Wrigleyville

Neighborhood Life

Located just five miles north of Chicago's Loop in the heart of the Lakeview community, this vibrant neighborhood is one of the most populated areas in the Midwest. Part of that has to do with Wrigleyville's world-famous Wrigley Field baseball stadium - which attracts over 40,000 ticket-holders (plus countless fans who cram into the surrounding bars) for every home game. But even when the Chicago Cubs aren't in town, this area is still jam-packed with people. Wrigleyville may be physically centered around a Major League baseball park, but there are plenty of non sports-related attractions in this lively Chicago neighborhood to keep residents and visitors of all interests occupied. Whether it's shopping, dining, grabbing a cup of joe or partying at the annual street festivals, this sought after spot has a little something for everyone.

A good percentage of Wrigleyville residents are qualified as the "younger generation." You'll find a number of early-career professionals and college students, many under the age of 30, living in condos, walk-up flats and apartments in this small six-by-three-block neighborhood. Thanks to its youthful populace, the community maintains a vibrant, energetic atmosphere that seems to fill the air with a natural excitement and enjoyment of life. And Wrigleyville's sports-fueled, party-hard crowd is no deterrent for those looking to nest - plenty of families with young children settle down in this prime Chicago location. So close to downtown (the Red Line L shoots right to the Loop in 25 minutes) and a five-minute walk from the lakefront parks and beaches.

Tucked into Wrigleyville's tree-lined streets are a bevy of architectural styles, boasting everything from low-rise brick buildings and houses to new condos and a limited number of detached single-family homes. The unusual thing about Wrigleyville homes is that some of residences next to Wrigley Field actually have rooftop bleachers where people can go to watch the home games. The owners sell tickets or rent out the whole roof and basically run mini stadiums out of their properties with stands, concession and beer stations, grilled hotdogs, restrooms - the whole nine yards! For those looking to purchase a home to live in (as opposed to just watch baseball from), you will find a selection of condominiums and walk-up flats in Wrigleyville averaging in the high $300,000s for a one or two bedroom place. There are also a number of beautiful attached single-family residences with lavish amenities like stainless steel appliances, vaulted ceilings, newly finished hardwood floors, rooftop decks and cozy balconies. Despite their million-dollar price tags, these elegant abodes get snatched up almost as soon as they hit the market.

Perhaps the only real drawback to Wrigleyville is its parking (or lack thereof). It certainly isn't easy here with so many Cubs fans driving in from every corner of the city to go to the games, but there are a few ways around the limited parking options if you live in the neighborhood. For one, many homes have garages, carports, gated lots or designated alley spots. If you aren't lucky enough to snag one of the coveted parking-equipped residences, just remember this: head west. The farther you are from Wrigley Field, the easier it is to find parking.

Many of Wrigleyville's streets have bike lanes to accommodate the two-wheeler form of transportation, which is how many people choose to get around the neighborhood. Walking is another great alternative to driving in this congested region of Chicago. No matter where you are in Wrigleyville, there's bound to be at least one grocery store, sports bar and restaurant within a couple blocks, so it's easy to hoof it to your neighborhood destination. Public transit is also convenient in Wrigleyville with the CTA Red Line (stops right at Wrigley Field) and a handful of bus routes crisscrossing the area.

The Chicago Cubs

The Cubs baseball club is steeped in history, folklore, curses and goats. The Cubs have enjoyed decades of dominance in their early years followed by decades of disappointment in recent times and through all the ups and downs, Cubs fans have stuck by their team.

In 2008, a hundred years after the Cubs' last World Series victory, the North Siders are poised to make a run at a World Championship once again. Several times throughout the year, the team has held the best record in the major leagues and has sat alone at the top of the National League's Central Division for much of the 2008 season. The W flag that flies over Wrigley Field after each Cub victory has become a symbol among fans for a final outcome filled with promise.

It's true, a late season melt down seems less and less likely with catcher Geovani Soto well on his way to Rookie of the Year honors, new additions Kosuke Fukudome and Jim Edmonds making valuable contributions, and hot hitters like Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriana stepping up to the plate. Everything seems to be coming together with solid pitching from Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly and a goodlooking bullpen under the fiery management style of Lou Pinnela, who has been ejected from over 60 ball games in his career for arguing with (yelling at) umpires.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. After all, it took well over a century for the Cubs to get to this point. So let's step back in time and for a minute and see how this loveable ball club got its start. Even if the majority of today's devout fans are not aware, Cubs historians will tell you the team's humble beginnings were lived out as the Chicago White Stockings, founded in 1870. The debut of this early ball club couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time - Remember that story about Mrs. O'Leary's cow? The one that (allegedly) kicked over a lantern in the barn and subsequently started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? Well, that fire blazed through much of the city and ended up burning the White Stockings' uniforms to a crisp (white stockings and all!). As a result the entire club was benched for a few years - can't play if you don't have the proper attire, right? After that unfortunate introduction to the profession, the White Stockings returned to the game and proceeded to dominate the newly organized National League through the end of the nineteenth century, winning five pennants under the leadership of their player-manager Cap Anson.

The young club only played on five different fields during this time period but by 1893 the White Stockings called West Side Park their home, which would prove to be a profitable affiliation. West Side Park is where the Cubs won their last World Series, in 1908, and is also the site of the first and only cross-town World Series between the Cubs and their south side rivals, the White Sox (Sox won). By this time the former White Stockings were known alternately as the Nationals, the Cubs, the Colts and briefly the Orphans (after Cap Anson's exit from the organization). By 1906, Cubs won out as the preferred nickname for the ball club.

In 1916 the Cubs were sold to Charles Weegham. Weehgham already had a ball park, which was built in 1914 and served as the home to the Federal League's Chicago Whales. The stadium was renamed Cubs Park in 1920 and officially became Wrigley Field in 1926 when its principal share holder was William Wrigley (of Wrigley chewing gum fame). The Cubs now had a permanent name and a permanent home at 1060 West Addison in a section of Lakeview that would later be known simply as Wrigleyville. Things were looking good for the north side ball club, but by this time they were well into their century-long drought of not winning a World Series. A century and counting.

To be fair, despite common misconceptions of the Cubs as a perpetually hapless and hopeless team, the Cubs have been to the World Series a number of times since their last victory in 1908. In fact, they've won the pennant race seven times and have produced dozens of Hall of Fame players. They just haven't won the "big one" in a hundred years. And why not? Because of the curse, of course, and it all started with a goat...

Goats have long been associated with the powers of evil but, for the sake of brevity, we'll keep the case of the Billy Goat curse short. In 1945, Greek immigrant and tavern owner Billy Sianis brought his pet goat to Game Four of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Sianis and his goat were allowed into Wrigley (Sianis had purchased a ticket for the animal) and were even allowed to parade around the field before the game, the joke being that "the Cubs had gotten Detroit's goat." When Sianis and his four-legged companion were asked to leave the stadium after a brief rainfall left the goat's fur wet and unpleasant smelling, an angry Sianis placed his now infamous curse upon the poor Cubbies. They lost that game and the series and a streak of defeats seemed to plague the team from that point on. The Cubs less-than-stellar record is indisputable, even if the fact that a goat had anything to do with it is debatable.

Sianis, being the shrewd businessman that he was, had little reason to deny or retract the curse (although it's reported he did so in 1969 - a year before his death) because the legend gave him and his tavern much in the way of free publicity. He passed away in 1970, but business at his (now eight) Billy Goat Taverns never skipped a beat and today the hometown eateries are a classic Chicago institution that attract the appetite (and curiosity) of baseball fans around the world. Attempts to reverse the Billy Goat curse have been numerous yet fruitless, and few in the Cubs organization take it seriously (or will admit to it anyway).

When the 1980s rolled around, the Wrigleys sold the Cubs to the Tribune Company and the games started to be aired nationwide on WGN with the beloved Harry Carray in the broadcasting booth. Ticket sales rose and the Cubs even managed to win the National League Eastern Division in 1984. Before his stint as the "voice of the Chicago Cubs," Caray worked for two rival camps: As announcer for division challengers, the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1945 to 1969; and then for cross-town nemeses, the White Sox, throughout the '70s before joining the Cubs in 1982. Caray's color commentary (often lubricated with beer) was as popular with the fans as his criticism of the team was unpopular with the players. Guests are still invited into the booth to sing Caray's trademark rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

Towards the end of the following decade, Sammy Sosa captured the attention of baseball fans nationwide in 1998 with his 66 home runs in a showdown against rival Cardinal player, Mark Magwire, who had 70 by season's end. Both players passed Roger Maris's single season record of 61.

The late '90s proved an exiting time for baseball in Chicago, but the Cubs have had their share of great players over the years that deserve a brief mention. None more so perhaps than Mr. Cub himself: Ernie Banks. This hall of fame in-fielder was one of the first African Americans to wear a Cubs uniform. He signed on when the team integrated black players in 1953. Banks played his entire career with the Cubs (from 1953 to 1971) and he gave Wrigley Field its nickname "The Friendly Confines." Another Banks quote that is still used by Cubs broadcasters to this day is "Let's play two" - how Banks expressed his willingness to play a double header on any given day. Banks' number 14 has been retired by the Cubs organization and in 2008 a statue of the 77-year-old Cub was erected outside of Wrigley Field bearing the inscription "Let's play two," of course.

Another famous Cub, now in the broadcasting booth doing play-by-play analysis for WGN radio, is Ron Santo. Since his rookie year in 1960, this nine-time All Star player spent nearly his entire career as a Cub - except he played his fifteenth and last season with the White Sox in '74 (ouch). The Cubs organization retired Santo's number 10 in 2003 but this beloved Cubs third baseman has been continually passed over for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Maybe next year Ron.

Cubs second baseman, Ryne Sandberg (known affectionately as "Ryno"), had better luck with Hall of Fame voters. He was inducted in 2005, after a career with 10 consecutive All Star appearances and nine consecutive Golden Glove Awards. Sandberg may have played his rookie season for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981, but he was a devoted Cub from 1982 until he first retired in 1994 and kept with the north side Chicago team through his second retirement in 1997. Sandberg's number 23 was retired in 2005.

The modern day Billy Goat in the Cubs cursed road to the World Series is die-hard Cubs fan (and victim of unfortunate circumstances) Steve Bartman. In 2003, the Cubs were beating the Florida Marlins 3 games to 2 in the NLC divisional series. With a 3-to-nothing lead in the sixth game at Wrigley Field, Luis Castillo (Marlins) got a hold of a Mark Prior pitch sending it foul into the left field stands, but just barely. It looked to fans and television audiences as if left fielder Moisés Alou might be able to catch the ball. Except for one problem... Bartman, who was sitting in the front row of the outfield, made a play for the ball himself, evidently making it impossible for Alou to get the out. Fan interference was not called as the ball was undisputedly on the fan side, however, Bartman immediately became the new "goat" and had to be escorted from the stands by security. The incident did not end the game (and there was still another game to go), but the psyche of the Cubs team, as well as the city as a whole, was crushed and the Cubs could not rally to beat the Marlins.

Chicago's Wrigley Field

With the possible exception of Fenway Park in Boston, no major league ball park in the country is steeped in as much history and folklore as Chicago's Wrigley Field. Fenway, built in 1914, enjoys the distinction of being the oldest major league stadium in the country, edging out Wrigley by two years. Such distinction notwithstanding, Wrigley Field is a Chicago landmark and serves as an important link to America's favorite pastime and the city's long-established traditions and heritage. Closing in on a century of existence, Wrigley has maintained its identity as a neighborhood ball park. It exudes an old school charm and serves as a reminder of what our nation's beloved sport is all about. In fact, Wrigley Field still uses a manually operated score board that, incidentally, no batted baseball has ever hit.

Before the Cubs played on this hallowed baseball ground, the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary called this corner of Lakeview home. When the L train was extended north through the neighborhood in 1900 and more people settled into the vicinity, the Seminary sold its land and moved to suburban Maywood - leaving the future of the vacated property undetermined for a time. In 1914 Charles A. Weegham, a partner in the newly created Federal League team in Chicago, secured a 99-year lease on the old Seminary real estate and began construction on a new ball park for the Chicago Whales (then called the Chifeds). The fledgling Federal League folded in 1916, paving the way for the National League Cubs who were playing at West Side Park up to this point.

The Cubs had already won two World Series titles prior to their arrival at Weegham Field, which was already gaining a reputation as the best place in town to watch baseball. Coming from a restaurant background, Weegham made sure the food at his park was above par, the stands were clean and the fans were happy. In fact, Weegham was the first owner to allow fans to keep foul balls.

Unfortunately, the Cubs' debut at their new home field was less than stellar. They made it to the World Series in 1918, but with World War I in full swing interest in baseball was low and the Cubs ended up losing the game to Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox. Soon thereafter, Weegham got out of the management side of his ball club and over the next few years William Wrigley (of the Wrigley chewing gum company) began buying shares in the team. Weegham's financial woes coupled with Wrigley's increase in shares of the company would soon give the chewing gum entrepreneur complete control of the Cubs.

In 1922, Cubs Park (as it was commonly called back then) got a makeover in the form of an expansion. The new seating configuration added about 13,000 seats to the ball park. With a new seating capacity of 31,000, attendance rose immediately. The level of play on the field, however, did not rise to meet fan attendance or expectations and to commemorate the Cubbies' 50th season in the National League, they finished last. As would be the trend for another 80 years, a losing ball club was no detriment to the popularity of the Cubs or the soon-to-be-renamed Wrigley Field. By the mid 1920s season attendance at Wrigley was approaching the 100,000 mark. Work on the installation of double-decker grandstands began and even with the stands only half finished in 1927, Wrigley Field saw over one million fans go through the turnstiles - a record for National League turnout.

Wrigley Field is home to a lot of history. It was at Wrigley, in 1932, during game 3 of the World Series when Babe Ruth stepped to the plate and pointed his bat at the bleachers, indicating and implicitly guaranteeing a home run. And that is exactly what happened on the next pitch. Is there any truth to this piece of baseball lore? Few alive today would really remember, but part of baseball's appeal is its element of folklore and superstition.

In 1937, two new additions would help give Wrigley Field its own special character and quaint charm for years to come. The installation of concrete bleachers and the planting of ivy along the infield walls. It would take a few years for the Boston ivy to really take hold but when it did it prompted the creation of a new Wrigley Field rule: when a ball is hit into the ivy it is ruled a "ground rule double" with the runner not being allowed to advance beyond second plate.

Baseball hasn't been the only sport played at Wrigley over the years. The Chicago Bears called Wrigley Field home for nearly half a century (from 1921 to 1970) and won several NFL Championship games there. To date, the Bears have stilled logged more games at Wrigley than they have at their current home at Soldier Field. The Chicago Sting soccer team would also play home games at Wrigley (as well as Soldier Field and Comiskey Park) during the '70s and '80s. As for non-sporting events, Jimmy Buffet has the distinction of being the first musician to hold a concert at Wrigley, which he did over two nights in 2005. Rock band The Police would follow suit in 2007.

Although lights were planned for Wrigley as early as 1942, it wasn't until 1988 that they became a reality. By this time the Tribune Company was in charge of the team, having purchased the Cubs in 1981. Leading up to the first night game the lights/no lights debate was long and hard fought by both the team and residents of the Lakeview neighborhood - even prompting the Cubs president, Dallas Green, to entertain the idea of moving the team out of town to escape the ongoing dispute. Lights eventually won out, but night games are still limited to allow only a certain number per year. The Cubs organization is still fighting to have the percentage of night games expanded.

Starting with their purchase by the Tribune Company, the Cubs - Lovable Losers that they are (or were, we hope) - enjoyed national celebrity with games being broadcast nationwide on the Tribune-owned WGN Superstation with beloved broadcaster Harry Caray calling the plays. While the Tribune Company runs Wrigley like a business (and has even threatened to build a wall so high that rooftop spectators can't enjoy the game from across the street), critics level the charge that the owners are not been interested in putting together a winning team. After all, the games sell out regardless of whether the Cubs are having a good season or a bad one.

Whatever happens, many fans are willing to chalk the whole thing up to the curse that was placed on the Cubs and Wrigley by tavern owner Billy Sianis in 1945. Sianis brought his pet goat to game 4 of the World Series that year and when the pair was asked to leave, he decreed that the Cubs would never play in another World Series until goats were welcomed at Wrigley Field again. Or so the legend goes.

In 2005, the bleachers were expanded further to add another 1,900 seats to the park's outfield cheering section. In 2007, a new drainage system and turf was installed and the playing field was leveled - it now sits 14 inches lower than previously. Through all the upgrades, Wrigley has managed to avoid the ultimate twenty-first century improvement - the Megatron Scoreboard. It still has the manually operated kind and if you watch closely at the game you can see a person back there keeping track of the innings.

Tribune CEO Sam Zell anticipated that the Cubs would be sold by opening day of the 2008 season. However, despite several bids on the team, that prediction did play out. Another idea Zell has floated concerning Wrigley Field is the selling of naming rights. After all, Comiskey Park on the south side is now U.S. Cellular Field and the name Wrigley itself was a form of corporate branding before it was the norm. This will certainly cause a storm of controversy from baseball purists. But such speculation seems to be taking a back seat to the Cubs' current season. Sitting atop the National League Central Division for much of the year, with a post season appearance seeming more and more likely, fans just want to concentrate on baseball and bringing a World Series title back to Chicago at the good 'ole Friendly Confines.

Dining In Wrigleyville

One of Wrigleyville's most popular local establishments is the restaurant Uncommon Ground. Located just a few blocks from the field (at the corner of North Clark and Grace), this hotspot is just as unique as it sounds. The space has three separate dining areas, two bars and a large outdoor patio. In addition to serving up the best sweet potato fries and farm-fresh fare in the neighborhood, Uncommon Ground doubles as a music venue bringing live acts to Wrigleyville every week. The restaurant hosts local and nationally-acclaimed musicians in the backroom, where the late singer Jeff Buckley once played to a packed crowd of fans.

Late nights in Wrigleyville call for giant mugs of coffee and giant stacks of pancakes. Pick Me Up Café on North Clark is just the place to find your post-drinking fix. The indie restaurant stays open 24 hours on weekends and offers everything from eggs benedict and oversized vegetarian burritos to falafel wraps and decadent vegan pastries. And just in case you're still in the revelry phase of the evening, Pick Me Up offers a selection of bottled brews to quench the thirst.

The Bars Of Wrigleyville

When the Cubs are in town, there aren't many neighborhoods in Chicago that get buzzing quite like Wrigleyville. Pre-game Wrigleyville is an ocean of cars, traffic cops, ticket scalpers and other hawkers of Cubs merchandise, all running with the rising tide of Cubs fans and set to the beat of street musicians. Post-game Wrigleyville is either an outpouring of baseball fans drunk on the Cubs' victory (among other intoxicants) or drunk on defeat (among other intoxicants). Both find reason to hit up the cluster of bars just outside Wrigley Field to throw back a few brews with other Cubs fans and get psyched up for the next game. Whether you were cheering at the game or hanging out at one of the nearby pubs, there's no doubt about it - this is "Cubstown."

For straight-up sports bars, complete with loud, drunken hootin' and hollerin', Wrigleyville does not disappoint. Murphy's Bleachers is the quintessential Chicago sports bar. It's packed with Cubs fans before, during and after every home game. Murphy's is a little more subdued in the off-season but Chicago sports teams always take center stage here. The Cubby Bear is another Wrigleyille sports bar that has been called a couple different Cubs-related names (Cubs Pub, Cubs Grill) since it opened back in 1953. In addition to being a great place to catch a ball game on one of the bar's many televisions, the Cubby Bear hosts live music and live band karaoke. Sports Corner has an ideal location, right on the corner of Sheffield and Addison, directly across from Wrigley Field and the statue of the late, great Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray. This place has been strictly about sports for over twenty years.

The Dug Out is a no frills sports bar and one of the first pubs you pass after jumping off the Red Line Addison stop on your way to Wrigley Field. Dug Out overflows with fans stopping in for the baseball basics: beer, hot dogs, nachos, pretzels and peanuts. And who could forget Sluggers - ESPN didn't. The network named it the best sports bar in Chicago, so this popular Wrigleyville tavern must be doing something right! With deep dish pizza and an indoor sports complex that includes batting cages, trampoline basketball, skeeball and everybody's favorite - air hockey - Slugger's proves you don't have to be a million-dollar-a-year athlete to compete in Wrigleyville. Of course, the legendary Harry Caray has his own haunt in Wrigleyville. The establishment was built long after his days of broadcasting the games from Wrigley, but Caray would certainly appreciate this classic sports bar that boasts a 123-inch TV screen. That's on the larger-than-life scale of Harry's trademark, coke-bottle spectacles! Yak-Zies Bar and Grill is a favorite pre- and post-game watering hole with a huge outdoor patio and a couple dozen TVs for non-ticket holding fans to catch the Cubbies' on-field action. The bar serves up great food, including some of the best buffalo wings in town.

Goose Island Wrigleyville is the northern satellite of the venerable Goose Island Brewing Company in Lincoln Park. This brew pub opened in 1999 to give Cub fans a little more choice in beer selection. Like the original location, Goose Island Wrigleyville is a full brewery and restaurant. It's a great spot to catch the game (lots of TVs and a full-size movie screen in the backroom) and many find that Goose Island's hand-crafted drafts go down much better than the Old Style served inside the park.

Not in the mood for sports, sports bars or sports fans? Duck into Moxie. More martini bar than classic pub, this restaurant and lounge serves up delicious tapas and even better cocktails. Raw Bar is the place to grab dinner before venturing on to the game or a show down the street at the Metro. The décor favors mid twentieth century art deco and the menu features ostrich, alligator, swordfish, mahi mahi, Alaskan king crab, an assortment of tapas, and other fresh seafood, in addition to raw oysters. The Gingerman is not a sports bar but it couldn't be better situated to take advantage of its Wrigleyville location. It provides a spot for Cubs fans who enjoy an atmosphere that isn't so much like, well, like a sports bar. They've got a great jukebox and a few pool tables in the triangular-shaped back room, so it's a perfect place to meet up with friends and chill.

Music fans probably know about the tandem venue of Metro and Smart Bar. Smart Bar celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. This sublevel club beneath the Metro has long been the hotspot for late-night dance rendezvous. DJs from all over the planet have come here to spin for the Chicago crowds - hip hop, techno, house, punk, metal, every style of music has had a turn on the turntables at this trendy basement bar. Having opened its doors in 1982, the Metro is a neighborhood institution that draws people from all over Chicagoland. Concert-goers come to check out the best local and national touring acts, like Smashing Pumpkins who played their first show at the Metro as well as their last (before doing like Cubs player Ryne Sandberg and coming out of retirement). The Metro hasn't missed a beat in the last quarter-century and still promotes the best in new music.

Although, at times, Wrigleyville can feel a little like the waning hours of Mardi Gras, the game day vibe can't be beat on a sunny summer day in Chicago. Even during the winter and off-season months, there's always good music and good food to keep the festive spirit going year-round.

[back to top]