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 Dining
I 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 from the Roosevelt red line stop to Soldier Field. That also makes it the easiest bar to meet at if your group is taking the ‘L’ to the game.

Museum Campus
I attended the game with my friend Irish Peter who I also attended the Six Nations match with in Dublin between France and Ireland in February. Peter was with his wife who did not want to attend the game. Under normal circumstances Peter may never have been able to attend the game with his wife in town. However, Bears games are setup perfectly for one spouse to attend the Bears game and for the other spouse to spend a few hours at a museum as Soldier Field is in the heart of Chicago’s museum campus.

The Museum Campus consists of three museums – the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. Peter’s wife chose the Field Museum. Before the game I met Peter on the steps of the Field Museum that face Soldier Field and we met his wife three hours later in the same spot. They then went to dinner downtown – a perfect compromise when planning a sporting event during a vacation.

Halftime
The Bears honored Walter Payton with a ceremony at halftime showing a video tribute on the scoreboard. It was 10 years ago to the day that Walter Payton passed away.