Take Me Out to The Ballgame during the 7th Inning Stretch.

Trey and Tate along press row.

Lots of famous beat writers and reporters had sat up here.

And then we go to go down on the field and into the Cubs dugout which was really exciting.

Trey and Tate down on the warning track at Wrigley Field.

Standing where many of the Cubs stand while watching a game.

Sitting on the bench in the Cubs dugout

Trey making a call to the bullpen

Tate enjoying a little "pine time"

It was there that our tour came to an end and we headed out of the stadium.  The tour was very informative and full of lots of history which I really enjoyed.  There was some construction going on at the time which kind of took away from the nostalgia of the old ballpark, but I have to say Wrigley is a must to take in for any baseball enthusiast.  Unfortunately, after taking in all of Wrigley, it still does not overtake Fenway as my favorite of all the stadiums so far.
We stopped by Wrigleyville Dogs to have a hot dog for lunch and then left the North Side and headed south toward the South Side of Chicago to get ready for the White Sox game that night.
To be honest, I was not very excited about seeing the White Sox.  Everyone always talks about the Cubs in Chicago and there is not a lot of talk about the Sox until you get to the South Side.  I'll have to say, I was impressed with Guaranteed Rate Stadium, even though the name is terrible.  Why couldn't they somehow keep the Comiskey name attached to it somehow like they did at Wrigley?  But the people on the South Side really do like their White Sox.  There is something to be said about the crosstown rivalries that exist in baseball.  But of all the stadiums that we went to on this trip, I would have to say that Guaranteed Rate was probably the most fan-friendly when it came to food.  Their selections were by far the best to choose from and the prices were also more affordable.  The White Sox were not doing very well this year but you would not know it by watching the game that we saw as we once again saw the Minnesota Twins (for the third time this trip).

The view of the home plate area from the outfield at Guaranteed Rate Stadium

Tate getting a little practice in the Kids Zone.

Skyline view of Chicago from Guaranteed Rate Stadium

The view from our seats - Not too bad

The scoreboard at Guaranteed Rate stadium and the rainbow overhead

A beautiful night for baseball on the South Side of Chicago

Stadium number 20 for Tate and Trey

Since this was the last stop on our 6 stadium tour of the Midwest, we decided to leave a little early to beat the traffic and head toward home.  The game was very entertaining and the White Sox were able to get the win.  This had been an amazing trip but like all good things, our trip was about to come to an end.  We left Chicago and drove for about two hours where we stopped in Lafayette, Indiana to rest for the night.  The next day we would be going home.

We are now 2/3 of the way from completing our quest.  And from here on out, it would not be so simple as just jumping in the family van and heading out.  To complete the Stadium Tour, we would have to fly somewhere and rent a car which will require a little more planning (and money).  But we are bound and determined to do this.  We've got four more years to get 10 stadiums out west.  To be continued...

Day 7 - Chicago and #19 - Wrigley Field, Cubs vs Braves!

Chicago, ChiTown, the Windy City, the 3rd largest city in America.  After leaving Miller Park the night before, we decided to make the 2-hour drive down to Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago, where we had a two-night reservation.  We didn't get checked in and in the bed until after midnight so we slept in a little that next morning.  But not too long because we had tickets for a 1:15 game at Wrigley to see the Cubs take on our red hot Braves.
I was not very excited about trying to get around Chicago due to its large size.  We had anticipated using the "El", or the train to make the trip to Wrigley and in fact, our hotel was conveniently located close to a train station.  But just for curiosity's sake, I looked into what it might cost to get an Uber or a Lyft.  I opened the app and found a ride from the front of our hotel to Waveland Avenue for 10 bucks!  Score!  We couldn't ride the train that cheap, much less have to deal with getting tickets and dealing with multiple stops.  This was a no-brainer.
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Harry Caray statue located at the corner of Waveland Avenue

When looking to buy tickets for the game, we wanted to experience what it was like to be in the famous Bleachers of Wrigley Field, and to sit with the "Bleacher Bums".  So when we arrived, we had to stand in line to be able to get seats in the bleachers as they were first come, first serve.  We arrive at the ballpark at our customary two hours before the first pitch to get in line before the gates open.  We were not first in line by any means.  I had really been looking forward to this stop for a long time.  I always tell people, when asked which is my favorite stadium that I have been to, that Fenway Park in Boston has been my favorite.  And most people will ask, "well, have you been to Wrigley Field?"  I would always have to say, "not yet".  Well, now I would be able to give my best personal opinion.  A little history here, Wrigley is the second oldest stadium in America, being built in 1914 (after Fenway Park built in 1912), and the people on the Northside LOVE their Cubs!
When we get through the gates, you can sense some of the nostalgia of yesteryear as you work your way up to the Bleacher section.  And in the areas in the outfield, you do get that old ballpark feeling.  The outfield bleachers do have the "old feeling" since it has the old flat benches with no backs for individual seats.  We worked our way down to the front row and secured some seats right above the hallowed Ivy of Wrigley Field.

View of the Ivy from our front row seats

The Iconic Manual Scoreboard of Wrigley and our fellow "Bleacher Bums"

I was excited!  We were at Wrigley Field and we were going to see our Atlanta Braves.  It couldn't get any better than this.  And then we started sweating!  It was so hot in the bleachers under the blistering sun.  But I was soaking it all in.  Trey was really enjoying himself getting autographs before the game.  This would be his best day ever getting signatures.  In fact, he got 9 Braves autographs and had his picture made with the Braves' Manager Brian Snitker and Braves TV personality Paul Bryd.

Trey with Braves Manager Brian Snitker - "Put me in, Coach!"

Trey "being interviewed" by Paul Byrd!

The game started out very exciting for us and our fellow Braves fans in the Bleachers as Atlanta went ahead 6-1.  But bullpen woes returned and the Cubs came back to go ahead and win the game.  There was some excitement just a few feet away from us. When a home run was hit by one of the Cubs, some poor fan in his attempt to catch the ball missed it and got hit in the nose.  I think it was broken as there was blood pouring everywhere and he had to be helped out of the stadium by medical staff.  We were entertained by Cookie Monster who led the chorus of Take Me Out To the Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch.  Another bittersweet moment took place in the 9th inning.  Former Brave and All-Star Closer Craig Kimbrel made his Cubs debut that day after recently signing a free agent contract.  He came in to try to shut down the Braves and get his first save.  It was painful to see him in that Cubs uniform.  The Braves, down by two runs, did get two guys on base and then Freddie Freeman grounded out to first to end the game with the score 9-7.

A couple of rowdy "Bleacher Bums"!

Although the Braves lost, Trey had a great day at Wrigley

The atmosphere in Chicago was great.  Their fans really love their Cubs.  We were set to tour Wrigley Field the next day and I would make my final determination about my favorite stadium after that.  So even though the Braves lost, we had a really good time at Wrigley.  After the game, we went outside the stadium for the picture by the iconic marquee at the front of Wrigley Field.

Kind of ironic posing for this with Braves shirts on.

Tate and Trey outside Wrigley Field

Small world moment - Outside the stadium, we meet up with one of Trey's classmates/teammates, Will Price as he and his Dad, Trae, had come up to Chicago to watch the Braves and Cubs.

Tate, Will, and Trey all supporting their Braves

Wrigley was so impressive that the next day we would go back for a tour of Wrigley and then head down to a game on the Southside to see the White Sox

Day 6 - Wisconsin Wonders - Lambeau Field and #18 - Miller Park

On Wednesday morning, we left out early from Minneapolis knowing we had quite a busy day ahead.  During the planning of this trip, we had nothing but baseball on my mind.  And it was not until I had a phone conversation with my buddy,  Brett Huffman, did I realize that we were going to be very close to Green Bay.  Now, as you know, Tammy was born in Wisconsin and she and her family are all about the Green Bay Packers.  Me, well, not so much, but I do enjoy football history.  And Green Bay has a lot of very interesting history.  So as I was mapping our trek from Minneapolis to Milwaukee, I looked at how far off the beaten path a drive to Green Bay would take.  It turns out it would take a couple hours extra.  So we decided to make it work.  Trey, who is not a huge football fan, has stayed true to his family roots and does like the Packers.  Funny story - we decided to keep this little diversion a secret from Trey.  In fact, since I am a history nerd, we had told the boys that we were taking a side trip on our way to Milwaukee to a famous battlefield (which was technically true).  After all, it wasn't unusual for me to want to see something historical.  He bought it.  It turns out, we had let Tate in on the secret the night before, but Trey had no idea.  Even though the signs on the interstate kept referencing how many miles we had left to Green Bay, Trey was oblivious.  Which made it that much better when be pulled in to the parking lot.  He was totally surprised!

Trey outside Lambeau Field in front of the Vince Lombardi statue.

It is a most impressive sight!  In fairly small Green Bay, Wisconsin, there is this beautiful stadium in the middle of a town that doesn't seem much bigger to me than Hickory, NC.  We decided to take the Stadium Tour (naturally).  It took about an hour, but it was very informative.  It could actually cause someone to change their allegiance to another team to become a Packer fan.  I was very impressed.  So much history and the pride that everyone there had for their team was incredible.

From inside the Atrium

Our view from the Alumni Suite

Our view coming out of the tunnel

The Jensens at Lambeau Field!

A very cool stop on our journey!

After an awesome time in Green Bay, we headed south to Milwaukee and Miller Park.  This had been a game we had been looking forward to.  And we were not disappointed.  Miller Park has a retractable roof and for this game, the weather was so nice outside that the roof would be open.  It is a beautiful stadium with lots of friendly staff.  We get there as soon as the gates open in hopes of possibly getting a BP ball.  Unfortunately, we didn't get one during BP because of the layout of the outfield.  It was not very good for souvenir seekers to be able to easily get a ball unless the shaggers on the would throw one to you.  So we gave up on that and tried to get autographs.  Trey is always on a mission to get as many autographs that he can.  He hurried down next to the Brewers dugout hoping someone (hopefully Christian Yelich) would come out and sign.  After 30 minutes or so, Tate and I gave up and went to find our seats which were on the Seattle Mariners side of the field.  As we get there, a few Mariners players are stretching and just a few autograph seekers are nearby.  As soon as we sit down, I see Mallex Smith signing and I tell Tate to go get a ball signed.  He walks straight up to him and he signs (and he goes on to have a great game that night too, just a coincidence I'm sure!).  Trey was unable to get an autograph and was pretty frustrated, even more so when he saw Tate's signed ball.  Trey would rally before we would leave.

The view from our seats.

The game was very entertaining, and unfortunately, the Brewers lost 4-2.  We did get to see an unusual occurrence.  The Brewers' Ben Gamel hit an inside the park home run which is something you rarely get to see.  And we got to see Mike Moustakas hit a home run over the right-field fence.  The game finished and Trey tried one more time to get an autograph.  He spotted one of the Brewers on the other side of the field.  He knew immediately by the hair who it was and took off.  It was All-Star Closer, Josh Hader.  I was holding my breath hoping he would still be signing by the time Trey got there.  Fortunately, Trey did get a pretty good signature.

Trey finally got an autograph - and it was from Josh Hader!

Miller Park was really nice and the people in Milwaukee are very friendly.  The stadium was a pleasant surprise and you can really feel the hometown pride of the Brewer fans, not unlike the love that most people in Wisconsin have for the Packers.  After a great time at Miller Park, we headed for the exit and got in the car to head south toward Chicago.  We were going to Wrigley the next day!

Day 5 - Some Downtime in Minnesota, Kind Of. #17 - Target Field

After we left the Field of Dreams, we headed north, bound for Minneapolis, Minnesota.  When planning for the trip, I reached out to my good friend, Nelson Neale for advice on where to stay and how best to get around Minneapolis.  Nelson and his lovely wife, Rose invited us to have dinner at his house upon arriving in Minnesota that evening.  And I must say, after 4 days of fast food restaurants and hotel breakfasts, it was a welcome treat to have a sit-down meal and good conversation with an old friend who I had not seen in a while.  We all had a great time catching up as well as being entertained by their 4-year-old daughter, Grayson.

After a very relaxing evening, we returned to our hotel and were looking forward to some downtime the next day before the Twins game later that night.  Or so we thought.  After a leisurely morning of resting and catching up on some laundry, we decided to visit the Mall of America.

Whoa!  What an impressive place.  Every shopper's dream place.  I don't know how many stores and restaurants are there, but if you can think of any name of a retail store, chances are it is there.  And the food choices were too many to count.  But to top it all, there are amusement park rides inside the mall.  It was incredible and a must visit place for anyone who comes to Minneapolis.

Amusement Park inside the Mall of America

Tate on the Log Ride

So after walking around the mall for several hours, we returned to our hotel to get ready for the game.  Once again, our friends, Nelson and Rose really took care of us.  They hooked us up with some great tickets for the game that night between the Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays.  We headed out to Target Field.

The Ball Park was very nice, as were the people there.  It is a great place to see a game.  The weather was perfect with temperatures in the mid 70s.

Target Field from section 109

We did arrive early enough for Batting Practice, the first time on this trip and if you've been reading this blog, you would know that is important for the boys.  Unfortunately, we did not get any baseballs this time, but a lot of BP home runs were hit.

The game looked to be a pretty good matchup between two different teams both at the top of their divisions.  The game turned out to be kind of lopsided as the Twins jumped all over the Rays 9-4.  The Twins' explosive offense already had double-figure hits by the 4th inning.

A Big Thanks to Nelson, Rose, and Grayson for a great time at Target Field

The food at the stadium was pretty good.  We had fried cheese curds for the first time, which were quite tasty.  The boys were excited to see a lot of hits including 3 home runs.  Our time at the Twins game was very enjoyable and once again, we thank the Neales for their generous hospitality and especially to Grayson for the in-game entertainment.

As an added bonus, we were also joined by our friend Ryan Feltis, a pilot with United, who had just flown in that afternoon and decided to take in the Twins game.  He, too, is trying to see all 30 Major League Stadiums and this was number 29 for him (one more to go, Fenway!).

So, after a "restful" time in Minneapolis, we would head to Milwaukee the next day.  17 Stadiums down, 13 to go.  We really had a great time in Minnesota.

Tate and Trey at Target Field

 

Target Field was a very nice park and the Minnesotans really like to cheer on their Twins.  The fans in the Midwest really have a lot of pride for their teams.  I guess that is why is referred to as America's Past time.  Every region in America comes out to support their teams especially in the Midwest in my opinion.

Day 4 - "Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa" - Field of Dreams

On Monday, we headed out of Grinnell, Iowa where we had stopped for the night and made the 2-hour drive toward Dyersville, which is where the Field of Dreams was located.  Yes, the actual movie set that was used to make the movie that debuted 30 years ago.  This was mostly for my benefit as that has always been one of my favorite movies.  So, with the opportunity of going to see the actual farm and baseball field where the movie was made was too good to pass up.  First of all, let me say that you don't just happen by this place.  To get there, you have to be going there intentionally because it is located on a remote farm out in the middle of nowhere.  That did not matter to us.  We are on a baseball journey and this had to be included.

The Field of Dreams Farm in Dyersville, IA

As we were driving to Dyersville and seeing all the vast green farmlands and endless fields of corn, I was reminded of the scene in the movie where Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) gave the monologue that would justify Ray Kinsella's (Kevin Costner) crazy idea of not selling his farm to investors after plowing up his cornfield to build a baseball field.

People will come, Ray.

They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.

"Of course, we won't mind if you look around," you'll say. "It's only twenty dollars per person." They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have and peace they lack.

And they'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.

America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.

This field, this game -- it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.

Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

As we drove up the driveway, I have to say there was a sense of nostalgia and longing for the past with images of the movie running through my head.  And as we parked and walked out onto the field, it was like we were dipped in magic waters.  It was awesome!

There is a scene at the end of the movie where Ray gets to meet his late father who comes back as a young player and he finally gets to ask him to have a catch.  I always thought how cool that would be if I could have a catch with my boys on that field.  Well, we played on that field for a good half hour.  It was a special memory for me and hopefully for the boys too.

Trey and Tate on the bleachers by the ball field.

Did not see any ghostly players coming out of the corn this time, just these two characters.

So was it worth the extra 3.5 hours and an additional 160 miles out of the way to go here?  Absolutely!  Although we only spent about 45 minutes there, I think it will be a stop we will never forget.   So, we left there and headed for Minneapolis, Minnesota.