Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs

Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86

Wrigley Field

1060 W Addison St.

Chicago, IL 60613

Chicago Cubs website

Wrigley Field website

Year Opened: 1914

Capacity: 41,649

The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field

Very few major league ballparks can be described as “classic”. Wrigley Field certainly does fill that description. Wrigley Field opened as Weeghman Park in 1914, making it the second oldest ballpark still in use, trailing only Boston’s Fenway Park, which opened in 1912. While the ballpark has gone through several renovations over the years, it has retained many elements of the stadium's original design. It has a capacity of 41,649 within its very tight seating layout.

Food & Beverage 4

The Cubs have realized the importance of food and beverages ever since Wrigley Field was built. In the early days, a cart carrying these items was pushed through the stands throughout the game. These carts also were topped with an umbrella to keep the food from spoiling in the sun. While convenient, these carts blocked the fan's view of the game action. Mr. Wrigley noted this issue and began to build permanent concession stands away from the action along these concourses.

Today, fans do not even need to leave their seats to place a food and beverage order. They can use the MLB app to check out the menu and place an order with the concession stand nearest their seat location to pick up and pay for their items.

Wrigley Field has a very broad menu that will satisfy every fan’s taste. While it includes items that are found at every MLB ballpark, Wrigley Field tries to include items that are unique to Chicago. This includes Chicago-style hot dogs, pizzas, and Garrett’s popcorn.

While having a large and diversified menu is great for the fans, the concession prices at Wrigley Park are higher than most other MLB ballparks. Hot dogs are priced at $10 and higher; pizza slices are $14; pretzels are $8 and local craft beers are $16 for a 16 oz. cup. The Cubs sell Coca-Cola Brand sodas, and they offer a wide variety of both branded and craft beers. Brands include Budweiser, Pabst, Miller, and Coors.

Fans are allowed to bring a limited amount of food and water into the stadium. You can bring an individual amount of food in a clear bag no larger than one gallon. Water can be brought in in a factory-sealed clear plastic bottle.

Atmosphere 4

Attending a game at Wrigley Field is partially going to a sports event and partially visiting a history museum. In addition to hosting the ballgames, Wrigley Field is also a salute to the Cub's long history in baseball.

Several Cubs have had their numbers retired by the team. Each of these retired numbers appears on the two foul poles in the ballpark, with a pinstriped pennant emblazoned with the number atop the foul pole. Players honored in this way are Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Ryne Sandberg, Greg Maddux, and Jackie Robinson.

The Cubs have also preserved the tradition of changing the scores on the center field scoreboard by hand. The scoreboard dates to 1937.

There are several statues saluting Cubs players around the exterior of the stadium. They include statues of the Cubs’ longtime announcer Harry Caray, Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, and Ron Santo.

One last tradition that is still present in the ballpark is the ivy-covered walls in the outfield. They were installed in 1937 to give a more parklike feel to the ballpark by Bill Veeck. They also serve to protect the outfielders against the brick walls that are under the ivy. As a result, Wrigley is the only ballpark in the MLB that is not required to affix padding to its outfield walls.

Neighborhood 4

The neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field is known as “Wrigleyville”. While many of the businesses around the ballpark cater to the baseball crowds, most of the blocks around the ballpark are devoted to the day-to-day needs of the residents who live in the area. The Cubs have been protective of the neighborhood, as they did not install lights in the ballpark until 1988, as they were afraid it would be disruptive to the residents in the area. The Cubs still play several day games during the week to minimize any harm to the neighborhood. The exception to this rule is the rooftop seats (www.wrigleyrooftops.com) across the street from the ballpark along Waveland Avenue. These bleachers are heavily regulated as far as number of participants and how much noise they can create by the Cubs.

On gamedays, the neighborhood transitions to serve the needs of the fans attending the game. Several stores carry a full line of Cubs memorabilia, and the restaurants are filled with fans getting a bite to eat before the games. Several bars provide liquid entertainment for Cubs fans. Probably the most famous of these is Murphy’s Bleachers, which is located just beyond the outfield walls of Wrigley Field.

Another area fans like to meet up with friends and enjoy before the games is the greenspace known as Gallagher Way located along the third base side of the stadium. There are a few games that fans can join in and enjoy, as well as musical entertainment. This is a ticketed area of Wrigley Field.

Fans 5

The Cubs fanbase is more national in scale than most clubs in the MLB. This is due to the long history of its team, as well as the many stars who have worn its’ pinstripes over the years. A large portion of this fanbase has only been to Wrigley Field via the televising of its games over the years by superstation WGN. The fans who are at games in person have stayed loyal through thick and thin seasons for the team. Their loyalty was rewarded when the Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016 after a 106-year drought.

Probably the most boisterous fans of the Cubs are the Bleacher Bums who sit in the general admission bleachers in the outfield. They never let their support of the team waver. A long-standing tradition is to throw back any home run balls hit by the opposition, as a sign of their disgust and hatred for the opposition. The fans in this section of the stands are so legendary that they even had a Broadway play written then about them.

Access 3

In our neighborhoods section, we spoke about Wrigleyville and its presence as both a residential area and an area where small businesses are located to serve the day-to-day needs of the residents. Unfortunately, this makes it harder to drive to a game at Wrigley Park. Unlike most MLB ballparks, Wrigley does not have acres of parking just outside of the venue. Street parking is not allowed in Wrigleyville and the little parking at the stadium is reserved for players and season ticket holders. There is one large lot (3900 North Rockwell Street) available for night games and weekend games only. It is 2.2 miles from Wrigley Field, but it is served by shuttle buses to and from the stadium.

We strongly encourage fans to utilize either public transportation or Uber/Lyft to get to Wrigley Field. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has rail service through its Addison Street station on the Red Line. The other CTA rail lines all intersect with the Red Line somewhere in the system. The Addison Station is a block from the ballpark. CTA bus routes 152 and 22 both have stops within a block of the stadium.

Rideshare pickup/delivery is available on Addison Street between Broadway and Hals and at Irving Park Road between Clark and Seminary.

Once at the ballpark, there are six gates into the venue. These gates open 90 minutes before the games, or two hours before the weekend games. The concourses are narrow and difficult to navigate, so it is best to enter at the gate that is closest to your seat location.

Return on Investment 3

Attending a Cubs game can be an expensive proposition. The seating bowl is relatively small as the ballpark has a relatively small capacity in comparison to other MLB venues. A large portion of the seats are taken up by season ticket holders. This means the remaining seats are in high demand, driving up the average ticket price. Add to that cost is the Cub's use of a dynamic pricing system. This means that games involving Central Division games such as games with their greatest rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals or the Milwaukee Brewers, will be higher priced than for other opponents. Interleague games involving the Yankees, the Red Sox, and the White Sox will command a higher price. Visitors will typically have to go to the secondary market for tickets, which also features a higher face value price for tickets.

Another area of high cost is for parking near Wrigley Field. The ballpark is surrounded by a residential/ small business neighborhood rather than a large parking lot. Finding a nearby parking spot can prove to be an expensive proposition. This cost can be avoided by using the excellent public transportation options to get to the ballgames. Rideshares can be another affordable option to reduce the cost of going to a game.

Wrigley Field operates on a cashless basis.

Extras 4

Wrigley Field has been the site of several of baseball’s greatest moments. They include Babe Ruth’s “called shot” during the 1932 World Series, Ernie Banks hitting his 500th home run, Pete Rose tying Ty Cobb for most career hits, and Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout performance in 1998.

The Cubs ballpark also figures into one term that is frequently used in baseball still today. Mr. Wrigley included flags representing every team in the league on the large scoreboard in center field. The flags, or pennants, were arranged by divisions and were placed in the order of where that team was in the standings for their division. Mr. Wrigley was also a sailor who competed in nautical races on nearby Lake Michigan. This is the origin of the term “pennant race” when referring to the baseball standings. The flags are kept in the correct position each day during the season.

While the Cubs do everything possible to keep Wrigley’s charm and historic elements, they have made some needed updates in recent years. The 1060 Project (Wrigley’s street number) has made several improvements to the stadium. These include several structural improvements to the 110-year-old facility, a remodel of both the home and visiting clubhouses, the addition of two videoboards, the addition of a food court to service the upper-level seating bowl, a widening of the concourses and the addition of Wi-Fi service within the park.

One of the highlights of any Cubs game is the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning stretch. For many years Harry Caray led this tradition from his announcing booth. Since his passing this honor has been passed on to celebrities from movies, Broadway, television, and the sports world.