Taste It:
ALLALALALALALLALLALLALLALA
The time has come! Three months from today, we will be reeling over what an amazing trip we had just experienced. That's right... three months from now, we will have just returned from Chicago. Now it is time to focus our collective energies on getting there. Philly was successful because of the enthusiasm and motivation from everyone in the group. I hope that we can all rally around this trip together to make it just as successful.
Flights:
There are many hotels to choose from. The one that caught my attention is the Hotel Sax, formerly the House of Blues Hotel. This hotel is located on the "Magnificent Mile" and is just a little more than four miles from Wrigley. Here's a description:Just as we left for Philly in the wee hours of the morning, we should do the same for this trip, Friday August 29th. If I remember correctly, many of us left from LAX around 6am. Search for flights that leave around this time.
There are two airports in Chicago: Midway and O'Hare. After talking to my dad, he said that we should fly into whichever airport you can find the cheaper flight to. The main form of public transportation in the city is the elevated train, aka, "The EL." As this map illustrates, the EL runs out of both airports.
After scouring the interwebs, it appears that flights are going to be in the $300-$350 range. This is a bit pricey, but we are flying home on Labor Day, so that is to be expected. Keep searching around for the best deals and post your findings if you spot a hot deal.
We will leave Chicago Monday September 1st, preferably in the early evening so we still have a good chunk of time to spend in the city, but still get home at a decent time.
There are two airports in Chicago: Midway and O'Hare. After talking to my dad, he said that we should fly into whichever airport you can find the cheaper flight to. The main form of public transportation in the city is the elevated train, aka, "The EL." As this map illustrates, the EL runs out of both airports.
http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/rail/rail.html
After scouring the interwebs, it appears that flights are going to be in the $300-$350 range. This is a bit pricey, but we are flying home on Labor Day, so that is to be expected. Keep searching around for the best deals and post your findings if you spot a hot deal.
We will leave Chicago Monday September 1st, preferably in the early evening so we still have a good chunk of time to spend in the city, but still get home at a decent time.
Hotel:
Hotel décor captures the eclectic aura of a 17th-century French salon
but with a 21st-century twist. BIN 36 restaurant serves five-course
tasting menus, wine pairings and a cheese bar with 50 worldwide
selections. The Back Porch specializes in southern favorites such as
Tennessee-style Baby Back Ribs, while even the 36-lane bowling alley
serves macaroni and cheese with Wisconsin smoked cheddar and wings
smothered in plum barbeque. Fine dining at Cubs announcer Harry Caray's
self-titled restaurant lends itself to reputable Italian cuisine and
the nationally-acclaimed steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky's, is also
on site.
Right now this hotel has rooms for $250 per night. If we have at least five monks to a room, that's $50 a night which equals $150 for the whole weekend. We can always add another person or two per room to cut down on costs as well.
There's plenty of options for hotels in the area, some less expensive, some more expensive. Hotel Sax is right in the middle of the price range and from the sound of it, will accommodate our needs well.
There's plenty of options for hotels in the area, some less expensive, some more expensive. Hotel Sax is right in the middle of the price range and from the sound of it, will accommodate our needs well.
Game:
This year, the Cubs entered June with the best record in baseball for the first time since 1908, and we all know who won the World Series in 1908. This is the most excitement Wrigley-ville has seen in years, and I am excited we will all be there to experience it first hand.
Tickets to the series between the Cubs and Phillies are no longer available through mlb.com. Therefore, we must resort to StubHub.com. We will all want to sit together, so you will want to buy your tickets for the bleachers, which is a general admission style seating arrangement. Tickets are currently running for $70 on StubHub. As much as I would like all of us to attend the game together, I know many of you might not be willing to pay $70 for a baseball game. Worst case scenario, the people who want to go to the game can go to the game together while the others do as they please.
Tickets to the series between the Cubs and Phillies are no longer available through mlb.com. Therefore, we must resort to StubHub.com. We will all want to sit together, so you will want to buy your tickets for the bleachers, which is a general admission style seating arrangement. Tickets are currently running for $70 on StubHub. As much as I would like all of us to attend the game together, I know many of you might not be willing to pay $70 for a baseball game. Worst case scenario, the people who want to go to the game can go to the game together while the others do as they please.
Total:
Most of us should be receiving stimulus checks, so if you haven't already blown it, i would recommend using your check towards this trip. Your $600 stimulus check would cover all of the aforementioned, including the Cubs ticket. Add in your own budgets for what you think you would spend on booze and food, and you'll have your grand total. I am not a rich man, which is why as of this past Monday, I have a new job in the evenings and I have also quit smoking. This has taken me four hours to type because I'm so fucking jittery. But in order to make this trip a reality, I understand that sacrifices have to be made.
When we came back from Philly, and even still looking back on it today, it's amazing how we were able to coordinate all of us to fly across the country together. This time, we have Ministers flying from a different continent to join us in Chicago. We are stronger.
$350 + $150 + $70 (optional) = $570 ($500 without the game)
Most of us should be receiving stimulus checks, so if you haven't already blown it, i would recommend using your check towards this trip. Your $600 stimulus check would cover all of the aforementioned, including the Cubs ticket. Add in your own budgets for what you think you would spend on booze and food, and you'll have your grand total. I am not a rich man, which is why as of this past Monday, I have a new job in the evenings and I have also quit smoking. This has taken me four hours to type because I'm so fucking jittery. But in order to make this trip a reality, I understand that sacrifices have to be made.
When we came back from Philly, and even still looking back on it today, it's amazing how we were able to coordinate all of us to fly across the country together. This time, we have Ministers flying from a different continent to join us in Chicago. We are stronger.
"From north to south, from east to west, from overseas we'll come..."
Love Letters
Let us feast...
Love Letters
Let us feast...
reddit
Nice work Baggs. Looking at airfare, United appears to be the main flyer between SoCal and CHI, with American having a couple flights as well. JetBlue has flights, but very few, and their times don't really work for what we need. I think it will be best if everyone leaves early on Friday, get to CHI around 2 or 3, and leaves late on Monday, you get an hour back, obviously different schedules for different people, but I think we will want to maximize our time in just a 3-day weekend.
As of right now, I think I will be taking a flight from SNA to ORD, anywhere between 6 am and 10 am, and coming back on a flight between 2 and 6pm. It's $360. I am still waiting on my stimulus check, and will buy my ticket the day it arrives this month.
I like the combination of the double 'LL' and single 'L' in the ALLALALALLA. Very nice. As for Chicago, I've got no reason to say no to such a trip seeing as how I've never been to Chi town and its in the name of brotherhood. I may be watching the game in a bar though. 70 bones is a tad rich for my blood. So who's in? Baggs, M&T, Wardrobe? Athletics? Any Deustchland dwellers?
Speaking of which, who'll be around to entertain R&S, cause I'm not going to be in town this weekend. My sincerest apologies again.
MOM I left you a message last night, but vaguely remembered you weren't going to be around for R&S's return. I'm in, and will be heading up to LA on Friday, but yeah who else up there is in, and R&S what is your itinerary, should we be trying to plan something? Or do you already have some place you are headed that we should meet you at?
Yeah, I won't be in town this weekend either. Sorry R&S, it's a fucking bummer not to see you. As for Chi town, I have to wait and see what my class schedule looks like when the time comes. God that sounds weird to say...or rather, type.
yeah, if you don't think you can swing the $70 for the game, there are a ton of bars surrounding the park that will be full of fans and drinkers alike.
i'm in. all ye who will depart from sfo, let's coordinate...
on an unrelated note, bernie will you make this your next karaoke jam pleeeeeeaaaase?
oops, i fucked up the jam link. it's supposed to be: http://www.volcano.net/~trnscnd/Firewater-HeyClown.mp3
Which ball game are we going to? Saturday or Sunday?
oh yeah, forgot to mention that. the saturday game is a day game, which is always the most fun at wrigley. the sunday game still says "TBD", so let's concentrate on getting tickets to the saturday day game just to play it safe.
Hows about a post for this weekend Shroediki?