Of course, on the first day I had visited Wrigley Field to see what was happening on the construction project first-hand, it snowed.
Fortunately, that's not supposed to stick and we are promised a chilly, but dry day Monday for the home opener.
What David Sameshima mentioned in the previous update about the streets around the ballpark being torn up -- he wasn't kidding. There are detours all over the Wrigleville area, many side streets closed, Addison's south side blocked west of Clark... I hope they get this cleared up by Monday or traffic's going to be even more of a nightmare than it usually is on Opening Day.
I've arranged this photoset thematically. The first five photos are of the latticework being set up both at the main entrance and at Gate D at Addison & Sheffield for the magnetometers. Do they look ugly? Sure they do... but I guess we just have to live with them.
Following that are some photos at the bleacher gate and just inside -- today, I learned, was the first day that the construction fences were down outside the bleachers and you could walk right up to the gate. The Harry Caray statue is back, though the base isn't quite unwrapped yet.
Photos 7 through 11 are of the "bleacher bar" that occupies the space that once had a men's and women's restroom. (I hope they have put enough restroom space elsewhere in the bleachers to make up for that lost capacity.) This appears to be an open bar area with a brick wall behind it. It's directly in front of you (well, behind the elevator, that big green thing in photo 7) as you enter the bleachers.
Also previously in that area was a small gift shop. That's been relocated and enlarged (photos 12 and 13). That's located on the Sheffield side, just to the left of the gate as you walk in.
The rest of the photos show various preparations in progress. There were dozens of trucks unloading various materials, some for construction, some for Opening Night. I took one peek inside (photo 22) from outside the gate at the right-field corner. And the scoreboard's all set to go after being painted a week ago.
They still have a lot of cleanup and things to finish before Monday. I hope to have another photoset here over the weekend.