Oh boy, Ireland against the New Zealand All Blacks. I bought two tickets when they went on sale expecting my brother to want to come along. He didn’t. He’s a Packers fan and they wound up playing a home game the next day, so I never want to hear about him wanting to see Lambeau Field.
Chicago Rugby Weekend 2016
The first stop was in Cleveland, had to stretch my legs after 5 1/2 hours in the car. The Cubs had defeated the Indians the day before to win the World Series. The town was down. I didn’t think about it until later but it may not have been the best thing to mention that I was on my way to Chicago. Paid visits to Great Lakes Brewing, Market Garden and Nano Brew. Would have done Platform too but they had not opened yet.
Made a stop in South Bend to let traffic dissipate in Chicago and took a walk around town. Should have also visited the Father Corby statue on Notre Dame’s campus. Dinner was at a pizza joint downtown with a beer at South Bend Brew Works.
An absolutely gorgeous day in Chicago to witness history. Not only was this the largest crowd ever to watch a rugby match in the US but this was also the first time that Ireland had ever beaten New Zealand. Didn’t actually realize that until later that night when I saw it on the ESPN bottom line (to see rugby mentioned there was also a surprise!). I sat next to an Irishman and his son but I think most people in the crowd had no idea what was going on. Hopefully that will start to change. To say that this was a pro Irish crowd is an understatement. Enjoy some game pics!
I also ventured up to Wrigley Field since the Cubs had just won the World Series. That area was quite busy. Lunch at Lucky’s to boot. A Primanti Brothers sandwich on steroids. Beer stops at Vice District and Motor Row. Wanted to do Revolution too since that was on the train ride back but no dice.