After attending Northwestern at Iowa on Saturday, it was time to turn my attention to the NFL and tailgating on Sunday. As I have written in the past, one of our friends, Bears Tailgater Rob, throws a great tailgate in the South lot of Soldier Field. However, he splits his season tickets with other people in his family and only attends three games per season. Thus, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I are sure to attend his tailgate when he is heading to Soldier Field.
In addition to the Ultimate Sports …

It was a perfect day for an NFL game – sunny, cool and relaxing. Even though the Bears offense stuttered at times, they still defeated the Browns handily 30-6.
Pre Game DiningI met my friend and neighbors at Wabash Tap (located at 1233 S. Wabash Ave.) before the game. Today they had a Sam Adams Winter Ale special for $4 and PBR drafts for $3.
Wabash Tap is not my favorite pre game bar but its location on Wabash Ave. and Roosevelt Rd. makes it the closest bar along the long walk …

Last night was the second Thursday night football game I have attended. The first game I attended was the first NFL Kickoff Game on September 5, 2002 between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.
Pre Game DiningBefore the game my friend, Sandeep Chunduri, took the train south towards my usual Soldier Field bars. However, it took us four tries to find a place:
1) As was the case with Sundays, Grace O’Malley’s pub, located at 1416 S. Michigan Ave., was packed. We arrived at 6 pm and they had a …

After spending the better of two weeks attending football matches in Europe, it was time to get back to the NFL. With a 15 degree forecast for the Chicago Bears game and some laziness setting in to prepare a tailgate, we decided to forgo tailgating before the game. Instead we ate in our neighborhood and drove to the game. As we were leaving for the game, our neighbor, who was smoking on her front porch in Bears gear, asked if we were driving to the game. We said yes and …

Rather than tailgating before the Chicago Bears game on Sunday we chose to frequent the bars around Soldier Field. First up was Grace O’Malley’s pub, located at 1416 S. Michigan Ave. – a good place for Irish Breakfast before the game. However, we were not eating breakfast and the bar was over crowded. Thus, we left and went to Weather Mark Tavern less than a block further south on Michigan Ave., located at 1503 S. Michigan Ave. Not only was the Weather Mark Tavern quiet and have room to sit, …

I planned my flight back from Minneapolis on Saturday night so we could make the early morning tailgate for the Chicago Bears game Sunday morning. Just as we had done before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on September 21, we arrived in Soldier Field’s south lot by 8:45 am.
However, this time we chose to drive and park in the Monroe Parking Garage located on the corner of Monroe St. and Columbus Dr. (instead of taking the train and walking for 30 to 40 minutes to the parking lot). The perk …

Rather than tailgating to start out a Bears game day I met some friends at Wabash Tap. Wabash Tap is conveniently located just off the Roosevelt Red Line stop on the corner of Roosevelt Rd. and Wabash Ave.
The GameThe Bears beat the Vikings 48-41. The 89 total points was the highest scoring NFL game I have ever attended. The second highest total points I witnessed was 73 when the 49ers defeated the Falcons almost 16 years to the day on October 18, 1992.
In addition to the total points record (not …

The Chicago Bears held onto their 4th quarter lead to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles last night 24-20. With 5:40 left in the 4th quarter, the Eagles had 1st and goal at the 4 yard line. The Bears stopped the Eagles’ run on four consecutive plays. The Bears took over on downs and ran the clock down 28 seconds before having to punt.
One of the best things about Sunday Night Football, is that you have your entire Sunday to relax, run errands or tailgate. On a normal …

For the past few seasons, I have generally chosen to attend a Cubs game at Wrigley Field over a Bears game at Soldier Field because of two main reasons. First, Wrigley Field is located much closer to my house than Soldier Field. Second, the Cubs are usually out of the playoff hunt late in the season and their tickets are worthless whereas Bears tickets range in the triple digits for early season tickets.
Earlier in the week, I chose to attend the Bears game instead of the Cubs for two …

After successfully making it to the Cubs game in the afternoon, I was also going to Soldier Field to watch the Chicago Bears host the San Francisco 49ers.
Pre Game DiningIf you are looking for a sports bar close to Michigan Ave., then ESPN Zone is your spot. Located at 43 E. Ohio St., the bar is a 2-block walk from Michigan Ave. It’s also a good place to stop if you are taking the red line between Wrigley Field and either US Cellular Field or Soldier Field. I met Nicole …