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Soldier Field is the oldest stadium still in use by the NFL. Opened in 1926 it has been the
home of many incredible sporting events through the years. Not only has it been the home
of the Chicago Bears since 1971, it has been the home to many a college football game all
the way up to Army/Navy. And let's not forget that this was the site of one of the greatest
bouts in boxing history, the Dempsey/Tunney "long count" heavyweight title fight in 1927.
After keeping all of this in mind we believed that we would be in for one wretched football
stadium however as we would see we would be in for a surprise.
Soldier Field sits in the midst of Grant Park not far from the Downtown Loop. It is part of a
beautiful waterfront landscape that combines the natural beauty of Grant Park with the
Ancient Greco-Roman architecture of other nearby landmarks such as the Field Museum of
Natural History and the Shedd Aquarium. This was truly a wonderful sight as we wandered
our way over to the stadium.
One of the things we had a difficult time with was finding a place to park. After traveling
over 500 miles by car over two days we were really hoping that that wouldn't be a tough
thing. How wrong we were as there is parking close by for season ticket holders but for
idiots like us it was survival of the fittest. We found a spot in a lot for free about a mile away
in downtown. At least that helped us get a good chance to get a gander at the stadium and
its surroundings.
The concourse
We maneuvered into the concourses expecting to have a difficult time making our way
around some truly narrow walkways. While they weren't state of the art, the concourses in
most places were wider than we expected and we had no problems getting where we
needed to go most of the time. These halls are decorated with banners that display the
logos of many NFL franchises and those of the MLS as the Chicago Fire does play many of
their games here. Also found at one end was a Chicago Sports Hall of Fame display with
photos of many of the great athletes who had the opportunity to play in or call Chicago their
home.
The bowl
We made our way out into the bowl to see a seating area for roughly 66,000 with seats
decked out in many colors. This place has been through many renovations through the
years and as a result the sightlines in some spots here are amongst the worst we have
seen. There is a jumbotron at one end of the stadium and flags to celebrate the Bears
championship moments along with one flag specifically for the late great Walter Payton. The
signature part of the seating area is definitely the Doric style columns that rise above the
top of the seating level at both sidelines, a characteristic not found anywhere else.
Event presentation
One cool thing was a city cam - which appeared periodically on the jumbotron and just
showed various live shots outside the stadium - the traffic on the expressway coming in -
skyline shot, boats on the lake, and even the mass of people in the adjacent park
participating in an AIDSWalk.
Extra Points
The Lions held off a late Bears charge to win 24-17. Unique moment occured when Lions
Germaine Crowell had an apparent 42 yd TD taken away from him by instant replay. On the
very next play, another pass to Crowell with the same result except the TD stood.
This was a much better experience than what we were expecting. While not good enough
for an honorable mention this place is definitely not on our list of wretched places. In the
near future this venue will be completely gutted and renovated for over a half billion
dollars. Since this is an older venue without much of the amenities taken for granted this is
probably a good thing.
Special thanks goes to Peter's cousin Stephen Boyd of the Detroit Lions for providing the
tix for the game. However next time we sit with the Lions contingent we'll try to steer clear
of the Charlie Batch cheering section. Those folks were getting just a tad bit out of hand
talking smack and getting rowdy and most importantly blocking our view of the action in the
process. Off to Indy and yes we are ready for some football, a Monday night party!!!
RATING (1-5 stars): 2 STARS
home of many incredible sporting events through the years. Not only has it been the home
of the Chicago Bears since 1971, it has been the home to many a college football game all
the way up to Army/Navy. And let's not forget that this was the site of one of the greatest
bouts in boxing history, the Dempsey/Tunney "long count" heavyweight title fight in 1927.
After keeping all of this in mind we believed that we would be in for one wretched football
stadium however as we would see we would be in for a surprise.
Soldier Field sits in the midst of Grant Park not far from the Downtown Loop. It is part of a
beautiful waterfront landscape that combines the natural beauty of Grant Park with the
Ancient Greco-Roman architecture of other nearby landmarks such as the Field Museum of
Natural History and the Shedd Aquarium. This was truly a wonderful sight as we wandered
our way over to the stadium.
One of the things we had a difficult time with was finding a place to park. After traveling
over 500 miles by car over two days we were really hoping that that wouldn't be a tough
thing. How wrong we were as there is parking close by for season ticket holders but for
idiots like us it was survival of the fittest. We found a spot in a lot for free about a mile away
in downtown. At least that helped us get a good chance to get a gander at the stadium and
its surroundings.
The concourse
We maneuvered into the concourses expecting to have a difficult time making our way
around some truly narrow walkways. While they weren't state of the art, the concourses in
most places were wider than we expected and we had no problems getting where we
needed to go most of the time. These halls are decorated with banners that display the
logos of many NFL franchises and those of the MLS as the Chicago Fire does play many of
their games here. Also found at one end was a Chicago Sports Hall of Fame display with
photos of many of the great athletes who had the opportunity to play in or call Chicago their
home.
The bowl
We made our way out into the bowl to see a seating area for roughly 66,000 with seats
decked out in many colors. This place has been through many renovations through the
years and as a result the sightlines in some spots here are amongst the worst we have
seen. There is a jumbotron at one end of the stadium and flags to celebrate the Bears
championship moments along with one flag specifically for the late great Walter Payton. The
signature part of the seating area is definitely the Doric style columns that rise above the
top of the seating level at both sidelines, a characteristic not found anywhere else.
Event presentation
One cool thing was a city cam - which appeared periodically on the jumbotron and just
showed various live shots outside the stadium - the traffic on the expressway coming in -
skyline shot, boats on the lake, and even the mass of people in the adjacent park
participating in an AIDSWalk.
Extra Points
The Lions held off a late Bears charge to win 24-17. Unique moment occured when Lions
Germaine Crowell had an apparent 42 yd TD taken away from him by instant replay. On the
very next play, another pass to Crowell with the same result except the TD stood.
This was a much better experience than what we were expecting. While not good enough
for an honorable mention this place is definitely not on our list of wretched places. In the
near future this venue will be completely gutted and renovated for over a half billion
dollars. Since this is an older venue without much of the amenities taken for granted this is
probably a good thing.
Special thanks goes to Peter's cousin Stephen Boyd of the Detroit Lions for providing the
tix for the game. However next time we sit with the Lions contingent we'll try to steer clear
of the Charlie Batch cheering section. Those folks were getting just a tad bit out of hand
talking smack and getting rowdy and most importantly blocking our view of the action in the
process. Off to Indy and yes we are ready for some football, a Monday night party!!!
RATING (1-5 stars): 2 STARS
| "Old" Soldier Field |
#47
Soldier
Field
Chicago,
Illinois
September
24, 2000
Detroit
Lions
at
Chicago
Bears
Soldier
Field
Chicago,
Illinois
September
24, 2000
Detroit
Lions
at
Chicago
Bears
