u.s. cellular field guide
“The Cell” is the best stadium in Chicago according to many South Siders. Here is the official US Cellular Field page from the team website if you are curious.
This is one stadium where it definitely pays to plan ahead if you are hoping to find good value. The White Sox have a pretty drastically tiered pricing structure for their tickets, so the price discrepancy between a Cubs game and a Mariners game can be large. Lets go ahead and talk about some savvy strategies for seeing a game at US Cellular Field.
parking
It’s rough. Especially for the Ballpark Savvy community because we are like Democrats; we want free stuff. The White Sox official parking is $23, which is fairly steep but right on par for Chicago. One thing about it, US Cellular Field is another ballpark where you will find some tailgating much like Miller Park in Milwaukee. So the official lots will have a scaled down version of the Milwaukee tailgating experience, but none the less if you are going to drive and fork out the $23 you should come early, bring a small grill, and eat and drink before entering the stadium. Cheap Fan ContestIf you are local you know this, but the train is the best way to get to a White Sox game. The Red Line will drop you off the closest to the stadium, so if you are coming from out of town it will be beneficial to find a hotel near the subway line. Refer to the team website if you want specifics on the stops you need to take. The fares will be about $2.25 per person each way. So let’s say roughly $5 round trip. If you are going with 4 people it is going to be a similar price whether you drive or ride – so then it’s just preference. Unless you can leave a couple hours early for an evening game, you should probably ride the train.
Parking for free at US Cellular Field can be difficult, and may not be worth it. There is metered parking available on/near Halsted St. which is a main road west of the stadium. Meters are only monitored until 6 pm in most cases, so be sure you read the signs but you should be good if you can get there prior to 6 in the evening. On the street parking could be less than safe in this area, so if you are from out of town you might be better served to take the final option.
I have saved my best for last. Safer free parking can be had at the parking lot of Buffalo Wings and Rings
which also provides a free shuttle to US Cellular Field. That is the best of both worlds; free parking and less traffic as you are actually driving to a location about 8 blocks away from the stadium. You will probably want to eat there first; I am not sure if they require it but you will save money compared to having dinner at the ballpark. This restaurant is also on Halsted, so it’s pretty close to the ballpark.
tickets
I mentioned earlier that Chicago White Sox ticket prices are far from static. Look no further than upper reserved tickets which cost $9.50 for a Monday game and $33 for a “premier” game. I personally think this is ridiculous that teams are going toward this, but I guess that is supply and demand.
Moral of the story here is again to plan ahead. Monday’s are by far and away the best time to see a White Sox game if your concerned with value. Most sections are half off what they are on a regular game, which is a pretty big deal for a family of 4 in my opinion. Obviously if you are a fan you will probably want to go to more games than just on a Monday. In that case I would recommend checking the team website to find out if you are going to a regular, prime, or premium game. The ticket cost can still be substantially different depending on the situation.
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
This is one stadium where it definitely pays to plan ahead if you are hoping to find good value. The White Sox have a pretty drastically tiered pricing structure for their tickets, so the price discrepancy between a Cubs game and a Mariners game can be large. Lets go ahead and talk about some savvy strategies for seeing a game at US Cellular Field.
parking
It’s rough. Especially for the Ballpark Savvy community because we are like Democrats; we want free stuff. The White Sox official parking is $23, which is fairly steep but right on par for Chicago. One thing about it, US Cellular Field is another ballpark where you will find some tailgating much like Miller Park in Milwaukee. So the official lots will have a scaled down version of the Milwaukee tailgating experience, but none the less if you are going to drive and fork out the $23 you should come early, bring a small grill, and eat and drink before entering the stadium. Cheap Fan ContestIf you are local you know this, but the train is the best way to get to a White Sox game. The Red Line will drop you off the closest to the stadium, so if you are coming from out of town it will be beneficial to find a hotel near the subway line. Refer to the team website if you want specifics on the stops you need to take. The fares will be about $2.25 per person each way. So let’s say roughly $5 round trip. If you are going with 4 people it is going to be a similar price whether you drive or ride – so then it’s just preference. Unless you can leave a couple hours early for an evening game, you should probably ride the train.
Parking for free at US Cellular Field can be difficult, and may not be worth it. There is metered parking available on/near Halsted St. which is a main road west of the stadium. Meters are only monitored until 6 pm in most cases, so be sure you read the signs but you should be good if you can get there prior to 6 in the evening. On the street parking could be less than safe in this area, so if you are from out of town you might be better served to take the final option.
I have saved my best for last. Safer free parking can be had at the parking lot of Buffalo Wings and Rings
which also provides a free shuttle to US Cellular Field. That is the best of both worlds; free parking and less traffic as you are actually driving to a location about 8 blocks away from the stadium. You will probably want to eat there first; I am not sure if they require it but you will save money compared to having dinner at the ballpark. This restaurant is also on Halsted, so it’s pretty close to the ballpark.
tickets
I mentioned earlier that Chicago White Sox ticket prices are far from static. Look no further than upper reserved tickets which cost $9.50 for a Monday game and $33 for a “premier” game. I personally think this is ridiculous that teams are going toward this, but I guess that is supply and demand.
Moral of the story here is again to plan ahead. Monday’s are by far and away the best time to see a White Sox game if your concerned with value. Most sections are half off what they are on a regular game, which is a pretty big deal for a family of 4 in my opinion. Obviously if you are a fan you will probably want to go to more games than just on a Monday. In that case I would recommend checking the team website to find out if you are going to a regular, prime, or premium game. The ticket cost can still be substantially different depending on the situation.
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
The big screen and scoreboard are located in dead center field at US Cellular Field. I like that because you can get a decent view of it from almost anywhere. I typically prefer a view of the screen if possible because in modern stadiums it adds quite a bit to the experience. You get the benefit of player information and between inning entertainment. As far as being the shade, which you may or may not want depending on the weather, you will be in the shade by game time on the first base side of the stadium. In the summer you can have the setting sun in your face if you are sitting in the left field bleacher seats, which can be annoying in my opinion. These are just a couple more things to consider; do with what you want.
I feel like Columbo here, but just one more thing. There is also a Bullpen Sports Bar in Right Field. You can get there by going through gate 2, and you just pay a nominal fee to get in. So if you buy cheap seats that are pretty bad, you can grab a table at the sports bar as its on a first come first serve basis. You actually have a decent view from right behind the right field fence.
food
I mentioned earlier the park and ride option at Buffalo Wings and Rings; you can really save money by not eating at the stadium. I have also talked about the tailgating atmosphere at US Cellular Field, so if you pay to park you can take a grill and some meat and have a good time on a budget.
US Cellular Field also allows for you to take some food and snacks into the ballpark as long as it’s in a sealed plastic bag. So something like a ziplock bag of peanuts would work. They also allow for small soft sided coolers to be brought in with these items. You can also take in sealed plastic bottles of water no more than 1 liter in size. Taking your own stuff from home is always a great way to save money at a White Sox game.
I will say that US Cellular Field has relatively reasonable concession prices. This is especially true for being in Chicago. So if you are going to eat at the ballpark, The Cell is the place to do it. They offer exceptional variety; including the weird crap that has no place at a ballpark, and decent pricing.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com where you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of US Cellular Field (60616) to see what restaurants are nearby.
I mentioned earlier the park and ride option at Buffalo Wings and Rings; you can really save money by not eating at the stadium. I have also talked about the tailgating atmosphere at US Cellular Field, so if you pay to park you can take a grill and some meat and have a good time on a budget.
US Cellular Field also allows for you to take some food and snacks into the ballpark as long as it’s in a sealed plastic bag. So something like a ziplock bag of peanuts would work. They also allow for small soft sided coolers to be brought in with these items. You can also take in sealed plastic bottles of water no more than 1 liter in size. Taking your own stuff from home is always a great way to save money at a White Sox game.
I will say that US Cellular Field has relatively reasonable concession prices. This is especially true for being in Chicago. So if you are going to eat at the ballpark, The Cell is the place to do it. They offer exceptional variety; including the weird crap that has no place at a ballpark, and decent pricing.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com where you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of US Cellular Field (60616) to see what restaurants are nearby.