Trip to PPL Park for Houston Dynamo

Since last month, I had planned to go to Philly this weekend because of work. I had purposely scheduled a site visit tomorrow to coincide with the Dynamo vs Philly game. Last Monday, while I was on vacation for the USA vs Mexico game, work decided that I could not go to Philly after all (due to complicated logistical reasons). I found out when I returned to work on Thursday, two days prior to departure.

I was faced with a predicament. What do I do? I had made plans to share a hotel room with Wilson, so I didn't want to bail, but the hotel was cheap. I could afford to eat the cost, but most of all, I REALLY wanted to go to PPL park. I had never been, and who knows if next year the game will jive with my schedule. For all I know, the one away Philly game will be on a weeknight next year, knowing my luck.

So, I started researching. Remember, it's Thursday, two days before departure, and flights aren't cheap. I had enough miles to get to Philly (12,500 on United, connected in Atlanta, and flew US airways for the second leg). Thankfully, unlike US airways, United does allow you to book one way flights. I didn't have enough miles on Delta for a round trip, which costs 40,000 miles (that's a lot!). Frontier Airlines has a CHEAP flight on Mondays, one way from Philly to Houston, for $60, but I can't afford to miss more work.

The return on Sunday was tricky. I started researching one-way flights, and it was EXPENSIVE. Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, United, and Delta were offering flights for about $500. One way. I looked at Kayak, and the cheapest was US airways, about $350. I still wasn't willing to pay that much for a one way flight. I looked at Priceline, but that site always worries me because I'm uncomfortable with giving my information, e.g. TSA known number, before knowing what I am booking. I've been severely burned by Hotwire in the past.

So, I sat and thought. I only needed another 4000 miles to make it home. Surprisingly, there was a direct United flight from Philly to Houston for only 12,500 miles, which is a steal. I bought 4000 miles (cost $150) and booked the round trip. Overall this means, if you consider the aggregate, I paid $150 for a round trip flight to/from Philly two days prior to departure. Not bad!

I landed in Philly yesterday around 5PM and made it to the hotel thanks to the free shuttle. We stayed at a Four Points by Sheraton near the airport. If you've ever been to Philly, you really don't want to stay further south of the airport because you'll end up in a questionable area of town. The airport is the safest and closest area you can stay near PPL park. I decided to use the cash + points option instead of a completely free night because I'm trying to reach SPG platinum status (cash+points stays count towards elite qualification), so I paid $35 for a night. Not bad! As I've written before, Four Points by Sheraton hotels are probably on the bottom rung of SPG hotels, but it was only one night, so the hotel was fine.

We went to a Philly cheesesteak place called Tony Luke's. It was okay. I prefer the Steak and Hoagie Factory in the Somerton area of Philly (northeast portion of the city). I really prefer a toasted baguette and grilled onions in my cheesesteak.

We then went to the game, which was good. We were the only two noticeable orange blobs in the section, which was an approved standing section. At one point a lady asked us to sit down, but we explained the people in front of us were also standing. She and her husband left. Another couple behind us admitted that we had every right to stand but didn't want to become involved in the argument. Apparently there have been altercations in the corner section over standing versus no standing.

Philly fans were interesting. They really don't like their coach, so they booed him during the starting line up announcement. They yell things like "Your team sucks" only when mistakes are made. If you score a goal, they suddenly yell and tell you to sit down. So, it seems they only dislike you when something does not happen in their favor. However, the couple behind us was really nice, and the family in front of us was also really nice. The father of the family thought it was impressive we came just for the game. A couple of fans, as we were leaving, also thought the same.

It's interesting because this was one of the few times we were actually surrounded by Philly fans in a designated away supporters section. While I understand we didn't bring the numbers, I am surprised at the lack of security. If there had been a fight, it would've been every man for himself. We waited until the stadium cleared before leaving for safety reasons. The fans were ANGRY at the referees (disallowed goal), and even though we had nothing to do with it, that anger can sometimes be directed towards the opposition. Nevertheless, we won, and that's what matters.

After the game, we went to Tir Na Nog (same name as the bar in Baltimore's Inner Harbor), chosen because it was downtown and on the official MLS pubs list. We thought we'd be able to watch some of the other MLS games. Instead, some kind of old geezer Irish club was gathering, and bagpipes were a part of the entertainment. We had a couple of drinks and called it a night - nothing wild - but definitely needed to have some post-game celebration drinks.

The plan this morning was to wake up early and head to Reading Terminal Market for breakfast, but that didn't happen. Since we'd gone to bed around 2AM, we slept in. I took a cab to the airport ($10) because I was impatient. I waited for the hotel shuttle (which also served a Sheraton and aloft, two other SPG hotels in the same complex) for about ten minutes. Oh well. It's not like I spend a lot of money anymore.

The entire Houston Dynamo team was on my flight. Coach Dom sat in first class, Ching sat in front of me, and countless others smiled/nodded towards me. I kept saying, "Good game" to them. Brad's reaction was classic as I got out of my seat for the middle person. "Why hello!!! You're all over the place, huh???" he exclaimed. He remembered me from the return flight to Houston from the USMNT match against Mexico. How funny!

So, that was my quick overnight trip. The alternative of staying home would've been boring, so I am glad I went. The trip was worth it especially since bringing home three points is so crucial at this time in the season. I'll write again at the end of this month after my trip to the revs' stadium!

USA vs Mexico

This month is crazily busy with away soccer games. I know the US game yesterday is considered a "home" game, but it's hard for me to fathom because unlike club games, I still have to travel for country games. It's probably why more people don't travel to these events, but nonetheless, the city was packed the entire time while I was in Columbus.

I originally booked a room block at the Holiday Inn downtown for $109/night (add $10 for parking). As a suggestion, if you have at least two sets of people who want to book rooms, I suggest looking into room blocks. The rate should be so that you shouldn't be obligated to fill the block at 100% and $0 deposit. Some room blocks will require you fill at least 40% or some other figure; be sure to ask. You'll usually have to sign some sort of contract (stating guests are responsible for hotel damages, etc), and this will also stipulate when the deadline is for people to reserve rooms. To give you an idea of how much the discount was, the room rate a month ago, according to someone who researched, was over $200/night.

I ended up moving to the Hilton Garden Inn at the airport because it was $50/night when using cash and points. I've stayed at this hotel for work before, and in general, I like Hilton Garden Inns. As a diamond member, there's a free cook-to-order breakfast (french toast, corned beef hash, etc), adjustable firmness dials for your bed, and a fridge/microwave in ALL rooms. They typically have bath and body works for shampoo/conditioner (can't go wrong there!), and the staff is always nice.

My Hertz car rental was free, which was interesting. Typically, at minimum, even though I use points for my reservation, you still have to pay airport taxes, concession fees, and if you're in Salt Lake City, a facility fee. But apparently Columbus charges NOTHING when there is no base price ($X/day), and I am not complaining, at all. I ended up with a Volvo S60, which was a really smooth ride - probably my second favorite sedan behind the Buick Verano (that I've driven, so far). My flights were also free thanks to miles, although you still have to pay $2.50 each way due to taxes. Usually a direct flight from Houston to Columbus on United is over $1000, and I have yet to figure out why this is. Oh well.

My flight departed around 7AM on Monday morning, which is SUPER EARLY for me. I should note Chris (one of the four American Outlaws to attend all Gold Cup camp games) spent the weekend with me after arriving from Costa Rica (for the USA game) on Saturday, headed to the Dynamo home game against the NYRB on Sunday, and then rode to the airport with me to Columbus on Monday morning. The poor guy waited three hours at the airport because a shuttle service is ~$100 from my house. What a trooper!

I arrived around noon at the hotel with the intent to nap, but hunger and adrenaline kicked in. Megan was hungry too, so I picked her up at the Holiday Inn downtown. I also received a text from a favorite San Diego couple of mine, and I went to pick them up at the Holiday Inn near the stadium. Todd called it his personal yellow cab service. :-) The four of us went to lunch and joined some Denver people at Barley's Brewing Company. I ordered a blueberry lemonade, mashed potatoes, a scotch egg, macaroni and cheese, and a salad. I've noticed even when I'm on my personal dime now, I tend to order many things. It seems I like to try out different foods when at a new restaurant. The food coma hit, so then I went to the hotel to nap.

Fourth Street Bar (American Outlaws Columbus' bar) was utter madness. I arrived around 6PM or so, and it wasn't that busy. The party really took off around 9PM (probably after the pep rally), and it was insane. People were shoulder to shoulder and couldn't move; had this happened in Houston, the fire marshal would've shut us down. We luckily found a couple of open picnic tables and parked for the night. I had asked chapter leaders on their Facebook group to come say hi and posted where we were. I also tweeted from the official AO Houston account, just so that other members knew as well. Almost all of the tables usually inside the bar were removed, so seating options were scarce. I can't even begin to go through all the different chapters (San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, DC, Detroit, etc) that hung out with us, but it was a fun night. Like Denver, because it was so packed, I didn't drink much. I did notice the bar prices were more expensive than previously though. My Angry Orchard hard ciders (on tap) were $6 each; last year, my long islands were $4 each. I think I finally went to bed around 2AM on Tuesday.

Nine hours later, there was a meeting at Elevator Brewing Company for chapter leaders. We quickly reviewed upcoming plans for the group (don't worry - nothing MAJOR like getting free stuff for ALL members lol) and game day logistics. It was also really a time to mingle with once another. Many of us have communicated with each other through social media but hadn't met face to face. So, it was nice. The long island I had was delicious.

From there, I picked up tailgate supplies, and then it was time to tailgate. This is where things got kind of dicey because game day events were spread out. I could be wrong, but as far as I know, US soccer didn't want us tailgating on stadium property because they were charging $50 for their official tailgate. Again, this is pure rumor, so don't necessarily take what I say seriously. So, that's why American Outlaws had two events - one at Fourth Street Bar and one at a parking lot off of 17th street. Both places only had street parking (so limited). Fourth Street Bar (who didn't run the air conditioning Monday or Tuesday) was packed as usual. The 17th street parking lot wasn't any better because there was hardly any shade. I should note temperatures were in the 90s this week in Columbus. US soccer even issued a heat advisory for the game and allowed each person to bring either an empty water bottle or factory sealed water bottle into the game. 

We stayed at Fourth Street Bar for a little bit and then headed into the stadium. I didn't want to park near the mega tailgate (non American Outlaws event, but tailgate for all US supporters to join) because it was far away from the stadium. I picked a random spot so it would be easy to leave, we hung around a bit, and then we went to fan fest. There was so much open space for fan fest, but hardly anyone was there a couple of hours before the gates opened. The only good thing is that I snagged a pair of USA sunglasses (with the American flag printed on the lenses) from Marriott. I thought they were giving away free night stays, but alas, they were just giving away sunglasses. Since I'd left a pair at home, I gladly took them.

We proceeded to the north gates because our section was in the north bleachers (on the stage, underneath the canopy). We walked along the west side of the stadium, and then realized there was no entrance - the northwest entrances were blocked or for media only. We then walked around to the east side, and the same thing occurred. A security guy explained all north gates were closed (unlike Crew games), so there were only two gates open on the south side. Gate four, according to the security guy there, would open later than gate five, so we opted to wait outside gate five. People started lining up about an hour before gates opened. 

Per usual practice for Crew games, bags were throughly searched and wrist banded. Apparently there was a security thread, so everyone was also wanded. We grabbed scarves and ran towards the north end, only to find out that we had to wait again. ESPN mandated people could not go into the sections until 6:30PM, even though the gates had opened at 5:45PM. The poor Columbus Crew staff had no choice to hold us back. I tweeted that A) the Columbus Crew staff would be trampled like WalMart on a Black Friday B) With heightened security measures, it's ironic there's now about 1000 people held hostage underneath the stadium and C) There was a Mexican fan in the middle of the mob, which made for a dangerous situation. Eventually the Crew staff gave up and let us go as we kept inching further and further in. Some literally ducked down and protected their heads as the mad dash began to the sections, since they were general admission. I think next time someone needs to tell ESPN they're seriously putting people's lives at risk. 

I found an empty corner in the front row next to an AO Austin guy and his dad. Most of AO Houston moved to a center section of the bleachers in the third or fourth row, but I was content with the corner. Chris came over to ask me where my friends were, and I told him I'm here to watch the match. I prefer a vantage point where I can see and still have fun. Since it was hot, I really didn't feel like being crammed shoulder to shoulder, so the corner was perfect. A KC couple was behind me, and we made a pact to make the corner look more crowded than it was if someone wanted to suddenly push in. It worked. :-)

So began the 2-hour wait. It's amazing what you will do to ensure you have a good seat. After all, these tickets were about $65 including shipping, which is a lot of money. This might've been the most we've ever paid that I can remember. I will say US soccer did do a good job in selling primarily to US fans. There were hardly any Mexican fans. In the eighth minute, there was a group of four guys who had tickets in our section but stood in the walkway. They refused to move after being asked by security, since it was a fire hazard. I was waving a flag and accidentally hit one in the head with the pole. The guy complained to security, but the lady just shrugged, since they weren't supposed to be there in the first place. Eventually the police came to remove them.

Overall I think Columbus did a great job considering capo stands weren't allowed. The one thing that helped unify the sections was simple: a microphone and a speaker. I noticed some capos were active and some were not. According to someone who was in the south end, they couldn't hear what was going on in the north end. I really do think a sound system needs to be set up so that there is one speaker in front of every section. It doesn't have to be loud (because then the sound would be manufactured), but this way, the sections could be more cohesive.

Of course the atmosphere was electric after that first goal. I've always been a big believer that if you can score the first goal of the match, you can set the tone for the rest of the game. It was followed by a second, and the realization hit: we really could clinch a world cup spot. Sure, since February 2012 when we put down the deposit, we thought, "Oh yeah, the US will qualify," but it doesn't really sink in until you get closer to the date. And then you realize...all the games attended since last year (been to all domestic USMNT games except three friendlies) have been worth it. And I mean truly worth it. 

Post game we found a television in the stadium, sat on some crates like homeless people, and watched Honduras score their second goal. The US and Costa Rica (who tied their match) qualified for the world cup. As we were leaving, Papa John's was giving away their "old" pizza, meaning it had been cooked some time ago. We took the entire stash. There was a huge box, and I also carried about ten pizzas or so. We handed them out to US fans. I was starving (hadn't eaten since breakfast), so free pizza, even though lukewarm, was perfect.

I should note we had to drive to Kirsten's vehicle in the same parking lot in my car, so I drove with seven people in the car, including one in the trunk in the parking lot (with all the free pizzas). As we maneuvered through the lot, if people were in the way, we yelled, "Please move! We've got someone in the trunk!" People really did then move quickly. Maybe I should always yell that, and then I could move through the parking lot faster LOL.

I dropped a couple of Houston guys off at the Holiday Inn downtown and happened to run into Robert, my favorite AO Detroit guy. I then drove him to Tip Top, a bar within walking distance. I said hello to a couple of AO DC folks (Jim & Shelly). I was neither hungry nor thirsty so then I headed back to Fourth Street Bar. It wasn't as packed as Monday night, but it was still pretty busy. At about 11:30PM or so, the police shut down the back patio, so everyone had to either move inside or to the front patio, which means the bar became unbearably crowded. At that point, it was time to leave. I said my goodbyes to various people from multiple chapters. I found one of our Houston guys on the phone on the sidewalk. It turned out he was staying near the airport as well, so I took him to his hotel. By the time I finished packing, it was 3AM this morning. I had a hard time sleeping because the adrenaline was pumping.

This morning I woke up, had breakfast, chatted with the hotel front desk who asked about the match, chatted with the waitress who was rooting for Mexico (whose sister was at the game), and departed. I should note Columbus airport at this time neither has a United premier access lane nor TSA pre-check, so it took about 20 minutes to get through security. But, leaving my hotel (literally down the street from the airport) an hour before departure was plenty of time. Brad Davis of Houston Dynamo was on my flight as well.

So, in a nutshell, that was my USA vs Mexico experience. This was probably the most meaningful game I've attended because yesterday solidified our world cup berth. My next soccer-related trip is Saturday in Philly for Houston Dynamo. Have a good evening!

Houston Dynamo vs Chicago Fire

The soccer Gods have seemingly deemed I must go to Chicago multiple times this year. I was just there at the end of July, a little over a month ago (how time flies! seems so long ago), for the Gold Cup final. And yet, I found myself landing at O'Hare again on Saturday. By no means am I complaining, as Chicago's one of my favorite US cities for its vibe, shopping, and food. Besides, the alternative on Labor Day weekend would've been to stay at home - how boring is that?

I should note round trip flights between Houston and Chicago are typically cheap because both are United hub cities. I bought my plane ticket in April for less than $250 round trip. And yes, I paid for it myself without miles because at that price, your miles are best used on a more expensive trip (like Columbus). I also found a great deal using a combination of points plus cash at the Four Points by Sheraton for $75/night (pre-tax). Four Points hotels aren't the greatest on the planet. They're probably the lowest on the totem pole of the Starwood Preferred Guest program (Sheraton, Westin, etc), but they're decent and clean. We did get upgraded to a handicapped room (means that it's larger) with a sofa bed, so that's good. There's free wifi, bottled water, and typically a microwave and fridge (except the Seattle downtown location). They don't have free breakfast, which is why I don't rank them as high as some Hilton chain hotels, but their beds and pillows tend to be more comfortable. In any case, one cannot complain too much about a hotel that is literally one short block from Michigan Avenue and about midpoint between Magnificent Mile and Millennium Park.

Of all cities, Chicago's public transportation system is the best I've experienced. While I don't take public transportation most of the time, my motivation was the cost of overnight parking at the hotel at $50/night. While you may think this price is excessive for parking, it's standard in Chicago downtown area hotels. No matter what rank you are with whatever hotel program, NO hotel will waive the parking fee. Even overnight parking lots or garages in the downtown area are typically $40/night. A shuttle to/from the downtown area is around $30 one-way, and takes about an hour according to Go Airport Express' online booking system. The trains to/from O'Hare to my hotel cost $2.25 and only took 15 minutes extra, including walking time to the train station.

If you're going to visit Chicago, definitely familiarize yourself with their Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) maps. I'd highly advise downloading the PDF documents to your phone, especially the map with all the different L train lines. Sometimes you may be in a train car that doesn't have the full map (they'll always have the colored line's map), and you may need to connect to a different line. Sometimes you may be underground in the system and won't have good cell phone reception. So, it's best to have the map handy, so you can look whenever needed. To leave O'Hare (only airport I know of that has an actual train station in the airport), it costs $5 cash. To return to O'Hare, it costs anywhere from $2.25 to $2.50 (depending on if you need to transfer), so don't think it's $5 round trip. There's also a day pass available; I'm told it's $10 for 24 hours of use. This might be an option for those traveling as a couple, but for a single person, that's too much money to put on your CTA card (vended at O'Hare). No refunds are given, so it's best to load the card with exact amounts if at all possible. Once you're in the city and out of the airport, it's $2.25 for the first ride on the L train, $.25 to transfer, and free for a second transfer. This will make sense later as I discuss how to get to Toyota Park.

My hotel was closest to a red line station. I took the blue line out of O'Hare and transferred to the red line at the Washington station. The Washington stations are connected by a mall, which I found interesting. I had to pay $0.25 for a transfer fee, but I was on my merry way to the hotel, located next to Grand station on the red line. This means the hour ride cost $2.50 to ride all the way from the airport to downtown. In normal traffic, if you were to drive, it takes about 30 minutes to reach downtown from the airport. In rush hour traffic, the L train is just as fast, if not faster, compared to driving.

Saturday evening I met Scott and his friend from dinner at Gino's East. Scott is a Houston Dynamo fan (met at a Texian Army tailgate a couple of games ago) who is going to school in the midwest area. Of course I had to go for deep dish pizza at my favorite place! It was scrumptious, and surprisingly, there was no line. I guess the guys showed up at the right time! When we left, the line was wrapped around the building. No matter where you go in Chicago, a good deep dish pizza place typically is a 45 minute wait and another 45-60 minutes for the pizza to arrive. This is definitely not the kind of place you eat if in a hurry. The wait though, is worth it. 

After pizza, we walked to Navy Pier, since I hadn't been there in ages. The last time I was there sometime 2004-2006, I was in the Odyssey yacht with unlimited drinks and food (including filet mignon) for a meeting. It was definitely a fun night! This time though, we actually walked along the pier. Although this is a famous Chicago landmark, I am not sure what the fuss is all about. It's a carnival-like atmosphere with inflated food prices, loud music, and not much to do except walk around. People were sitting on the steps shoulder to shoulder when we started leaving around 9PM on Saturday, so I suppose they were awaiting fireworks.

The walk from Michigan Avenue to Navy Pier appears short because a sign on Michigan Avenue at Illinois Street that says, "Walk four blocks to Navy Pier." The sign doesn't tell you which direction to take, but you need to walk on Illinois Street away from Michigan Avenue. We walked a good 20 minutes or so before reaching Navy Pier and definitely went through more than four intersections. So, you've been warned.

From Navy Pier I took a cab back to the hotel. The walk would've probably taken 45 minutes or more to return to my hotel; the guys had parked near Millennium Park, and Google maps also estimated a 45-minute walk to give you an idea of distance. Paying a cab driver $8 (including tip) to reach the hotel was worth it. My roommate (an OLD Texian Army member nicknamed "Zero" who has moved to Iowa until November) said you could take the bus from our hotel to Navy Pier, but I didn't have anymore money on my CTA card. Oh well.

Yesterday on Sunday morning I woke up late, watched some EPL, and decided to eat a Chicago-style hot dog for brunch. Portillo's was only a few blocks away, so I headed there since a Texian Army member (from Michigan) recommended the place. I wasn't too impressed with the hot dog itself. I was hoping for more of a brat, given the region of the country; the hot dog was more like an Oscar Meyer hot dog (unlike what they advertise on their website), so I was disappointed. The fixings were good, the fries were pre-frozen, and the strawberry shake hit the spot.

From Portillo's, I walked to the Clark/Lake station, the closest orange line location. I suppose I could've taken a bus, but I needed to walk. Crossing the Chicago River is always a pretty sight. I should note the Clark/Lake station entrance is pretty tricky. There's a sign above some stairs saying the entrance is location off of La Salle street. The CTA signs at street level don't tell you how to enter the station. It turns out there's a HUGE entrance right outside one of the signs on Lake street, and this station seems to have all the different colored lines you need except red (of course the one line near my hotel!).

No matter how many times I've visited Chicago, I've always gotten a kick that you take the orange line to get to Toyota Park. You take the orange line until it ends at Midway. Once you exit the station, there will be several buses waiting with signs above the bus to let you know where the bus is going. You want to look for the "Toyota Park Express Bus" sign which is in small letters underneath the normal bus number. Do not let Google maps tell you otherwise, because this bus isn't in the Google maps system. In fact, Google maps will tell you to take a bus that drops you off so that you have to walk another 20 minutes to the stadium. The express bus runs every 20 minutes (according to the Chicago Fire website) starting 2 hours prior to kickoff (arrived shortly within this window and bus was waiting) and drops you off inside the parking lot of Toyota Park. This is considered a transfer, so I was deducted $0.25 (first transfer after getting off of the orange line), costing a total of $2.50. Not bad at all, considering the stadium's in Bridgeview, not Chicago.

The game itself was pretty uneventful, and it ended in a tie. There were probably about 15 of us there to support the Dynamo. About 5 of Bruin's high school classmates came to the game, but since they didn't wear orange, you couldn't tell who they were supporting. It was hot since the clouds didn't arrive until the 70th minute or so; it's a good thing I've started carrying Propel's water enhancer. I should also note the stadium doesn't have water fountains, so you really do pay $4/bottled water (caps taken off). Post game, Bruin, Moffat, and Driver came over to sign autographs. I always find it classy of a player to do so after a game. I know they're tired and hot, but people really do appreciate it, especially when you've traveled a distance to see the team (not to mention all the money that's spent).

After the game, I went back to the hotel to drop off my game gear and headed to Water Tower Place. I was shocked (along with others) to learn that even on Labor Day Weekend, the mall closed at 6PM, per their usual on Sundays. The poor security guard stood at the bottom of the escalator, constantly repeating himself. I wanted to visit the Adidas performance store, but I guess the money Gods were telling me to save money. Chicago is the only city I've visited that has two Adidas stores within walking distance of each other. The Adidas original store is four blocks from the performance store (yes, a true 4 blocks unlike Michigan Ave to Navy Pier). I haven't been to either on the last few trips and need to make it a point to go next time.

With Water Tower Place closed, I headed south on Michigan Avenue to Millennium Park. The annual Chicago Jazz Festival was going on, and best of all, it's a free event. It was PACKED. People had brought their tailgate chairs, picnic blankets, alcoholic beverages, and food. I managed to snag a sideline standing spot right before the penultimate group performed, a quartet. Their definition of jazz was interesting, adding a fusion of electronic sounds and rap. Nevertheless, I hadn't been to a jazz concert in forever. The last was probably around 2008 when Dave Brubeck (one of my favorite American composers) performed at Beth Yeshurun in Houston. If you ever want a fun night and have dressy clothes, go to a jazz club in Chicago. It is unlike any experience you will have. I've been to the Green Dolphin (around 2005-2007), now called The Dolphin, and the jazz band was amazing. Chicagoans don't really start partying until maybe 11PM-12AM, and they'll keep going until 4AM. I had an absolute blast. 

This morning I basically got up and went to the airport. I started on the red line at the Grand station and transferred to the blue line at the Jackson station. Because I didn't have to enter my CTA card again, it only cost $2.25 to go to the airport, instead of $2.50 like I was anticipating. When you look at the CTA map, the open bubbles between colored lines means you don't have to pay a transfer fee. If you have to walk between stations (like Washington when I was going to the hotel from the airport), then you have to pay a $.25 transfer fee. These are things to keep in mind when you go to Chicago. I now have $.25 left on my CTA card. The card doesn't expire until 01-Apr-2014, so hopefully I'll be back before then to use my twenty five cents.

So, that completes now my 4th regular season Dynamo game at Toyota Park. Chicago's an amazing city, and I will definitely keep my eye out for when we play them at home next year. Whenever the MLS schedule's released in January, I always look for Chicago! I'll write again in a couple of weeks, since USMNT vs Mexico is next!