Wrigley Field - Northwestern Wildcats (Football)

Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71

Wrigley Field

1060 W Addison St.

Chicago, IL 60613

Northwestern Wildcats website

Wrigley Field website

Year Opened: 1914

Capacity: 41,649

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The Friendly Confines…of Football

Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois, about 20 miles north of downtown Chicago. The football team occasionally plays home games at Wrigley Field, normally home to the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley opened in 1914 and is known as the “Friendly Confines”.

Food & Beverage   5

There are plenty of food and beverage options available at Wrigley Field during Northwestern football games.  All the stands are open, and you can even canned beer from vendors who walk around the concourse, especially in the upper level.

The best thing about the concessions here is you can buy a basic hot dog for about $9, but then add all the fresh toppings necessary to turn it into an authentic Chicago-style dog – tomato wedges, peppers, a pickle spear; you name it.

In addition to the hot dogs you can also find chicken tenders, burgers, Italian beef (another Chicago classic), pizza, nachos, Bison hot dogs, and ice cream in a souvenir batting helmet, as well as pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, Cracker Jack, fries, and chips. For drinks you can choose from bottled Coke products; import, domestic, or craft beer on tap or in cans; Gold Peak tea; Gatorade; or Dasani bottled water. Prices are high as you might expect, this being a pro stadium – think $16 for a burger with fries, $8 for peanuts, and $19 for a large import draft beer.

Atmosphere   4

Wrigley Field has a great atmosphere during Northwestern football games – during my last visit the stadium was jam packed, although there were many more visiting fans than purple-clad fans, given the Wildcats are maybe having an off year on the field.

There are tons of different seating options – the back half of the 200 and 400 levels are covered, which is a nice touch to keep out of the weather, especially for noon kickoffs. The 400 level may have some obstructed views, however, depending on where you sit. There are some pillars in the way, and also speakers hanging down, making it a little hard to see. The seats are also very tight, so even though they are chairbacks they are not very comfortable. Or if you want to sit really high up, check out the Wrigley Rooftops.

The Wildcats bring some of their bells and whistles with them to Wrigley, including their mascot and cheerleaders, as well as purple smoke and flags for when the team comes onto the field, but not as many banners, nor as much Northwestern signage, as you would see at their real home field. There are several giant scoreboards, however, including one behind the south end zone attached to the front of the Gallagher building, making it easy to see replays.

Neighborhood   5

There is plenty to see and do in downtown Chicago, starting with an ice-skating rink and numerous restaurants literally right outside the stadium, as well as several stores for shopping, including the Cubs Store and a Motorola (cell phone) dealer. One great thing about Wrigley Field, at least during Northwestern football games, is they let you leave and re-enter the stadium, after scanning your ticket, so you can visit the Cubs Store, or get a bite to eat, during halftime.

Restaurants within sight of the stadium include Swift Tavern, Steingold’s Bagels & Nosh (try a Babka, they are delicious), Budweiser Brickhouse (which has rooftop seating), and Smoke Daddy (BBQ), as well as several others. Budweiser Brickhouse is inside the Gallagher building, and would be an especially great place to hang out and watch other games before or after the Wildcats game, given its rooftop seating, not to mention the giant screen on the front of the building you can use for viewing. You could also just stand on the street, or in Wrigley Field’s courtyard, and watch from there.

For attractions within a few miles of the stadium check out Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, or Navy Pier, which is near Harry Potter Shop Chicago. In terms of hotels there are plenty in downtown, although those tend to have higher prices. If you are flying in I would recommend staying in Schaumberg, about 10-15 minutes west of the airport, where you can find great hotels for less money – Country Inn & Suites is my current go-to.

By the way, if you are looking for real Chicago-style deep dish pizza, go no further than Giordano's – their pizza is so good we went there twice while I was in town for the weekend. Also try their broken cannoli, basically a deconstructed cannoli with the cream piled in the center and broken shell pieces used for dipping; a lot easier to eat than the regular version, and great for sharing. I would not recommend Gino’s East.

If you aren’t feeling like pizza, I would recommend Italian beef from Buona’s, although many other restaurants in the area offer it as well, including Giordano's.

Fans   3

Wrigley Field will likely be a sellout during Northwestern Wildcat football games, so there is plenty of atmosphere and fan noise. The trouble is that NU is not one of the better teams in the conference, at least not lately, so you might see many more visiting fans than home fans, making it seem more like an away game for the ‘Cats than a home one.

Access   3

Wrigley Field is a block away from the Addison train station (elevated, not subway); in fact you can see trains passing by the stadium during the game. Taking a train would be a great option if you don’t want to pay for parking, although traffic is not that bad on a Saturday.

If you do want to drive, you can pay $70 or so to park in someone’s apartment building spot a block from Wrigley Field, or park further away for less money, and walk. There are plenty of public parking surface lots and garages, although I never recommend garages – it takes too long to get out of them afterward.

Once you get inside the stadium moving around is not that easy, especially during halftime, when you will face long lines. It is better to hit the bathrooms or concessions before the game starts, or at the end of the first/third quarters. One other thing I didn’t like is that the stairs are very steep, almost overly so, making them a little tricky to walk up and down. You also cannot walk all the way around the stadium; there is no walkway on the west side, so depending on where you come in, you may have to walk all the way around. The nice thing is there are a lot of entrances, so getting in and out is not bad.

Return on Investment   3

Wrigley Field is a nice venue, and Chicago is a great city to visit. For a Northwestern football game, however, you might pay $100 or more for a ticket here, since the game will most likely be against a conference foe, and parking costs more for these games too. Alternatively, you can visit the facility, and the city, another time for a Cubs game and pay a lot less. So unless you are a stalwart Wildcats fan, that might be a better play. Concessions will cost the same either way.

Extras   3

There are baseball statues outside Wrigley Field which make for a great photo op, and great Christmas decorations already up during contests in November. Northwestern also has a special red-white-and-blue flag logo “N” painted at midfield, in celebration of military appreciation “month” centered around the Veteran’s Day holiday in November. I am not sure whether it is used in other months, as well.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned, Wrigley Field is a nice venue, and Chicago is a great city to visit. If you are a football fan, I definitely recommend seeing a football game here at least once, as it is a unique experience to see gridiron action at a baseball stadium instead of a regular football field. That said, Wrigley does have some access issues, and costs will be higher for football here than for baseball. So, if you just want to see the venue, waiting until the baseball regular season may be preferred.