Let's Go Out to the Ballpark--Wrigley Field, That Is

Gone are the days when Liz and I, back in the 70s and early 80s would, on a great summer day, get up and say, "What do we want to do today? Hey, why not go see the Cubs play." We'd drive over to Evanston, park in the General Finance Corporation lots by Dyche Stadium (now Ryan Field), home of Northwestern University's football games. (You remember GFC's Friendly Bob Adams who was anxious to give you a loan.)

Liz worked at GFC for awhile before becoming a teacher. Her dad, Amby, worked there from 1964 to 1981.

We'd then catch the El at Central Avenue and take it to the "Friendly Confines" which were truly friendly back then. You never had a problem getting a ticket, even on the day of the game (except, as we found out once, when the dastardly Cardinals were in town). Other than the Cardinals, there was rarely a sell-out. And, we could get a good seat for around $5 and drink reasonably-priced beer. Food was also reasonable. Now those were the days. We thought they'd never end. We'd sing and dance...Oops, sorry Thelma Hopkins, that's your song.

I've been keeping a written journal since 1978, and found an entry from May of 1981 saying that they'd raised the price of a cup of beer to the astronomical high of $1.50. My comment was, "I can't drink here anymore."  Too expensive,

I doubt that we had too many beautiful people in the park as people liked the Cubs in Chicago, but it wasn't the place to go to see and be seen. Of course, not cell phones either, and you never saw people get a phone call and start waving madly at the camera.

Sitting in the bleachers was around $3. And they were crazy back then as well.

Those Were the Days, My Friend. We Thought They'd Never End. --RoadDog