My Time with Wrigley’s Infamous Poles
Alright, so let me tell you about this one time I decided to catch a Cubs game on the cheap. Me and my buddy, we were looking for tickets, you know, last minute kinda thing. Everything decent was costing an arm and a leg. Then we saw these seats listed, way cheaper, but with that little warning: ‘obstructed view’. We looked at each other, kinda shrugged. How bad could it really be, right? We just wanted to be in the ballpark, soak up the atmosphere.
So, we grabbed ’em. Felt pretty smart saving that cash. Got to Wrigley, place was buzzing like always. Walked up the ramps, found our section. It was in the Terrace Reserved, I think. We’re getting closer to the row, looking at the seat numbers, and then… bam. There it was. A big ol’ green steel support pole, right there. Smack dab in our line of sight.
We sat down. My buddy looked at me, I looked at him. We kinda laughed. It wasn’t like we couldn’t see anything, but depending on where the ball was, yeah, you were blocked.
- Pitcher’s mound? Mostly okay, maybe lean a bit left.
- Batter’s box? Yeah, that pole was definitely in the way for one of us, depending on the seat.
- Infield action? Hit or miss. Literally.
- Outfield? Pretty clear, actually.
The whole game was like this little dance. Leaning side to side, craning our necks. Sometimes you’d hear the crack of the bat and half the crowd jumps up, but you couldn’t see where the ball went ’cause of the pole. You end up watching the other fans to figure out what happened. Someone near us joked, “You paid for 75% of a seat, you get 75% of the game!” He wasn’t wrong.
Was it Worth It Though?
You know, it’s weird. The view was definitely annoying. Seriously frustrating at times when big plays happened right behind that darn pole. But, we were there. Wrigley’s got that old-time feel, you can’t beat it. The crowd was great, we still drank some beers, yelled at the umps, cheered for the Cubbies. We were part of it.
Did we save money? Yeah. Would I actively seek out obstructed view seats again? Probably not if I could help it. But if it was the difference between going and not going? Maybe. You gotta know what you’re signing up for. It’s an experience, that’s for sure. Just don’t expect to see every single pitch perfectly. You go for the vibe, the sounds, being in that classic park. The pole just becomes part of the story you tell later, like I’m doing right now.
