Going to Comiskey (a.k.a. The Cell)

The biggest change about the "Comiskey" area in recent years is that they've torn down the Robert Taylor Homes. The neighborhood around the park is nowhere near as dangerous as it once was, mainly because there just aren't many locals around anymore.

It's not a whole lot different from places like Turner Field in Atlanta now. There's not much to do around the area, but it's not like you're walking into a war zone anymore.

I'd also recommend the el train. It drops you right across the expressway from the park (you walk across the skywalk to cross it).

And once you're inside, the Sox have some of the cheapest concessions (not to mention one of the best beer selections) in the majors.

 

What's the scariest part? The $700,000 single-family town homes? The ample parking?

The idea that U.S. Cellular is located in some sort of war zone is one that has long outgrown its usefulness. In a lot of ways, Wrigley Field is far more dangerous, if only because there are a lot more people, and a lot more of them young and good and drunk, around the neighborhood.

Everyone likes to talk about the Robert Taylor Homes, but those were way across the expressway. There was absolutely no reason anyone going to a game would have any reason to venture into them, and the residents weren't exactly wandering around Bridgeport (the mostly white neighborhood that surrounds U.S. Cellular to the north, west and southwest.

 

The neighborhood's stiil full of Sox fans on gamedays. That makes it plenty scary.

 

Sconnie -- given what you'll probably pay to park, and then take the el, you're just as well to park at the stadium nice and early, then grill up some brats and play some beanbag. The biggest reason for parking away from the Cell is the time you save getting out of there. I recommend parking in the South Loop, with surface parking that can be had for $10-12 for the day. There's a lot right by the Harrison Red Line stop that fits that description, and that stop will put you on a train right to the Cell. Or, you can go farther south around Roosevelt and see what you can find, though I don't think it's any cheaper.

If you're making a day of it beyond the ballpark, Chinatown is right across the Ryan. So is the original Connie's Pizza on Archer, just outside of Chinatown. And as others have said, the neighborhood has gentrified quite a bit, though a lot of the old ethnics, particularly Irish with long ties to Daley and city government, are still in the area. Grandstand Sports at 600 W. 35th (35th and Wallace, west of the ballpark) has shit-tons of jerseys and stuff. Jimbo's is the neighborhood hot spot. It's at 3258 S. Princeton, along 33rd Street on the north end of Armour Square Park (the park nearest the Cell).

 

Are sleeves still optional?

 

The concessions are indeed delicious. Where are your seats? The upper deck is fine now that they did a lot of construction on it, but if you're in one of the very top rows you risk having a pole in front of you.

 

Bob - No more Jimbo's.

 

It's a fantastic book. I read it during my undergrad for an independent studies course. There are a few books like that, showing the plight of the poor in Urban America. Every one I've read makes me cry.

 

I wasn't sure if it had officially shut down. It had allegedly lost its lease, but then it was back, so who knows?

So it looks like you'll have to find another bar.