Blue Chicago blues club

After the game we made our way back to our hotel and found an excellent Indian restaurant. Chicago is a great blues town so after dinner we went to Blue Chicago , one of the few blues clubs on the North Side of Chicago, where we saw a solid set from the Luke Pytel Band with Shirley Johnson.

By this time we were pretty much spent so we called it a night and headed back to the hotel.

Luke Pytel Band with Shirley Johnson

On our second day in town we decided to take an architecture cruise. The cruise left from a spot not too far from our hotel so we walked down to the river. On the way we passed the Billy Goat Tavern. This was not the original Billy Goat, which is located across town near United Center. THAT Billy Goat Tavern is famous for two reasons - the origin of the Billy Goat Curse, which many blame for the failure of the Chicago Cubs to win a World Series for more than a hundred years, and also as the inspiration for Saturday Night Live's famous "Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger" skit.

To learn more about the Billy Goat Curse, click here.

To see the SNL Cheezborger skit, click here.

Not the original

Chicago is a town full of interesting architecture, both classic and modern, much of which is visible from the Chicago River. While we can't say that we remember all the details of what architect designed which building in what style, we greatly enjoyed the ride. Among others, we saw the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), which was the world's tallest building from 1974 until 1988, and the Chicago Tribune Tower, where Dave's sister and brother-in-law used to work when they were the Midwest Bureau of the Los Angeles Times. One fact we do remember is that the Chicago Fire Academy, where firefighters are trained, was built on the site of Mrs. O'Leary's barn, where the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 began.

This trip was planned along the same lines as our first one - get into town, see a White Sox game, go to see the Cubs at Wrigley Field the next day and head home immediately after the game. We had everything planned perfectly... except the Cubs threw a wrench into our plans. The game on September 1 was originally scheduled to start at 1:00 PM so we booked an 8:30 PM flight out of town. But a few weeks before the game, the Cubs changed the start time from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

That meant we had to plan on leaving the Cubs game early. But the extra time before the game and DC's quick thinking presented us with an unexpected opportunity. Chicago was the home base of Chess Records, which was the label of many great blues artists including Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, not to mention the label on which Chuck Berry had all his hits. From 1956 until 1967 the company was based at 2120 South Michigan Avenue on Chicago's South Side. The Rolling Stones, great admirers of the Chess label, visited the studio in 1964 and recorded several songs including an instrumental called '2120 South Michigan Avenue'.

For a brief history of Chess Records, click here. (Then go listen to a whole bunch of their music!)

Chess Records is no longer a recording company but in 1993 the widow of Willie Dixon (one of Chess Records most important producer/songwriter/musicians) bought the building and opened it up for tours in 1997. We were in town on a Sunday and Monday, the two days on which tours are not offered. But DC said "So what. We can at least stand outside of it." So we hopped on the CTA train, made our way to 2120 South Michigan Avenue and geeked out for a few minutes. We met a trio of very nice people who were in town for a System of Down concert who had done the same thing. Each group took pictures of the other and we headed back uptown. (Dave doesn't like how he looks in the picture of us, thus the shot here of just the building.)

Dave's sister and brother-in-law
used to work in this building

A view of that toddlin' town from the Chicago River

2120 South Michigan Ave,
the home of Chess Records

Chess was just the latest in a long line of famous recording studios we have visited.

Motown
Detroit MI

RCA Studio B
Nashville TN

Sun Records
Memphis TN

STAX Records
Memphis TN

Muscle Shoals Studios
Muscle Shoals AL

FAME Studios
Muscle Shoals AL

Big Pink
Saugerties NY

Paisley Park
Chanhassen MN

We went directly from Chess to Wrigley Field, arriving in the neighborhood a couple of hours before game time. Wrigley opened in 1917 and is the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball (Fenway Park opened in 1912, on the same day the Titanic sank). It's a gem but by the time it was pushing 100 years old, it was in need of renovation. A multi-year project was begun to upgrade the park.

We're not too fond of what they've done on the outside. Wrigley used to be the tallest structure in the neighborhood and it really stood out when you were walking the streets around it. Now there are a number of buildings of about the same height that obscure the ballpark in a lot of places. They've built a sportsbook onto the stadium that sticks out like a sore thumb (and necessitated moving the Harry Carey statue). One thing we did like was the addition of a play area for kids, which also has statues of Cub heroes Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Ferguson Jenkins, Billy Williams and Ryne Sandberg.

Inside the ballpark they've done a good job of modernizing it while still retaining its charm. The concourses are wider, signage is improved, concession stands offer more options, restrooms have been upgraded (no more troughs in the men's rooms!) Unlike our home ballpark in Washington D.C., there are actually vendors hawking their wares in the stands. The classic centerfield scoreboard is still there but two big new scoreboards have been added. The new scoreboards probably greatly cut down on the views from the rooftops of the buildings around Wrigley, where people have watched Cubs games for many decades. One thing that we found kind of jarring was the removal of the bullpens from the outfield foul territory beyond first and third base. The bullpens are now actually under the bleachers, out of sight from fans in the stands.

DC discovered that, like at fine restaurants, sometimes you can get something that's not on the menu. One of his favorite things on previous visits to Wrigley was the chocolate Frosty Malt (as memorialized in Steve Goodman's classic song 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request'). But when he went looking for one, they were nowhere to be found. He asked at one of the concession stands and was told "Oh, we have them. It's just that nobody ever asks for them." Well, someone asked for them on September 1, 2025 and was rewarded for his efforts!

Cubs statues

DC with Fergie Jenkins

The new play area outside of Wrigley Field

The Braves scored in the first inning, then two more times in the third and three more in the sixth to take a 6-1 lead. At this point, the only thing that had gone right for the Cubs was an Ian Happ home run in the fourth inning.

But the Cubs clawed their way back into the game, sparked by a bunt single by Pete Crow-Armstrong, on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the sixth. It was the first two-strike bunt of the 2025 Major League Baseball season. That led to two runs in the sixth to make the score 6-4.

Sadly, at that point we had to leave in order to catch our flight. We kept track of the game as we rode the train to Midway Airport, seeing that the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the eight inning and won it in the tenth. We would have liked to have been there to see it, but it was not to be. We hope to get back to Wrigley at some point in the future (and have it be on a day Chess is giving tours!)

Welcome to Wrigley Field

One of the greatest places on Earth

We had a nice chat on the train with a nice couple from Delaware who were also heading to the airport. They'd been at the same two games we had and were on their way to Milwaukee to see the Brewers. Definitely kindred spirits.

Then it was a flight home. Dave waited two whole days before going to another baseball game. Planning was already underway for the 2026 Two Guys and a Map Golden State Tour.