Cubs tickets (Manhattan, Pittsburg: best city, how much, hotels)

[aragx6]

You're right on about it being a toss up. I don't see one team in the NL Central that appears great this year, and they're all traditionally so much worse than other divisions it's really anyone's game. and who knows, any one of them could have a lousy season and then go on to get hot at the right moment and win it all ala 2006.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by neonwattagelimit

Oh, and I do plan to check to see when the Mets are in Milwaukee and maybe St. Louis and head out to catch a game. Gotta see as much Mets baseball as I can get this year.

If you're willing to go as far as St. Louis, you might also consider catching them in Cincinnati. Tickets are easier to get, they're probably cheaper, and the drive is almost exactly the same distance except the speed limit is 70 almost the entire way there versus 65 to STL.

If you've got a couple extra days to blow, I'd also suggest catching a game in Pittsburgh. PNC Park is by far the coolest park in the league besides Wrigley and Fenway (plus it provides an awesome view of the cityscape that even Fenway and Wrigley don't come close to duplicating), Pittsburgh is a fairly easy drive (under 8 hours), and it's a surprisingly cool town to hang out in for a couple nights if you know where the action is. I've caught a few Cubs games in PNC and I plan to keep doing so whenever practical in the coming years.

[neonwattagelimit]

Originally Posted by Drover

If you're willing to go as far as St. Louis, you might also consider catching them in Cincinnati. Tickets are easier to get, they're probably cheaper, and the drive is almost exactly the same distance except the speed limit is 70 almost the entire way there versus 65 to STL.

If you've got a couple extra days to blow, I'd also suggest catching a game in Pittsburgh. PNC Park is by far the coolest park in the league besides Wrigley and Fenway (plus it provides an awesome view of the cityscape that even Fenway and Wrigley don't come close to duplicating), Pittsburgh is a fairly easy drive (under 8 hours), and it's a surprisingly cool town to hang out in for a couple nights if you know where the action is. I've caught a few Cubs games in PNC and I plan to keep doing so whenever practical in the coming years.

I've actually considered hooking up with some friends form back home for a game in Pittsburgh, seeing as it is roughly halfway between here and NY. I've heard it's actually one of the more lively towns in the Midwest (I know, I know, some people say it's not really the Midwest, well, I'm from the Northeast so cut me a little slack) and scenic to boot, so I'd certainly like to go.

[Drover]

If you do decide to hit up Pittsburgh, the most lively nightlife spot is the Carson Street corridor on the south side. It can be a little bit meathead-ish -- think Guns & Roses and "Married With Children" fans rather than the standard "Big Ten ex-fratboy wearing a baseball cap with excessively curved bill" meatheadery prevalent in LP and Lakeview -- but it's quite festive and pretty well condenses everything Pittsburgh is all about nightlife-wise onto a single strip. There are other nightlife spots throughout the city, but the Carson Street one packs the most punch per square mile.

[neonwattagelimit]

Originally Posted by Drover

If you do decide to hit up Pittsburgh, the most lively nightlife spot is the Carson Street corridor on the south side. It can be a little bit meathead-ish -- think Guns & Roses and "Married With Children" fans rather than the standard "Big Ten ex-fratboy wearing a baseball cap with excessively curved bill" meatheadery prevalent in LP and Lakeview -- but it's quite festive and pretty well condenses everything Pittsburgh is all about nightlife-wise onto a single strip. There are other nightlife spots throughout the city, but the Carson Street one packs the most punch per square mile.

Hmm...interesting...while I prefer to eschew meatheadery generally, it can be entertaining in small doses. I'll keep that in mind.

[Drover]

Well, there aren't a lot of "chic" nightlife options in Pittsburgh, certainly none aggregated together into a "chic" nightlife district. That goes hand-in-hand with the culture of the city and the region, namely that it is just not an image-conscious culture. Nobody is impressed if you're carrying around a Fendi handbag. 80% won't know what it is, and the other 20% will wonder why you'd waste your money on something like that when you could have bought a perfectly good purse from Target and applied the rest toward creating a killer barbecue setup in your back yard.

And this is why I said that Pittsburgh is a cool place to hang out "for a couple of nights." The total lack of pretension there is refreshing and makes for easy conversation among strangers which in turn makes it a great place for out-of-towners to hang out and feel right at home. But for those who are used to more cosmopolitan touches, the dearth of refinement there can get old if you have to be there long-term.

[MassVt]

..I don't think that you'd have much trouble getting tickets, either. The Pirates usually don't draw that well, as Pitt is largely a football/hockey town.

Pittsburgh is a fairly attractive city, somewhat condensed, although losing population at an alarming rate. It doesn't have an air of real sophistication about it, but the natives are friendly and sociable, and you can certainly get a few good meals here. It's definately not the Upper East Side, but you'll enjoy it..

[neonwattagelimit]

Originally Posted by Drover

Well, there aren't a lot of "chic" nightlife options in Pittsburgh, certainly none aggregated together into a "chic" nightlife district. That goes hand-in-hand with the culture of the city and the region, namely that it is just not an image-conscious culture. Nobody is impressed if you're carrying around a Fendi handbag. 80% won't know what it is, and the other 20% will wonder why you'd waste your money on something like that when you could have bought a perfectly good purse from Target and applied the rest toward creating a killer barbecue setup in your back yard.

And this is why I said that Pittsburgh is a cool place to hang out "for a couple of nights." The total lack of pretension there is refreshing and makes for easy conversation among strangers which in turn makes it a great place for out-of-towners to hang out and feel right at home. But for those who are used to more cosmopolitan touches, the dearth of refinement there can get old if you have to be there long-term.

Ah, I see what you are saying. Though I certainly have no idea what a Fendi handbag is, nor would I be impressed by a person sporting one...me, I'd take the killer barbecue setup (nevermind the fact that I'm a guy). I like to think of myself as neither hipster nor meathead.

[aragx6]

I'm a girl and I'd rather have the bbq!
... and my purse is from target!

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by Drover

If you're willing to go as far as St. Louis, you might also consider catching them in Cincinnati. Tickets are easier to get, they're probably cheaper, and the drive is almost exactly the same distance except the speed limit is 70 almost the entire way there versus 65 to STL.

If you've got a couple extra days to blow, I'd also suggest catching a game in Pittsburgh. PNC Park is by far the coolest park in the league besides Wrigley and Fenway (plus it provides an awesome view of the cityscape that even Fenway and Wrigley don't come close to duplicating), Pittsburgh is a fairly easy drive (under 8 hours), and it's a surprisingly cool town to hang out in for a couple nights if you know where the action is. I've caught a few Cubs games in PNC and I plan to keep doing so whenever practical in the coming years.

I'd put San Francisco's park in there w/o any hesitation. Very good park in good location. It's not an easy or driveable trip, but it's as good as any of the others imo.