My favorite sporting events to attend are ones that start on weekday afternoons. Generally these events include MLB games. However, with the Chicago Sky and New York Liberty scheduled for an 11:00 am tip off, I was sure to be there.

Parking
I did not feel like paying to park, so I drove around the area surrounding the UIC Pavilion. I figured I should be able to park for free on a weekday afternoon. However, to my disappointment all the streets around the arena needed a permit in order to park on them. I finally found one street (S. Lytle St. on the corner of W. Cabrini St. and S. Lytle St.) a few blocks from the arena that did not need a permit so I ended up parking for free.

Obtaining Tickets
I thought I might have missed my opportunity for a free ticket while spending time looking for parking. I waited outside the main entrance to the UIC Pavilion for a few minutes before I decided there were no free tickets available. However, that is when a car pulled up and dropped off a family. I asked them if they had an extra ticket. At first they said no, but then must have had a change of heart and handed me a ticket. What a game – free parking and a free ticket.

It turns out the ticket was one row behind the New York Liberty bench. Granted this was a WNBA game, but I have never sat that close to the court at an NBA or WNBA game. It also turns out the reason the game time was so early because it was summer camp day. Kids in their summer camp T-shirts swarmed the arena. My original plan to buy a $16 ticket from the box office may have backfired on me as well since the entire upper deck appeared to be sold out – at least I never had to find out.

The Game
The Chicago Sky led for most of the game, but could not hold on as they lost to the Liberty 77-70. Although I could not see any of the “in-game” entertainment from my up close seat, my entertainment came from watching the Liberty players and coaches within five feet of me.