sarge56

gracie, if the White Sox are playing the Red Sox, you may not be able to get tickets. That would be the first thing I'd check on. And frankly, I think you are better off going to Wrigley to see a Cubs game. Great neighborhood, too, so there is much to see/do/places to eat. And come on, it's Wrigley Field!

gracie

I don't think the Cubs are at home over Labor Day Weekend.

tchoiniere

The Red Sox are in that weekend. Tickets will be extremely tough, if not impossible to get. Try stubhub.com if you cant get them through the team site but prices will be inflated.

Cubs are definitely on the road that weekend.

exiledprincess

gracie, please give us a trip report when you return so we know what you ended up doing and how you liked our fair city!

P.S. We love it here! That's why we are so proud in showing it off!

gracie

Dear Fodorites, I have taken your advice to heart and have decided to go ahead and purchase the baseball tickets and then work around that schedule. However, I am at a loss of how to go about picking a good seat, if any are available. I have never been to a professional baseball game, and I can't reach DH right now to ask him where the good and bad seats are. (Not that DH would necessarily know. We are not big baseball people -- mostly into college football, but we want to get as much out of the Chicago visit as possible.) And I promise a trip report.

tchoiniere

use www.seatdata.com to see the view from the sections. Personally I like the seats in the lowest section to the field. I usually aim for the sections behind either dugout. However, these seats tend to be the most expensive. I sat in section 108 last year (1st row) and enjoyed it.

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/cws/...rk_seating.jsp

I would figure out your price range and work with what is available at this point. May not be much of a choice. I have sat in Upper Decks at other stadiums and you still have a great view of the stadium, but you may not have access to the lower level (can't go towards the field, there is a bar in RF that you need the lower level tickets for, etc). I have also sat in the lower level in the OFs which are fine but you are quite a bit from home plate.

1 warning is that with it being the Red Sox, it will be quite rowdy and loud in there. There was some fighting last year (oddly it was White Sox fans fighting each other in my section). This type of behavior is generally in the cheaper seats. Could also hear some verbal abuse of fans.

Recent thread about Fan behavior
http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...-behaviour.cfm

gracie

Well, I read the thread about fan behavior. I am very much a non-confrontational person, actually pretty chicken. At this particular game, we wouldn't have any stake one way or the other in the outcome. However, I know that even having said that, we could get pulled in to something we are not prepared for. Although DH is not the type to fight, I am afraid he would not back down and he is out of shape, older, slower.

tchoiniere

I included that just as a general warning about possible behavior. Most likely, you won't be a part of it as you are going in as neutral observers. I just wanted you to be aware of it.

DMG

If you get a Bank of America Cash Station card, admission to The Art Institute (and many other museums around the country) is FREE the first weekend of every month. So it would work for you on Labor Day weekend.

Do take the CAF boat tour and maybe even one of their walking tours. And walk along the lake from Navy Pier up to Oak Street or even to North Avenue.

Have a great weekend!

gracie

I bought tickets through stubhub yesterday for the Saturday afternoon game. Our seats are on the lower level between 3rd base and home. We are so excited.
Our itinerary is looking like this:
Friday -- Flight arrives at O'Hare at 10:38 am. We will go directly to the hotel (Embassy Suites)and check our bags. We will grab a quick lunch and take the CAF tour. Then walk south to Millenium Park and visit the Art Institute and the Jazz Festival Friday night.
Saturday -- John Hancock building; walk around Navy Pier in the morning. Ballgame tentatively set for 3:00. Maybe go back to Navy Pier after the game and see fireworks??
Sunday -- beach, maybe a walking tour, possibly Jersey Boys matinee
Monday -- breakfast and leave for airport

tchoiniere

Glad you got everything worked out. Enjoy it. I absolutely loved Chicago last year and can't wait to come back. The 3:05 time for the game is for first pitch, not for admission to the park. I usually aim for 1.5 hours before game time to get there so i can walk around and enjoy the stadium.

gracie

tchoiniere, thank you for the tip about what time to get to the game. I had no clue. DH always likes to get to football games way early, so it won't be a problem getting him ready and on the go. BTW, enjoyed your trip report.
Exliedprincess-- hope you have a great birthday, and thank you for the itinerary advice. Thank you also to citylghts, sarge56,AJMelheim, bachslunch, cd, sf7303, gina 187 and DMG for the suggestions. (Hope I didn't leave anyone out.) DH and I appreciate all the effort. We are so ready to go!!

gracie

Just a quick update. I was able to book the Swisshotel on quikbook for $88.00 per night. I may just cancel our reservations for $152. nightly at Embassy Suites. Do you think this Swisshotel deal is on the up and up?

BetsyinKY

Wow! That is a great deal for the Swissotel. I've never heard anyone complain about quikbook, so I would assume it's safe to book through them. We just stayed at the Swissotel last weekend and it was $209, so I'm very envious of that rate! We really liked the hotel, though, and many of the rooms seem to have great views of either the lake or the river.

cd

That is a wonderful rate for the Swisshotel. What a nice present, gives you more money for dinners!

gracie

Not only for dinners, but for the theatre! I paid quite a bit for the tickets to the White Sox because I wanted it to be a special event for DH. It is probably the only pro baseball game we will ever attend together. Now I can try and get tickets to Jersey Boys.

cd

Gracie
I LOVED Jersey Boys!! My toe was tappin thru the whole thing!

BetsyinKY

I just saw Jersey Boys in Chicago and it was wonderful! The Chicago cast is really good. I'm getting jealous of your trip!

sarge56

gracie- I am SO excited for you! You got the best seats in the house, in my opinion, for the ballgame. Although I favor the 1st base side, because more men get to 1st base than third, and we love to hear the professional hecklers behind us heckling the other team's first base coach! hahahaha

But you will love it! You'll be right in the heart of the action. DO pay attention. Batted balls are likely to end up in your area of seating and you will want to duck if that happens!

You will absolutely love Chicago and I cannot wait to read your trip report!

Have a safe and fantastic trip!

gracie

Chicago experts -- just a few last minute questions. We arrive at 10:38 am Friday at O'Hare. We are thinking of taking blue line from O'Hare. Is this a good idea? Which stop would leave us closest to Swisshotel? One poster had taken this route and exited at exited at Clark/Lake, I think. Would you recommend this route from O'Hare? Also, we are thinking about taking public transportation to the White Sox game and back to our hotel. Our tickets are for Saturday's game, which is set for 3:00 p.m. Would you advise public transportation or taking a cab?