Chicago: Best City in America!

I will be the first to admit that I am not a diehard Cubs fan, or really a baseball fan for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I'm a girl who loves her sports, but baseball has always just been so boring to me. Give me a fast-paced college football or basketball game over baseball any day. Then I moved to Chicago, city of The Cubs- the most lovable losers as they're hailed, and got to experience the thrill, the energy and the amazing camaraderie of how loved these guys are in this city. "W" flags fly throughout the city, and my neighborhood, wherever I look. Front porches, car antennas, hanging in windows, rooftops, business storefront windows, even on strollers & dog leashes! You have two choices here in Chicago and people always ask: Cubs or Sox? Having never loved baseball, I chose the team that I lived closest to (logical choice, yes) and would respond with the Cubs, but with a disclaimer that I don't really like baseball. I know, I know. I see you shaking your heads in disbelief. 

I live within walking distance of Wrigley Field so when the post-season madness started, I heard the fireworks, the cheering, the craziness. I thought I'd heard it all... Until last night's World Series W! What a game, what a game! The second that Kris Bryant fired that ball to get the third out in the 10th inning, the streets erupted in cheering and honking car horns! It sounded like Wrigley Field was on my back porch! I can't even imagine what it would have been like had they won that game here at Wrigley. Chicago was ALIVE last night and full of so much energy, honking horns, screaming fans and fireworks. And that energy is contagious and exciting and made me feel alive and part of something so huge, a part of history. So no, though I have not been a lifelong Cubs fan, I did get to witness the most thrilling baseball games I've ever seen in my life this past week and it made me appreciate a sport that I had written off as boring. This was anything but boring. Goosebumps and so many emotions from this World Series! Though I am new here, and haven't been a lifelong Cubs fan, I still feel so proud to call this city of greatness home. Another reason I love my life here in what I believe is the greatest city in America. 

Going to a Cubs game was on my bucket list for this past summer, but I didn't make it before the playoffs started and it bums me out. Even though I'm not a baseball fan, I still wanted to experience a game and for me, baseball is much more enjoyable in the stands than on a TV. I imagine a Cubs game is intense and full of that crazy energy and I hope to get to a game someday soon. Stay tuned for a blog post about my updated bucket list and see how much I got checked off this summer!