Friday Afternoon at Arlington Park

With both the White Sox and Cubs out of town and the WNBA away on Olympic break, finding a good sporting event in Chicago was no easy task today. Three months ago, I realized I never even considered attending a horse race during a sports drought. Over the last few weeks, Arlington Park has been on my radar as a quick sporting option since I am working within a 15-20 minute drive from the track. Today was one of those days I was able to make it there after work.

I bought a ticket for $7 at the gate (no scalping at the race track) and looked for Friday’s Miller Lite Party in the Park – where a band plays each Friday afternoon as a promotion. Little did I know, Arlington Park has two Miller Lite Party areas – Miller Lite Party in the Park (only on Fridays) and Miller Lite Party on the Deck (available each race day). When I asked for “the Miller Lite Party area” the information booth assumed I wanted the Miller Lite Party on the Deck. The party deck, which has unlimited food and drinks, is for groups only. A great area for a group outing with work or friends. A not so great area for me.

After the confusion, I figured out where the Party in the Park was (it is hard to imagine I could not find it), I realized all of the seating was in the sun and on the lawn. Rather than sit on the ground and in the sun, I chose to sit in the reserved section of Arlington. Although I had a General Admission (GA) ticket, it was easy to sit in the reserved seat area. The first five favorite horses ended up winning their races making for a winning afternoon especially for an amateur gambler.