PREVIOUSSPREAD: JERRYDRIENDL/GETTY IMAGES. THISPAGE, CLOCKWISEFROMTOP:GETTY IMAGES;
CHARLESREXARBOGAST/CORBIS; CHARLESCOOK/GETTY IMAGES
YankeessluggerBabeRuth famously rubbed it in
by pointing toward center field before hitting a
tie-breakinghomer inGame3.TheCubsalsoblew
a two-game lead in thebest-of-five 1984National
League Championship Series against the SanDi-
egoPadres andwere fiveouts from reaching the
2003World Series until now-notorious Cubs fan
Steve Bartman interferedwith a catchable foul
ball thatprovided the impetus foranepiccollapse
against theFlorida (nowMiami)Marlins.
Evenso,Cubs fanskeepcomingback formore
at the “FriendlyConfines,” thesecond-oldestball-
park in themajors, which is built on the site of a
former seminary. Now you knowwhy watching
theCubs is a religious experience formany. Each
visit to this national treasure of a ballpark is like
entering amuseum, if not a time warp, with its
redmarqueeout front; its tinywooden seatsand
outfield bleachers; its ivy-covered brick outfield
walls; itsoriginal, hand-operatedscoreboard; old-
timeorganmusiccoming from thesoundsystem;
and fans in the streets with gloves, waiting for
batting-practice home runs to fly out of the ball-
park. Nearby, theelevated trains rumblepast.
The ballpark is tucked neatly in a residential
neighborhood known asWrigleyville and is sur-
roundedby souvenir shops aswell as restaurants
and bars where fans congregate. Of the dozens
of establishments in the immediatevicinity toeat,
drinkandhangout, themostpopularareMurphy’s
Bleachers,SluggersWorldClassSportsBar&Grill,
and The Cubby Bear.
Murphy’s Bleachers
(for-
merlyRay’sBleachers,duringmycollegedays)sits
directly across fromWrigley. It’swhereWrigley’s
“Bleacher Bums” became famous during the 1969
pennant raceandwherecelebssuchasBillMurray
sometimes show up. It features inside and out-
sidedining, several big-screenTVs, plentyofbeer
choices, abloody-marybar, lotsofCubsmemora-
biliaandabeer-pong table in thebasement.
Sluggers
, once ranked among baseball’s top
10 sportsbarsbyESPN, hasbeendescribedas “a
sportsbar on steroids.” It features ahandful of 12-
footbigscreensamong its30TVmonitors,dueling
pianos, a dance floor and an extensive beer and
foodmenu.Whatseparates it from itscompetitors
is a second-floor indoor sports complex featur-
ing batting cages— yes, full cageswith pitching
machines—aswell as assortedelectronicgames.
TheCubbyBear
, across the street fromWrigley’s
marquee, is a 30,000-square-foot venuewith 75
plasmaTVsand isknown for its livemusic.
If youdon’t have a ticket to a game, or if you
want towatch from a different vantage point or
witha largegroupof friends, thereare 16buildings
across the street from the ballparkwith rooftop
access, all of which offer food, booze and long-
distanceplaying-fieldviews foroneprice.Butyou
have tobuyaspecial ticketorbookaprivateparty
toenjoy the rooftopexperiences.
FORCONTACTINFORMATION
forallplacesmentionedinthisstory,aswellasa
capsulized lookatthefeatures, insideandout, thatdistinguishAmerica’sother24major league
ballparks, logonto
aa.com/AmericanWay;searchkeyword“ballparks.”
NORTHSIDEBEARS:
On the street
outsideWrigleyField; JohnKlebba, a cook
atMurphy’sBleachers; Slugger’sSportsBar
56
APRIL 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
