Font Size:

My wife surprised me last weekend for my birthday with a quick getaway to Chicago.  We ate at a couple of fantastic restaurants (without a kid around equals bonus) enjoyed the musical stylings at a jazz club and capped off Sunday with an afternoon at the ballpark.

Unfortunately, the windy city lived up to its name.  Wrigley Field felt like a freezer.  Our seats were in the grandstand behind home plate -- and most importantly, they were in the shade.  We could see our breath.  Blanket and scarf sales outdid Bud sales. 

A couple innings in, my wife clearly wasn't going to make it.  She was cold to the core as she said.  Those in the bleachers were comfortable.  No coats needed since there was plenty of sunshine.

Then, we noticed a hundred seats down the left field line that were empty but in the sunshine.  We inquired.  The section is the Family Seating area.  The only requirement is you needed a ticket and couldn't drink.

For a few bucks, we upgraded our seats.  The Cubs lost in extra innings so that wasn't ideal.  But then again, we stayed around to see it.

We felt bad for the usher.  She had to shoo away people every minute -- people who just wanted some warmth.  We shared with them how for a few extra bucks they too could have sunshine. 

Actually, the beer we were no longer allowed to drink in the family section paid for it.