Chicago - Two teams in 1st in their division! Cubs-Sox World Series?

Ok, it's May (2021) and both of our teams are in 1st in their division! Ok, it's August and both of our teams are in 1st in their division. You got to love a town that can say that! If you're downtown and want to see one of the teams, get on the Red Line and either head north to the Addison stop (NL Cubs) or south to 35th Street (AL Sox) and take a short (2-3 block) walk to the stadium. Since both teams are fighting to make sure they live to see October, don't expect to get any deals on tickets. I would suggest eBay or Stub Hub. With eBay, you should either bid high, or be there at the close of the auction to make sure someone doesn't steal your bid (the trick is to wait until there's 5 or 10 seconds left to the auction and put in a bid high enough to beat any other bids - doesn't always work, but it's better than walking away thinking you've got the tickets when there's still time left in the auction). Stub Hub has both auctions and fixed prices, the latter is nice when you don't want to dicker with the price and just want to pay and be done with it! The Cubs play in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. It was built in 1914, the second oldest standing baseball park after Boston's Fenway part (1912). Folks young and old love to come see the ivy in the outfield. Cubs games sell out whether they are in 1st or last in their division, whether it's 45 degrees in April with a cold wind off the lake, or 75 and sunny in September. The ballpark sits in a fun neighborhood of bars and restaurants, with row houses across the street from the outfield that have seats on the rooftop that look down into the field. Fans come to Wrigleyville even if they don't have tickets and head to the bars to watch the game. The Cubby Bear, Murphy's Bleachers, Hi-Tops and John Barleycorn are just a few of the fun bars to go and enjoy the game. If you're hungry, try Goose Island for food and one of their own brews. Now I prefer the White Sox. Head down to 35th and Shields to see this ballpark. The old ballpark stood from 1910 until 1990, and the new one opened on April 18, 1991. Old timers call it Comiskey (after Charles Comiskey, one time owner of the Chicago White Sox. U.S. Cellular Field is the name the park goes by today (or the Cell for short). In 2005, when they led the American League Central division, you could go down to the park the night of the game (especially on weekdays) and get tickets from the ticket window. Since they won the World Series in 2005 (only lost 1 game in the post-season!), I don't think it's quite that easy. But it's well worth it; it's a fun place to bring the whole family. If it's too hot, there is a mister in the corridor behind the outfield. And if the kids are getting bored, take them up to the Pontiac Fundamentals deck to try out the batting cage, throw the ball to a moving catcher, or try and beat the runner. Just remember to bring sneakers, because my daughter found out the hard way they don't let you do some of those things with flip-flops! For neighborhood bars, I've heard (but never gone) that Jimbo's is supposed to be a fun place to hang out after a Sox game. It's been reported that the landlord wanted to move Jimbo out of the location, but from the posts at Yelp, it looks like they are still hanging on! Another historic place I keep meaning to check out is Schaller's Pump. It looks to be about 10+ blocks west of the ballpark on Halsted and 37th Street. Some claim it's the oldest continuously running bar in the city. Many of the Irish mayors from this Bridgeport neighborhood I'm sure have talked politics over a beer here. I've also read that if you come for dinner, they are nice enough to let you park there and head to the game. Might want to call ahead to confirm this. Believe it or not, parking can be a problem if you head to the game late (just as tricky for Cubs games). One time I brought my little one to a game, and ended up giving a fellow a few blocks west of the stadium $20 to park in his garage. He told me he does it for every game! The neighborhood surrounding the park used to be pretty rough, especially east of the park. If you haven't been down to the south side in a while, things have changed. Cripes, there's even a Starbucks and a Jimmy John's (3506 S. State) just east of Sox Park now! Head down and check out the place. You might be pleasantly surprised. Well, it was 1906 last time both teams played each other in a World Series. Here's to hoping we see a repeat of that in 2008! The city may melt down, but it sure would be fun to witness!