For her birthday, I took Mrs. Zeke and the Zeke-letts on one of the Wrigley Field tours. It was a picture perfect day in late June. We met the tour guide under the marquee, and then did a 90 minute walking tour of the ballpark. We walked the concourse, sat in a suite, toured the pressbox, the bleachers, and the visiting team and Cubs clubhouses.
We concluded the tour in the Cubs dugout and on the field itself. If you haven't yet been able to take this tour I strongly recommend it. The Cubs tour guides do a great job. Below are some of the photos from our tour with a word or two of commentary.
Your tour starts here...but then you knew that, didn't you? Followed by view that "got me" as a 10 year-old when I went to my first Cubs game back in the 1960s...
Our first stop by the tour guide in one of the mezzanine suites... great view.
Our tour guide. His name escapes me. And one last look from the suite level...
It's on to the Press Box. But first, the Wrigley Field organ...it's a Lowrey.
For you techies, a patch bay..."Don't touch nothin'!" Now take a seat as one of the media hoards...
Quite the view from up in the press box ...
We take a side door and walk out to the upper concourse on the way to the visitor's clubhouse...
The visitor's clubhouse. Luxurious, eh? Not so much...
Now, pretend you are a visiting player. This is the start of your walk to the dugout...watch your step. And notice the wear on the concrete steps from the players cleats.
Here we detour and walk towards the bleachers...
Our group (minus the photographer)...
The next part of the tour includes the Cubs clubhouse, dugout, field level views and other beauty shots. We'll start with a last look from the bleacher box seats and through the looking glass that is the enclosed center field lounge...
Here are some of the first things you see entering the Cubs clubhouse- Cubs D'Art! (ignore the doofus reflected in the glass...). While everyone else rushed in to see the Cubs' lockers, I hung back to take these pics. These alone were worth the price of the tour to me...
Note the "throwback" jersey hanging in Marmol's cubicle above, and just how small this locker room really is (below). Imagine what it must be like after September call-ups...
The last photo above is Z's locker. Note the soccer ball. Also, what you don't see is immediately to the left is a short stairway with a half wall. There is a hole in the half wall. Guess who reportedly put the business end of a bat through it after a bad outing...
Now, it's on to the Cubs dugout...nice view from here, eh? Put me in Lou!
Ignore him. He's just some yahoo...but next to him are Andy, Meghann & Mrs. Zeke (Sara),,,
And here's your direct line to the bullpen! Nobody picked up when we called...and if you have to, um "go" between innings, this little anteroom is directly behind the back wall of the dugout- by the entrance from the clubhouse. Just steps from the field. (Remember to zip and wash up fellas...)
A worm's eye field view...or LBR's view, take your pick...
And here's a few other arty-farty shots...
And...we're done. So there you have it. Check out the tour schedule and try to make it over to the park. It's well worth it and the ticket price goes to Cubs Care.