Generally I would not attend a sporting event at the Sears Centre. The arena is a 32 mile, 45 minute drive from my house (without traffic). Two years ago, I used my birthday as an excuse to attend a Chicago Shamrox game (now defunct) since the stadium opened in late 2006 and I had not attended a National Lacrosse League game at the time.
Yesterday with the Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre I decided to make the drive again. This time I made the drive because the event is …

Since the Ultimate Sports Wife is also a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University, we find ourselves on campus periodically throughout the year. One thing that has become a Sunday tradition during cold Chicago winters is to spend the day on campus. Nicole studies at the Sociology department while I attend a basketball game at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Until this season, only the women’s basketball team played on Sunday afternoons. However, with the creation of the Big Ten Network, the men are beginning to play more consistently on Sunday afternoons. Today the Northwestern …

Thursday afternoon, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I drove to South Bend, IN to attend my first basketball game at the University of Notre Dame.
Pre Game DiningWe arrived in South Bend and were disappointed with the restaurant selection until we got to downtown which had much better options. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings which is the Ultimate Sports Wife’s preferred dining restaurant in suburban towns.
Obtaining TicketsParking was free for the game. We did not see any scalpers or fans with extra tickets as we approached the arena. Thus, I …

A few years ago, I started using my birthday to attend random sporting events that Nicole would never attend if it was not my birthday. In 2004 we attended the Gary Steelheads of the CBA, in 2005 we attended the Chicago Storm of the MISL and in 2007 we attended the Chicago Shamrox of the NLL.
This year was a little different in that I chose an event that was outside of Chicago and a much better event – the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team was hosting Mexico in a …

I had already purchased a $10 ticket to the Pistons at Bulls game for Tuesday night so I was still planning to attend the game even though I had flown back from Dublin, Ireland the day before. However, my plans changed a little when I found out my neighbors were also attending.
Pre Game DiningI met my neighbors at WestEnd Bar & Grill located at 1326 W. Madison St. – about a 5 block walk to the United Center. On game nights WestEnd has a $5 – 22 ounce domestic beer …

With a free day in Dublin, I wanted to attend a random Irish sporting event. Before flying to Dublin, I had researched a few events to attend.
1) Irish Indoor Athletics Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland. My friend, Peter, was driving back to Belfast Sunday morning so I would have a ride there and would have to take the train back. However, the event started at 11 am and with a 2+ hour drive to Belfast, I highly doubted we would leave Dublin by 9 am to get to the event …

My plan for the weekend had been to fly to Dublin, Ireland from Chicago Thursday night and attend the RBS Six Nations match between France and Ireland on Saturday evening. However, those plans changed a little when my flight to Dublin was cancelled Thursday night and I was forced to fly to Dublin Friday night instead.
With an additional three hour flight delay Friday night, I arrived in Dublin at 10:30 am Saturday morning – plenty of time before the 5 pm kickoff between France and Ireland. I got through customs …

The week or two around Super Bowl Sunday is a slow time for professional sporting events in Chicago – mainly due to the fact that Disney on Ice comes to town in late January and early February. This year they performed at Allstate Arena from January 22 through January 25 and moved to the United Center from January 27 through February 8.
With the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks out of town for two to three weeks, one must look for other sporting event options in Chicago. Other …

Saturday was a day dedicated to the Winter X Games since it was the first day with Final events during the afternoon rather than just the evening.
Pre Game DiningTo start off the day, Nicole and I shopped in Aspen, followed by brunch at the Wienerstube – one of Aspen’s only restaurants open before noon.
Winter X GamesWe spent most of the day at Winter X Games. The afternoon events were Women’s Skiing Slopestyle Final, Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final, Men and Women’s SnowboarderX Final, and Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Final. However, …

We made the drive to Aspen Thursday afternoon. However, rather than attend Winter X Games Thursday night, we had reservations at the Pine Creek Cookhouse Thursday evening. This restaurant was not only a 30-minute drive from Aspen, but was also a 30-minute sleigh ride from the restaurant’s parking lot! Total cost for the evening $120 per person but was worth the wintery experience.
Friday was a different story. The Ultimate Sports Wife and I skied on Aspen Mountain Friday afternoon, which was followed by an evening at Winter X Games.
Winter X …