After the Cubs Game: North Side Style
Last Updated: July 2008

If you're lucky enough to have a bachelor party in summer, try to arrange it around a Cubs game in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Buy tickets beforehand – otherwise, you'll pay through the nose on game day if you buy from scalpers (up to $100 per ticket for popular games)
• Sit in the bleachers if you can – everyone gets hammered and bikini-clad women fall prey to a pretty face, out-of-towners and foreigners; just remember: get there early (at least an hour before game time) or you'll be standing for the game, and if the opposition hits a home run, you better damn well throw it back onto the field
• Drink Old Style from a wax paper cup – the game is far more enjoyable this way, though it might make it harder to see
• Get a hot dog, grilled with onions – these can only be found at the small stand on the landing as you walk up the ramp to the bleachers and are better than the hot dogs that they steam the bejesus out of
• Cheer on Kosuke Fukudome in Right Field – that's pronounced foo-koo-DOH-may... and always remember: left field sucks!
• Drink plentifully but pace yourself – you'll want to have something left for after the game (I can never get this right)
• The "Trough" – Wrigley's urine dissipation system is a model of efficiency but if anything falls in there, it's gone forever...

Wrigleyville, as the area immediately surrounding Wrigley Field is known as, is a great place for bachelor party bar hopping whether you go to a game or not. Here are some of the standouts:

After the Cubs Game via Chicago Trolley

Destination	Address	The Hook	Directions to the Next Place	Suggested Timing
Murphy's Bleachers	3655 N. Sheffield	A must before or after the game; cheap beer out of a can with hot dogs to boot; a good crowd right outside the entrance to the bleachers with lots of nice-looking women drinking beer; what more do you want?	Board the Chicago Trolley, circle around Wrigley Field, stop and take a photo under the famous red marquis, when west along Addison, and south (left) down Southport.	5:00-6:00 (depends on game time)	To book a trolley, please contact Chicago Trolley for pricing & availability: Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. (773) 648-5000 chicagotrolley-charter@coachusa.com Your pub crawl agenda is completely up to you. If you'd like to hire a guide, please be sure to mention that when you contact Chicago Trolley.
Justin's	3358 N. Southport	Great beer garden and introduction to the action (and femininas) on Southport.	North up Southport, east (right) on Addison, and south (right) down Clark until Buckingham.	6:15-7:30
El Jardin Restaurant	3335 N. Clark	For the love of God, you better eat something or your night will plummet faster than Dusty Baker's managerial career. Engorge yourself on chips & salsa --I recommend the carne asada for your entrée -- and enjoy the beer garden out front if available or out back. FYI: the El Jardin Café is located one block north, is much smaller and has no beer garden.	North on Clark and circle Wrigley Field until you've pounded that quick beer.	8:00-9:00
Casey Moran's	3660 N. Clark	By this time, the line outside should have subsided after the game, but before the evening's prime time. Lady Cub fans should be plenty "happy" by this point.	South on Clark, south (right) on Sheffield and south (left) on Lincoln.	9:15-10:30
The Apartment	2251 N. Lincoln	Above the Lion Head Pub with its faux English atmosphere and "table tappers," The Apartment is the best prime time action in Lincoln Park. Head up the street to John Barleycorn's if the line's too long to get in.	North on Clark, and north (right) on Sheffield, which turns into Sheridan past Irving Park.	10:45-12:00
Nick's Uptown	4015 N. Sheridan	The best late-night action in this neck of the woods, as well as pool. There's a burrito joint just south on Sheridan, past Irving and next to the El stop.		12:30-4:00 (5:00 Sat)

~ Got a better idea for a Post-Cubs pub crawl? E-mail me. ~

On Foot: along Sheffield

On Foot: along Clark, North of Wrigley

On Foot: along Clark, South of Wrigley

• Important Note: there has been a big flap lately about Cub fans and the like urinating in public – avoid it at all costs or you could be fined $125 on the spot (perhaps literally)

~ Have a good story relating to a bachelor party? E-mail me. ~

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– written by Sean Parnell