we took a tour of wrigley field!!!

if you're not a cubs fan, this is not the post for you cause this year for my bday, leff and i took a tour of wrigley field! 

i have never seen the place this empty before. it was a shame there weren't vendors cause i would've been able to get my beer and hot dog back to my seat without spilling for a change. haaa. 

for real tho. i have sacrificed too much old style to the baseball gods at wrigley. 

but let's get started. to the stands!

i sat down here once. in the 90's. when tickets were about $15 a pop. (how much are they now? $150? idk. i am a nosebleed person these days.)

i still miss harry.

on to the bleachers! (which is the only place in town where you can get hot doug's now.)

it was at this point on the tour that i realized that maybe i know a bit too much about cubs baseball history. i think leff was laughing at me cause i was occasionally mouthing the words our guide was saying.  dude, blame cannonball and dr. fusbender as they're the ones who brought me to wrigley field in the first place. (blame wgn for the rest. how else to explain a cubs fan in east tennessee if not for CHICAGO'S VERY OWN SUPERSTATION lol)

k, i didn't know about the bleacher bum races, the end result of those being a pitched wall and a drunk catching basket. 😂

honestly, guys. i think next game *i* will be a bleacher bum. it's what i can afford and, hey, hey, cocktails!

the visiting team clubhouse was included on the tour as well. if you are at all a passing cubs fan, you're aware of how tiny and cramped the visitors' locker rooms are. maybe you didn't know that michael jordan used the far right lockers when he was playing baseball (during the sox/cubs exhibition game that year). shivers, guys. mj is still god.

i wish we could have seen the new cubs clubhouse with its moodlighting and, is there a dj booth? i can't remember.  but, you know, babe ruth, jackie robinson, etc etc etc etc etc. they were all in the visitors' clubhouse at one point.

but onward!

TO THE PRESS BOX!!! here is LEN AND JD'S BOOTH!!! also known as HARRY AND STEVE STONE STONEY THE STONE PONY'S OLD BOOTH!!! *SCREAMS*

(please note that leff never fails to laugh at my inability to say steve stone's (stoney the stone pony) without adding that parenthetical. (even if stoney's with the sox now.))

there's just so much hallowed ground at this park.

we were allowed to sit in the large press box. here's the view from there.

but get this. GET THIS! we were also allowed on the field!

AND IN THE FREAKIN DUGOUT!!!!!!!!

i looked up to the press box and i swear, i swear, i didn't cry. (it was allergies.)

i even got to pretend i was waiting for my turn at bat!! 

i mean, what a way to end the tour! what an amazing bday present!!!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE cause at the new park at wrigley there's THE WORLD SERIES TROPHY!!! OMFG I FINALLY GOT TO SEE IT AND IT IS BEEEEAAAAUUUUUUUUTIFULL

maybe even more beautiful than the rocky/rizz painting on waveland.

nah, who am i kidding? i'd totally own a print of that painting but not one of the trophy. heh

anyway, YES CAN RECOMMEND TAKING THE TOUR OF WRIGLEY if you are in chicago and into baseball in any way, shape or form. (this is not a sponsored post.) in fact, if i know you and i'm not busy, maybe i'll even tag along again.

buy me an old style tho, k?

members night at the field museum 2017!

last friday, leff and i went to the 66th annual members' night at the field museum! i swear, this is one of my most favorite things we've ever done. 

many of the departments within the museum were represented so items on display ranged from armadillo figures

to ceramic repairs across cultures and time

to, well, look. basically, if it had to do with the study of natural history and/or anthropology, it was there! plus as an added bonus, we were allowed a peek at offices like "groups of local deities"

and storage for "the red binders". heee.

lots of scientists were also there talking about their subjects. the mycologists were a lot of fun!

and they had extra cool displays!

imaging was also a big draw for both me and leff, both to see how botanical specimen were mounted

and also to see the gear. they use lightroom! (not pictured-- the awwwweeesooome camera rig. oof, it was so nice.)

i didn't have time to talk to the woman who made mounts for all the shows at the field

but i really would have like to. i overheard her explaining how her background in sculpture helped her in her job. i mean, she and her crew build everything for the shows *including* the book mounts in house at the field! i am incredibly impressed by this!

and also by how well organized everything is!

we didn't really get around to seeing the mammal storage, sadly, but there was a great section about birds from madagascar.

and the storage cabinets! THE STORAGE CABINETS!!!!

another huge plus to members' night, the permanent exhibits were practically empty! (this was a welcome break because, contrary to what my pictures are showing, it was SO CROWDED! members' night is very popular.)

after almost three hours we made it to the basements. (seriously, guys, the field is HUGE!)

here are bats!! so many cute fruit bats! the male ones have white epaulettes on their shoulders.

i can relate to this dude.

honestly, members' night is exhausting even if you plan ahead. by the time we made it to the third floor

we were done for the night. i cannot wait to go back again next year! (we'll start in the basements at the next open house.)

won't have any mold-a-rama to collect though. we're all caught up on the ones at the field. heh.