Another Successful Chicago Weekend!

Wendy and I have been doing a Chicago Cubs Road Trip for quite awhile now... looking back through pictures, this looks to be year #6 (our first game was 5/14/2006 - we actually did 2 games that year, though). We started this tradition before the men in our lives, and we will continue the tradition for as long as we can. *smiles*

We started out early Saturday morning (though running late, as usual for the two of us), and headed north on I-65. We planned on doing an overnighter again this year, but we wanted to drop things off at the hotel before the game. Hence the earlier than usual 'planned' start time. We did make great time, though, and got to the hotel in the middle of checkout time for the previous night, which made it a crazy time to get there. They didn't have a room ready, but they took our bags and valeted our car as we heading to the Red Line a block down.

The Red Line will probably be our regular tradition now (when we stay overnight, at least). It's so much easier and with the rest of the fans on board, it helps get you amped for the game. Just grab a day pass for the CTA and we're set for wherever we want to go! And the fact that it drops you off right next to the field helps.

Game time. It was hot! Pretty close to the heat that Eric and I had for our game two weeks ago. There was a bit more of a breeze, but not much. The Mai Tais were going down REALLY easy... TOO easy! We did both gobble down a Wrigley Dog before the drinks started flowing, but since we knew there was no driving in our future, we didn't worry about the number of Mai Tais it took to keep us cool. Though, yes, there was water in there, too.

As the game progressed, you could see a storm coming in from the west. It slowly got darker and darker... and then the rain came! They just got the 7th inning stretch in with Jon Lovitz and the guest to sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame', and they called a delay. Cubs were up, 5-3. So if they had to call it, we were in good shape! But we wanted the game to start back up, so we stuck around through the 1 hour rain delay.

They did get the field as dry as they could - they have a pretty cool drainage system for the outfield that they squeegee the water to (as an engineer, I think it's cool, anyway). Then the game commenced! Yay! They even served alcohol for an extra inning - probably since there weren't too many people left! Then in the 9th, form Cub Derrek Lee hit a grand slam to put the Pirates ahead 7-5. Boo! And the Cubs couldn't come back to win it.

Of course, by that point, Wendy and I had already made our memories for the game... the rain just made it this year! We had out ponchos, so we kept mostly dry. Wendy played in the rain a bit with a little boy who was out there - not sure who had more fun. But then, Wendy and I always have fun at Wrigley, no matter the weather!

Saturday night, we went to dinner at one of the places Eric and I tried two weeks ago - Mercadito's. Unfortunately, there was a long wait without a reservation (lesson learned!), but we tried some of their drinks and kept entertained until they had some seats available in their downstairs lounge, which was a pretty cool atmosphere. The food was good, of course, and the people watching was better with the locals having such a strong presence here - very different from a night out in Indy!

Sunday was for shopping! We woke up to a beautiful blue sky a comfortable temps to shop around Michigan Avenue in. We had out big hot breakfast before we left the hotel and headed out as soon as the stores were open. I'd say we had a successful shopping trip with all the Labor Day Sales that were going on. We shopped as long as we could keep our car in the hotel parking garage, which was plenty late enough in order for us to still get home to Indy at a decent hour. Which of course still included a stop at Fair Oaks Farm.

So all in all, another great weekend in Chicago! I love going up there - wish I could get up there more. Maybe another trip in the fall with Eric...