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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > June > 05 > Entry
The detective takes a vacation: Chicago, the Cubs and the CTA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I took off last week, grabbed Detective Sandy and the youngest of our litter, Cody, and hit the road to Cincinnati and then Chicago. Normally in the summer we head south to the beach, which is required in my marriage contract.
We travel north, a couple of times each year to visit Detective Sandy’s folks in Cincinnati and have my picture made in front of the “Pete Rose Avenue” street sign.
We visited a day or so and then headed north, through Indiana, to Chicago. Indiana means “Land of Indians.” More recently it means “Long Stretches on Flat Land with Few Bathroom Stops.” It makes you appreciate how hard farmers work.
We like to head north to Chicago for Cubs baseball, Chicago hot dogs and Chicago pizza. If you like baseball, go to Wrigley Field and watch a Cubs game. It doesn’t matter where you sit. Go early and visit the Cubbie Bear restaurant and bar, which is across the street from the entrance to Wrigley. The only problem is that on game day, they don’t allow anyone under drinking age in the main area. Murphy’s and the other pubs on the block have the same rule. Cody is only 14 so even with the fake beard and stilts he still looked too young to get in. (We’ll miss him.)
Still, if you get to the park a couple of hours ahead of the game, you can hit the restaurants and Cub’s merchandise stores, and vendor areas. Wrigley is one of the few, possibly the only, parks where the visiting team’s bus drops players outside — Gate D I think. Remember this after the game too because some of the players will stop and sign autographs.
Cody bought a baseball, overpriced at $20, but it proved worth it when, after the game, Chipper Jones stopped and signed it for him. Jeff Francoeur actually came outside and signed several autographs. Most of the other players went directly to the bus, not stopping to autograph anything.
By the way, Chipper Jones signed about a dozen autographs even though some Cubs goober was yelling, well within earshot, cheap shots about his thumb, which had put him on the disabled list that day. It would have been just as easy to get on the bus and not have to hear it but he ignored it and kept signing. Good for him. Francoeur, in the meantime, looked like the greeter at Wal-Mart, meeting people, signing autographs and grinning. It made my son’s day.
Cubs Fans The Braves have a lot of fans out of town. Cody had a Braves jersey, Braves t-shirt underneath, and a Braves hat. I was worried that he might get harassed but along with the fact that there were a lot of folks in Braves shirt and hats, the Cubs fans are a pretty good bunch. They engage in good-natured ribbing but nothing tacky. Fortunately, the Braves won. I’m told that “good-natured” is not a phrase that is used on the south side of Chicago where the White Sox play. They told me that Sox fans are not that good natured about the other team’s fans.
Getting Around
Chicago is a big city but getting around is not difficult. The train system is pretty easy. We stayed north of the city, up near Skokie mostly because I thought that was a cool name. We took the yellow line (Skokie) to the red line (Howard) to Addison Street, which is a block from Wrigley. It’s that simple. We spent a day sightseeing, going to the Navy Pier and museums. The bus schedules are more difficult but if you stay on the red line to Grand, then grab the free trolley, you’re at the Pier in no time. The museums were a bit more difficult. They’re spread out so do some planning. Chicago has a ton of locations along the lake front. They’re big on greening the city so there are a lot of parks. If you get lost, the Chicago Transit Authority employees were very friendly and very patient every time they kicked me off the train.
I left my cell phone on auto answer-go away-I’m not calling back-mode. I recommend it. The drive was long but it was a good trip and not once did I have to undergo the exam by TSA employees and that evil wand. Now I’m totally worthless, relaxed, and completely unprepared to return to work. Bear with me.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Kara
June 5, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this
As a transplanted south sider, White Sox fans are appreciative of the opposing team’s players, unless they’re Cubs fans.
By WhiteSoxFan
June 5, 2007 12:46 PM | Link to this
Say it again Kara. Generally, the only fans White Sox fans are rude to are Cubs fans and they give as much as they take!
Glad you enjoyed my old city. I really miss it during the summer, just can’t do winters anymore. I was running out of furniture to place in the street during blizzards!
By Cubbie
June 8, 2007 4:51 PM | Link to this
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear it all the time that Sox fans are fine as long as they are not Cubs fans that are visiting.
Actually it really doesn’t matter who you root for or against, there will always be some jerk that has had one too many beers and thinks he is Robin Williams.
Steve - You gotta take Cody to Sluggers they do not have age requirements and even if you do get harassed about him being under 21 you can always take him upstairs and show him who’s the man in the batting cages.
By Cubbie
June 8, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear it all the time that Sox fans are fine as long as they are not Cubs fans that are visiting.
Actually it really doesn’t matter who you root for or against, there will always be some jerk that has had one too many beers and thinks he is Robin Williams.
Steve - You gotta take Cody to Sluggers they do not have age requirements and even if you do get harassed about him being under 21 you can always take him upstairs and show him who’s the man in the batting cages.