Sunday, June 9th, 2013
I have not written in months, so this is yet another postponed post but enjoy...
On the morning, we were on the road again. When we reached Chicago, it was almost game time. We checked in with our hosts- Chris and Stephanie at a place I found on airbnb just a 10 minute walk from Wrigley Field. We also figured out Billy Corgan's old house and the Family Matters house was close by but you can only have so much fun.
Return to Wrigley
This was my fourth time at the Friendly Confines, and it did not disappoint again. Everyone talks about how great Fenway is, sure it has its charm, but I'll take Wrigley over Fenway any day. It is as Dave or Paul called it 'timeless'. If it weren't for the video screens, you would think you were watching a baseball game in any era. Those ivy covered brick walls, where Andre Dawson can get lost (who is also always nude in Dave's mind for some reason), and outfielders legitimately fear for their life. I may be wrong, but I feel like this is where they coined the term- warning track. I know I'm wrong but it sounds right, doesn't it?
Anyways, after loading up at the concession stands on a souvenir pepsi cup, fritos dog, and chili cheese tater tots at The Works Loaded Dog stand- the group of us moved towards our seats. I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I decided to book us terrace infield seats, so we could keep cool and out of the sun but our view of the historic scoreboard was slightly obstructed. Next time, I would move further from home plate if it meant having a clearer view of the field.
The game itself was slow at 1st but picked up. Pirates hurler, Jeff Locke had a no-hitter going for nearly 6 innings but the Cubs finally broke through with it. I already saw Verlander no-hit the Blue Jays a couple years back- didn't need to see my NL team no hit. This would have turned out to be a real ugly no hitter, Locke kept walking people and a Cubs run had already score due to some good base running. Cody Ransom was the Cub of the day scoring the 1st run, and breaking the tie with a 3 run home run. Somehow Kevin 'Greggles' Gregg managed to save the game- something he never seemed to do without giving everyone a heart attack during his time in Toronto!
Before the game was done, I found myself a nacho helmet (they had a chicago dog variety as well), and shared the behemoth with the group. At the end of the game, we had that damn 'Go Cubs Go' stuck in our head as the Cubs were victorious. I felt for the Cubs Store workers as one girl told me they basically had it on a loop for an hour after the game. Brutal. But catchy!
Cubbie Blue
After meandering around Wrigleyville, and checking out sports store, we made our way to Goose Island Brewery. This place is the best! They have beer flights available- so you can sample a few of the beers in smaller portions. The tastiest beer I had was the Cubbie Blue, but the 312 Urban Wheat is also excellent. We hung out on the surprisingly available patio- maybe it was because rain was threatening most of the day but held off. Go here, you won't regret it- touristy or not.
Pizza Night
I tried to warn everyone that two deep dish pizzas were going to be too much, but did they listen? No one ever does. Fairly sure that one small deep dish stuffed pizza can serve a family of 10. We were sitting in the Giordano's at Belmont, and a contingent wanted to have pepperoni or bacon or some other pork product that I could not partake in. So we ordered a small veggie and medium meat pizza, plus all you can eat salad, bread, and pop. Did I mention that we had some beer in the afternoon? Well this was a combination for delicious disaster. I don't think we even finished half the pizza but you know what- who cares, we had fun!
By the way, this is my rank of Chicago deep dish pizza joints (chains anyway): 1. Giordano's, 2. Lou Malnati's, 3. Gino's East (when they aren't taking forever), 4. Pizzeria Uno (but to be fair, I had it at O'Hare Airport- so that doesn't count). Never understood why Chicago Deep Dish has not made its way in Toronto more. There has been like 2 or 3 places in the GTA that has ever made it- and 1 of those is in Hamilton.
Double Door and Pacman
We met my friend Maya near the Double Door in the always great and formerly trendy (maybe still trendy), Wicker Park. Someone Maya knew was playing in a band there, but I think by the time we waddled our pizza filled bodies onto the 'L' train, they were already done. Still had to see the Double Door, had never been in my life.
We traveled into the danker and quirky basement space as the main venue was not being used for a Sunday night show with maybe 50 people at it. I will have to go back there with the main venue in use. Anyways, Maya showed me the billiards room where there were poster upon poster of great and not so great bands from over the years. It was a cool peek into the history of the venue. I don't remember much about the bands we did see play, but they were loud, and maybe trying a little too hard. But we enjoyed the company, and the atmosphere- even randomly dancing with strangers.
Once things winded down, we moved over to the Emporium Arcade Bar to play some classic video games. Maya hit it out of the park by taking us there, it made me hope that Toronto had such a place. This wasn't Dave and Busters or Playdium, this was a legit bar with a great craft beer list and everything from Asteroids to Duck Hunt to Turtles in Time. It was incredible- especially for nerd gangs like us. It was a great end to the night.
Next blog... "Fog Before the Storm"
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