The White Sox. I have never liked the White Sox. When I finally did make it to a game last year it was a make-up of a rainout against the Cubs. That meant the cheapest ticket was $45 (no, I was not hallucinating) and parking was $24 (I managed to skirt that) and it nearly rained out again. I was not impressed. Not even sure I ate there. So when I visited for a Sunday afternoon game I was prepared to rank the Chi-town southside team pretty low. It just shows what a little objectivity and a scorecard can do for you.
From the outside, I am still not impressed witht US Cellular Field. The light brown concrete structure looks like sandstone from 10 feet away and along with the tall glass windows if it were not for the tall stadium lights jutting above it the facility might be mistaken for some company’s corporate office. Inside they did a better job. The black steel supports give it more of a retro feel as well as the ornate steel lattice along the upper edge of the stadium. It is not to say the ballpark isn’t a nice facility, it is. It just doesn’t strike me as a facility that emanates baseball. The ambiance score demonstrates that. Other than that it has a wide sweeping concourse that is open in the outfield area and has top notch services. The ramps that cling to the outside of the structure are reminiscent of the old cookie cutter style stadiums and counts as a detractor for US Cellular Field.
Dog:
Bun-fresh and steamed.
Taste-the standard dog has a Bopaks pork frank. Not bad, but not top score.
Toppings-homer for the White Sox. I was asked if I wanted kraut and grilled onions before getting my dog and the servers put some on for me. Add mustard and you have a delicious treat.
Portability-not only was it wrapped in a paper wrapper, but placed in a box as well. Best portability of any park yet.
Price-$3.75 is a very good price for a major league venue dog. Keep up the good work White Sox.
It Factor-other than the regular dog, there is an all-beef super dog, and a few brats. Normally I would rate that pretty low. BUT, there is also the Cominsky dog (which is really a Chicago style hot dog). When in Chicago you WILL order a Chicago dog at the ballpark. That tips the It Factor scale to maximum.
Ballpark:
Location-downtown. Southside downtown.
Location-downtown. Southside downtown.
Access-the El-train, walk, bike, drive, bus….you name it. Parking is usually really pricey but clever fans can park for free for a bit of a walk.
Cleanliness-well done.
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| US Cellular Field |
GA Ticket-two sections have regular $7 general admission. This is a fantastic option for ordinary fans on a budget (like me). What could be better? How about $5 general admission on Sundays? And as my report is a snapshot in time, that is what I paid. Super deal.
Fans-about 35% to 40% full on a really nice Sunday afternoon. Great day for a ballgame so not sure where the fans were. And the ones that did show up were a tad lackluster.
Ambiance-nice facility, and I’d recommend it. They try by paying homage to the old Comiskey Park exploding scoreboard. It just lacks the baseball vibe many parks have.
| Dog | Ballpark | Total Dog/Game | ||
| Bun | 5 | Location | 5 | |
| Taste | 4 | Access | 5 | |
| Toppings | 5 | Cleanliness | 5 | |
| Price | 5 | Ambiance | 3.5 | |
| Portability | 5 | GA Ticket Price | 5 | |
| It Factor | 5 | Fans | 4 | |
| 29 | 27.5 | 56.5 |
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| The Comiskey Dog |
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