Royalty returns to Wrigley Field & Miller Park over last weekend of June!‏

On Saturday June 28th, after we saw Gio Gonzalez dominate the Cubs in game one of the day/night doubleheader, the King & I went to a place called Deuces & the Diamond Club in Wrigleyville with Tike & Dawn Narry. Tike went there the day before & he said they had great food. Once I heard that, I didn't question the choice. We weren't disappointed either. The King & I had burgers which were excellent. They came with sea salt fries too. We also enjoyed a few beers before headed back to Wrigley Field for game two of the doubleheader.

Tike arranged to get us a block of tickets together in aisle 524 which was just to the right of the press box. We had a nice view of the action despite a slight distraction from a pole that was blocking part of the view. That's the beauty of the old time ballparks from back in the day. We looked around the pole & we saw the game just fine.   

View from Aisle 524

As for the game we saw, the Nationals went on to beat the Cubs, 7-2. With the victory, Blake Treinen got his first major league win. In addition, we did get a visit from a fellow ballpark chaser who came to the game with some friends of his who drove from Toronto. I'm referring to Paul Nieuwland who I arranged to get Yankee & Met tickets for in NYC during the first week of July. It worked out well when he told me he was going to be at that game. As a result, we were able to make the exchange there. Shortly after he left us, the sky opened up & we had a 55 minute rain delay. Even though, we were undercover, we were forced to walk down to the walkway between the seats in the upper level since the rain was blowing so hard thanks to the gutsy winds. Luckily we were able to stay relatively dry. Once the rain cleared out, the game resumed. 

Tarp on the field during rain delay

After the game, we went back to the Flat in Wrigleyville where we spent the night. 

Sunday morning we got up, packed our bags & we all headed to Milwaukee‎ where we went to see the Brewers play the Rockies at Miller Park that afternoon. It should be noted that game was a personal milestone  for Tike. It was his 1,000th live baseball game. I'm glad that we were able to take part in his special occasion.

On the way there, we stopped off at The Point Pancake House for a royal breakfast. Tike & Dawn Narry drove their friends Josh & Stephanie Thurman along with  their son Brendan in a SUV that Tike rented for the day. They followed the King & I there. Scott Bultman who also stayed with us left earlier that morning. He went on his own to Milwaukee because he went to visit his family there before he went to the game. 

As for the breakfast we had, I got a skirt steak skillet which was delicious. It came with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon & cheese all mixed together along with a few pancakes. Speaking of pancakes, Dawn ordered them. She was raving how good they were. I was so happy to hear that. Everybody else was satisfied with their generous portions of food as well. Like Tike, I aim to please. 

Skirt Steak Skillet

After we finished eating, we got back into our cars ‎& we drove to Milwaukee. We wound up meeting them at the ballpark because Tike wanted to stop at the airport to see if he could check in their bags first. 

When we got to Miller Park, the lines to go in were out of control. It was Scooter Gennett Bobblehead day for all fans. With that being said, they had a sell out crowd. What a nightmare it was to get inside. Finally after waiting a little bit, we got in.

Tike ‎& Dawn & their friends had seats downstairs while Scott, the King & I decided to sit in the upper level. During the game, Tike came up to visit us. 

View from section 422

As for the game we saw, the Rockies built an early 5-0 lead as they cruised to a 10-4 win over the Brew Crew.

After the game, we were hoping to meet up with Tike again for dinner but we couldn't figure out exactly where the restaurant they were going for dinner was. We wound up near the airport so the King & I decided to eat near there. We saw a place called Beer Belly so we went there instead. It worked out well as I got a pound of crab legs for dinner. The King had a prime rib. After we finished eating, I returned the Chevy Spark I rented for the weekend to Alamo. I only drove 186 miles but it served its purpose as it got us where we wanted to go.

We then headed to the terminal to catch our flight home on Southwest Airlines. Since our flight was leaving around the same time as Tike & Dawn's, we did see them ‎& we said our goodbyes.

Stay tuned as I plan to do a special post that will highlight our adventures in July.

‎Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Harry Caray's Restaurant in Chicago!‏

After the King & I went to the Cub game on June 27th at Wrigley Field, we went back to the Flat where we stayed in Wrigleyville. We met up with Scott Bultman as well as Tike & Dawn Narry there. We got refreshed then we all walked over to the subway & we took the train to the loop which is considered downtown if you will in Chicago. We got off ‎& we walked a few blocks to Harry Caray's Restaurant to have dinner. Tike had made a reservation for us. We wound up meeting his friends Josh ‎& Stephanie Thurman along with their son, Brendan who joined us after they spent the day sightseeing. When we walked in, we had a drink by the bar. While doing so, Tike came across a guy he met last year when he was in Chicago. This guy he initially met on Twitter. His name is Joe McCune. He happens to be a San Francisco Giant fan who lives in Chicago. Tike asked the people there if we could have a table for nine instead of eight. That way he could join us for dinner. After a short wait, they were able to accommodate all nine of us. 

As for dinner, we ordered our food which included some different appetizers that consisted of toasted ravioli, calamari & antipasto. As for the main course, I had a chicken parmigiana which came with spaghetti. ‎The King had a ribeye steak on the bone. Tike & Dawn had been there last year too so they knew the food was excellent. Joe is a lawyer he said. He's been there many times. He told us the food choices were outrageous. Whatever you ordered, you couldn't go wrong. When the food arrived, we found that out. It was really a tremendous meal that we had.

In addition, we had some great conversations around the table. We estimated that between all of us that we have seen over 14,000 live sporting events. 

The King & I with a caricature of Harry Caray

After enjoying the food ‎& the company there, we weren't done for the night. After we left the restaurant, Joe who lives in one of the Marina City buildings a few blocks away, took us up to the 60th floor so we could get an aerial view of the City of Chicago. What an unexpected surprise that was. He was more than happy to show us the view. We got to see the Sears Tower, the new Trump Tower as well as an amazing panoramic view of the surrounding areas. We had a beautiful breeze blowing which added to this breath taking experience. If Tike never found this gentleman on Twitter, none of this would have happened. It just proves that if you make an effort to do something in life you never know what can come of it. In this case, a common interest in the Giants lead to guided tour for all of us. I want to personally thank Tike & Joe for making this happen. 

Aerial View of Sears Tower from Marina City in Chicago

After we got back downstairs we said good bye to Joe & the Thurman family for the night. The rest of us walked back to the subway & we took the train back to the Flat to go to sleep.

Stay tuned for a special post that will recap the rest of that memorable weekend in the Midwest.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys its annual visit to Wrigley Field at the end of June during its 100th Anniversary celebration!‏

On April 23rd, the Cubs played the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. That day was the official anniversary of the first game played there in 1914. With that being said, the Cubs are celebrating all season long by having what refer to as the Party of the Century. Unfortunately for the Cubs & their loyal fan base, there hasn't been much to celebrate over the past century. Sad to say, the last time the Cubs got to the World Series was in 1945. As for the King & I, we've gone there together at least once every year since 1988. Despite their losing history, there's nothing like seeing a baseball game at the Friendly Confines as it's known. However, things are suppose to change next season. Major renovations are in place to face lift the ballpark. We're not looking forward to it but on the positive side, the address will remain the same. As for the on field results, l hope they change too. Time will tell on how things turn out.

Back in September when the schedule was released, I looked it over to see when would be the best time for us to return to Wrigley Field. After thorough analysis, the series against the Nationals at the end of June seemed to be the most logical choice. When they decided sometime in February to make Saturday June 28th a day/night doubleheader that sealed the deal. Their decision was based on potential traffic issues due to a Pride Parade that was scheduled to take place that Sunday. 

With that being said, our friend ‎& fellow roadtripper, Tike Narry who lives in the Bay Area decided to consult his wife Dawn about a possible road trip for that weekend. Last year Tike arranged to rent out a flat in Wrigleyville for him & a bunch of his buddies when they went to Chicago for a similar type weekend. Tike get permission from Dawn so he decided to contact the person who he dealt with last year. When she told him the flat was available for that weekend at the end of June, he asked the King & I if we were interested in joining him. After giving it some thought, we said we would. In addition, our pal Scott Bultman decided to go as well. Tike also had a friend of his, Josh Thurman who came with his wife Stephanie & their son Brendan for the weekend. They wound up staying in the loop which is what they call downtown if you will. They wanted to do more than just spend time at the ballpark. They wanted to walk around & see some of the sites that the Second City had to offer.  

Wrigley Field Marquee

As for the King ‎& I, we flew into Milwaukee Friday morning. We took a flight out of LaGuardia airport on Southwest Airlines. I rented a Chevy Spark, which looked like a matchbox car from Alamo for the weekend. Most importantly, it suited our needs. On the way to Wrigleyville, we stopped off at The Point Pancake House in Gurnee, Illinois for breakfast. When we finished we drove over to the flat that Tike rented for the weekend at 1036 Roscoe Street. Since the King & I usually don't stray towards that part of the neighborhood, we didn't know exactly where that street was. For the most part, we know that area very well. Instead of mapping it out exactly, I decided to contact Tike & Scott. They wound up meeting us a few blocks away then they guided us there. We wound up parking the car in the garage for the weekend. We went inside & we dropped off our bags. Once we got situated, we all walked over to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs host the Washington Nationals that afternoon. It was part of the homestand that they remembered the 1950's.

View from Aisle 420

The King is in the building

As for the game we saw, the Cubs ‎broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead, 4-2. They added three more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning taking advice from their late legendary announcer Harry Caray who was notorious for saying let's get some runs after he sung Take Me Out To The Ballgame. The Cubs went on to beat the Nationals, 7-2. 

After the game, I wound up waiting for the Nationals to come out by the team bus to see if I could see Gio Gonzalez since I didn't get to see him after batting practice.

Stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about what transpired.

Thank you for reading ‎& following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman