Early Fall Downtown

We are a 15-minute drive from the downtown district . . . Downtown Naperville, that is . . .

Lots of places to eat . . . Some dressy, and some casual enough to just pop in without a lot of planning . . .

Now why didn't I think of these when I went out looking for new Salt and Pepper shakers . . .

Naperville has developed a delightful riverwalk along the west bank of the DuPage River . . . .

Peaceful, beautiful . . .

It may not be the bridges of Madison County, but it has its own charm . . .

It was a nice way to say good bye to summer . . .

Halfway to St. Patrick's Day - September Baseball

I was given some White Sox tickets for Friday, September 17th. I had never been to a White Sox game before. My family follows the Cubs with a stoicism that only another Cubs fan would truly appreciate. It defies understanding, seeing as the Cubs haven't won a World Series in over . . . 100 YEARS! But there you have it. We lived and set roots on the North side of Chicago. If you are a North sider, you are probably a Cubs fan (except for my brother, but he's weird), and if you are a South sider, you are a Sox fan. In Chicago, you had better choose sides. Pacifists like me, who like the Cubs, but have nothing against the Sox, are viewed with mild contempt.

I do understand how irritating it is for the Sox, who have won a couple of World Series in recent years to be, for the most part, ignored by the city, while the Cubs, who can't figure out how to win, fill Wrigley Field to capacity every single game. In fact, Wrigley Field is located in the middle of an old North side neighborhood, and the surrounding two-flats have adapted their rooftops and sell tickets to the game, because oftentimes, tickets inside the stadium are sold out.

But I digress, we went to the game and on arrival found out that a special celebration had been put in place - "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day" (see what I mean? they'll do anything to fill that stadium!)

It was a little strange seeing all that green in September . . .

There's a large Irish population in Chicago . . .

This Pet Check sign threw me for a loop. Why would you bring your pet to a baseball game? A game where fireworks exploded every time the team scored a home run?

Pretty flower bed, though . . .

The day was hazy, and it was close to 6:30 P.M., but we still had a great view of the Chicago skyline. The tallest building on the left is the Sears Tower, which has recently been sold and renamed after its new owners - The Willis Tower (we still call it the Sears Tower) . . .

Chicago has a most impressive skyline, and, fronted by Lake Michigan, it's a wonderful sight to see on a clear day.

Our seats were in the nosebleed section. This was the view from our seats straight down. Acrophobics: Stay away! The view of the field was surprisingly good, though . . .

All ticket holders received a green and white baseball cap. Here are my husband, Lee, and son, David humoring Mom by wearing the caps . . .

There was a parade featuring bagpipe players, and Irish dancers . . .

Those hot dogs . . . I'm still suffering from sticker shock: $5 for one hot dog! I need to get out more . . . I'm told this is not all that unusual at these public venues . . . but still . . . $5!

The Sox got creamed that night, with a final score of 9-2. Since I'm a pathetic excuse for a fan, I had a great time. The people-watching was outstanding!

I wonder what those poor marketing people will have to think up to draw fans to the park next year . . . “Halfway to Groundhog Day?” With Punxsutawney Phil making an appearance . . . ? or perhaps “Halfway to Casimir Pulaski Day” and instead of hot dogs they could sell kielbasa . . . ? At $5 each . . . ?