I woke up to a sunny sky, and rising humidity with a temperature looking to reach 90. It was going to be a hot (and wet) day to be sure. After a shower and a cup of coffee, my friend Libby and I set out for the neighborhood she goes to grad school in. Our plan was to go out for breakfast at a Swedish restaurant called Tre Korner, pick up a text book Libby had ordered at the university book store, and then get the free passes to the Chicago History Museum at the public library. Some of these things actually happened.
The breakfast at Tre Kroner was fabulous! It was just a small neighborhood place with a little over a dozen tables and a handwritten menu. I ordered the Norwegian omelet, which was filled with salmon and cream cheese. An interesting mix, but both complimented the eggs well and I would definitely order it again. With mounds of fried potatoes as well as two slices of toast, you couldn't beat the price. Coffee was a bit steep, but our glasses were perpetually full.
With stuffed stomachs, we walked the few short blocks to the public library and picked up the free passes to the museum. This is a great service, as it lets anyone with a library card (as long as the passes are in) go to the museums for free, making them accessible to everyone. Libby then showed me around her campus before going to the store only to find that her book had not come in yet.
We got back to Libby and Brian's apartment around 1. The plan was to take a quick rest and then head out to the museum. This was about to change. The television was turned on, and we were informed that the Cubs game was going to start in 20 minutes. Now, you have to realize that for the twelve days I am in Chicago, going to see a Cubs game was my only goal. I had been told by my seat mate on the bus coming in that the best thing to do is go to the stadium after a game is an inning or so in and then buy tickets. Being one who loves doing spontaneous things, I just looked at Libby and said, "Well, wanna go over to Wrigley Field?" Her and Brian love the Cubs, and I thought we might have better luck getting into a day game than a night game. Her answer was yes, and we were on bicycles going across town to the stadium within about five minutes.
As my Grandma Osthus often says, there are things in this world which take more luck than sense. Biking across Chicago is definitely one of those things. That's all I'm going to say on that subject.
We arrived at Wrigley Field just as the second inning was starting. The box office was sold out, so we ended up talking to several scalpers. After settling on general admission tickets that had been marked up over 200 percent of actual cost (but still far less than I was actually willing to spend), we were in to see the Cubs v San Francisco Giants. Our plan was to just find some empty seats and sit in them until someone came and kicked us out. I bet just about everyone who had bought tickets to that sold out game was there, because we couldn't even find seats to get kicked out of. Instead, we found an open railing to sit on along with literally hundreds of other general admission ticket holders. I'm telling you though, we had a good view, shad and breeze, and the railing was not uncomfortable at all. It was one of the most fun baseball experiences I have had. The game was a lot of three up, three down innings, but the Cubs won off a three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning. My only regret was that we left so fast I forgot to bring my camera.
After getting back to their apartment, we watched a movie and relaxed with a bourbon slushy until Brian got home. For dinner we went to Old Town to a Arabic restaurant which they both said was awesome. I had the falafel sandwich, and was thoroughly impressed. Being a bit more tired that I realized, the night ended with a game of Scrabble, television, and dozing on the couch.
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