November is Bear weather – start planning your trip!

Soldier Field

The greatest games in town for the month of November are at Soldier Field. The Chicago Bears have 3 home games, including my best game pick against NFC rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles (Nov. 22). There is something about those Eagles fans… their passion seems to bring them out in droves to any away game. I can remember when I last hosted a group of Eagles fans here in my city. On our way to the game we turned down Lake Shore Drive. The fan sitting behind me on the bus said “Dude, there’s a lake”? Apparently he had only used the bar guide portion of his Sports Traveler itinerary and hadn’t left River North the entire weekend.

It was actually at that exact moment that I thought about writing a complete sports fans guide to the city of Chicago– and alas Sports Traveler Chicago is now in print.

So how can you begin to plan your trip to see the Chicago Bears this November? Whether you’re an Eagles fan, Browns fan, Cardinals fan, or just a fan of football here are my top tips:

1. November is chilly here. Bring layers and layers. Soldier Field is on the shore of Lake Michigan. For you East Coasters, Lake Michigan is a huge lake, not a pond. Don’t be shocked by the “cooler by the lake” feature of my city. It is significantly colder at Soldier Field than just a few blocks away from the stadium.
2. Tailgating 101: If you get a parking pass in the garage at Soldier Field you can’t tailgate there. Yes, that means no grill in the underground parking garage. Check that location!
3. It’s Historic: Soldier Field may have lost it’s official Historical status with the remodel a few years back but all the historical monuments are still there. Take your family around to see this memorial to WWI veterans.

For my complete list of suggestions, check out Sports Traveler Chicago today! Available on Amazon.com too!

- Anbritt

How could I not be a sports fan growing up in this town

I’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately for various newspapers around town about my new book Sports Traveler Chicago. A common question that I keep getting asked is why I became a sports fan… It really got me thinking. Why am I a Chicago sports fan? It’s such a natural thing for me to watch sports, read about sports, and go to games. How and why did all this get started with me? But then I realized, growing up here in this city, how could I not be a sports fan? Especially growing up when I did.

The Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985. I was 9. Talk about a great team to start out being a fan of. I remember all the 4th graders in my class had Jim McMahon head bands. I remember dancing to the Super Bowl Shuffle cassette tape on my boom box in my living room after the game. My mom bought me my first Chicago Bears sweatshirt. I was cool.  

The Bears never won the Super Bowl again but a certain basketball player named Michael Jordan was here to keep my attention. My entire grade school class had show-and-tell with someones Air Jordan’s. My family never missed a game on WGN. It was the reason my grandma got cable.

After the first 3-peat, the Bulls still made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals and then it was “I’m Back!” for Jordan and another fantastic three Championships. I still  have the Chicago Sun Times and Tribune Commemorative Issues for all 6 titles. What an awesome time to live here!

There was a slight lull in the Championship action for all of us to regroup and then bam.. The Chicago White Sox win the World Series in 2005!

From being that kid in the Bears sweatshirt to today watching my team beat the Steelers, one thing is for certain… growing in the greatest sports town in the U.S.A. has molded me into becoming the sports fan I am today. Thanks Chicago. You’re the best…

Sports Traveler Chicago Author accepted to Great Lakes Book Show!

Author of Sports Traveler Chicago, Anbritt Stengele has been accepted to the 20th Annual Great Lakes Booksellers Association Trade Show in Cleveland, Ohio. Anbritt will be autographing copies of Sports Traveler Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 4th at 1pm, at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. Visit GLiBA’s site for information on how to attend!

Visit www.SportsTravelerChicago.com to learn more about the book…

Hello Chicago Sports Traveler’s!

Welcome to the Sports Traveler Chicago Blog. This is the official blog for the book Sports Traveler Chicago.

Sports Traveler Chicago is written by Anbritt Stengele and Lydia Rypcinski. It is the essential tour book for sports fans heading to Chicago. The book is available now online at our new website http://www.SportsTravelerChicago.com.

What is covered in Sports Traveler Chicago?

• Information about all the sports venues,  the teams that play here, and the sports events in the Chicagoland area
• Lodging and transportation options and suggestions
• Pre-game and post-game traditions and information on how to take part
• Top bars to head to when  you are here to cheer a non-Chicago team
• Best seating locations inside the stadiums
• Chicago sports history and monuments that pay tribute

Visit http://www.SportsTravelerChicago.com to buy the book, download audio walking guides, and listen to our free podcast!