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Stadium Review - The Deep Dish
The city of Chicago is a great sports town steeped in a fine tradition of superb local eats and unwavering fan support. Nestled in the heart of the rust belt area of the midwest, this thriving metropolis boasts five major league sports franchises supported by some of the most passionate fans in the country; and it's for this reason, the great fans of Chicago, that I was thrilled to finally arrive at Stadium #25, the Chicago Bears Stadium at Soldier Field.  We arrived in Chicago at ten in the morning on Saturday and there's nothing like Chicago decked out for the holiday season. The massive skyscrapers, Magnificent Mile, and museum & theatre districts ensure that there's something for everyone, no matter how long your visit might be.  As you know I'm a big proponent of local delicacies, so our first stop had to be Giordano's for some traditional deep dish, Chicago Style pizza. Giordano's typically has an hour long wait, but the pizza is fantastic and a must-try for any true Quester passing through the windy city.

Later that day, we stopped by Soldier Field to get the lay of the land. Back in 2003, Soldier Field underwent a fairly aggressive renovation project to modernize the aging stadium. Originally a fairly shallow bowl with solid Greek Columns that towered over the stands along the sidelines, the renovation project attempted to integrate the look of the original, but modernize the facility with improved fan comforts. These comforts include many of the modern era stadium must-haves like additional bathroom facilities, larger concourses, and better sightlines to the action down on the field. The renovation project added massive structures along the sidelines, creating a steeper sided bowl and also allowing for the inclusion of the massive luxury boxes that make today's NFL venue grotesquely profitable.  In the resulting incarnation of the new Soldier Field, it's trademark Greek columns look more like an afterthought.  Their once towering presence as the main design element is now dwarfed by what looks like a Martian crash-landing gone awry. I don't know about you, but as I approached the stadium, I wasn't sure if I was attending a sporting event or getting ready to defend the planet from alien invaders.

On gameday, we arose at 5:00AM CST to get an early start on the day. Staying at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place (thank you Priceline.com), we were actually positioned directly next to the pro tailgaters parking lot, located south of the McCormick Place Convention Center. I had arranged to tailgate with some of Chicago's finest throughout the morning, but we needed to get down to the lot as soon as possible if we were going to be able to enjoy some local flavor. It was a bitter cold Chicago day with a wind chill that expected to dip below zero, so I had armed my family with the best gear the Wal-mart hunting section had to offer. I was prewarned that the winds in Chicago penetrate all layers, chilling the unsuspecting non-native to the bone, so I wanted to make sure we were prepared. We put on wool socks, thermal underwear, and glove liners. We applied handwarmers, hand-made wool scarves, thermal boots, and knit hats. By the time we had all of our gear on, the three of us looked like we were wearing thermal fat suits, qualifying us for a role in the next Eddie Murphy movie. Although somewhat ridiculous-looking, the fats kids were very warm throughout the morning.

Our first tailgating host, was Dennis Lindley from Fork You Tailgating Club -  www.forkyoutailgatingclub.com. Dennis and the fellas setup an exceptional spread, including a collection of beers, some great brats, and a secret family recipe for spiked hot chocolate. But the local brew I took an immediate liking to was the "312" that Dennis was serving up - exceptional flavor, smooth taste, definitely hits the spot.  The only issue I had with the beer was a technical one, it was so damned cold out there that I had a tough time keeping it from freezing once I opened each bottle (my tangible experiment proving that pressure is inversely proportional to freezing point). So I spent most of the morning huddled around a fire drinking beer slurpies of 312 and shooting the breeze with some die hard, cold weather fans that know the game of football.

For the latter part of the morning we hooked up with Timmy from Da Bus - www.da-bus.com. Timmy has recently moved to Austin, Texas, but as a die hard, integral part of Chicago Bears Fandom, with a storied history encompassing twenty-five years of hometown tailgating, he couldn't let a few hundred miles get in the way. (Who would drive Da Bus if there was no Timmy?)  So Timmy flies home to his native Chicago for every home game. He sets up Da Bus in it's traditional spot and fires up a most noble pursuit indeed - a meat and beer fest appealing to man's most basic need, the need for beer. When we arrived, Timmy had setup an array of barbecues that were flame-broiling pork loin and marinated chicken.  The beer was plentiful and the food fantastic.   Da Bus, was awesome!  Starting out as a 1970's era school bus, Da Bus was won in a game of cards by some of Chicago's boys in blue.   It was given to Timmy, who gutted Da vehicle, installing astro-turf carpeting, bathroom facilities, and Chicago Bears decor transforming this mighty tailgating cruiser into a Bears Fan Mobile headquarters.  Da Bus is also heated providing that very necessary reprieve from the harsh winds of the typical Chicago winter.

As gametime approached, we headed toward Soldier Field, anxious to watch "Da Bears", take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.    Our tickets were being provided by the fine folks at Sportservice, the food and beverage concessions providers of the Soldier Field facility.  As I stepped up to the Will-call window, I was shocked to find out the folks from Sportsservice had provided us with tickets to their Suite (no thermal fat suit required).  So we raced up to the Suite Level to watch the game in style and I spend much of the first quarter peeling back the layers so I might watch the game more comfortably.   The game itself was a dominant performance by Da Bears who won 23 - 10.  Brian Urlacher and Company harassed David Garrard for much of the game as the Jaguars offense managed only 10 points.  Kyle Orton went 20-of-34 passing on the day with a pair of scores, while Matt Forte maintained his solid play on the ground.  The fans were fantastic and provided an electric atmosphere that Da Bears seemed to feed off of throughout the game.  Special Thanks to Sportservice for making Stadium #25, one to remember.  
 

2008 Chicago Bears "Face Value" Ticket Prices

 

Chicago Bears
2008 NFL Schedule

     1 Sun, Sep. 7, at Indianapolis 8:15 PM
     2 Sun, Sep. 14, at Carolina 1:00 PM
     3 Sun, Sep. 21, Tampa Bay 1:00 PM
     4 Sun, Sep. 28, Philadelphia 8:15 PM
     5 Sun, Oct. 5, at Detroit 1:00 PM
     6 Sun, Oct. 12, at Atlanta 1:00 PM
     7 Sun, Oct. 19, Minnesota 1:00 PM
     8 Sun, Oct. 26, BYE
     9 Sun, Nov. 2, Detroit 1:00 PM
    10 Sun, Nov. 9, Tennessee 1:00 PM
    11 Sun, Nov. 16, at Green Bay 1:00 PM
    12 Sun, Nov. 23, at St. Louis 1:00 PM
    13 Sun, Nov. 30, at Minnesota 8:15 PM
    14 Sun, Dec. 7, Jacksonville 1:00 PM
    15 Thurs, Dec. 11, New Orleans 8:15 PM
    16 Mon, Dec. 22, Green Bay 8:30 PM
    17 Sun, Dec. 28, at Houston 1:00 PM

NFL Football Stadiums

Tours are approximately 45-minutes long and are available on select dates (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) by phone reservation only.  Minimum group size for tours is 10 people and special arrangements can be made for groups larger than 30. If you are interested in booking the Soldier Field Tour be sure to call the stadium to make a reservation. 

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