Cubs fan here, doing my best to reverse the growing trend of opposing teams’ fans viewing us as rowdy, annoying drunks. Welcome to Chicago!

The area surrounding the park is pretty much all bars and restaurants. Depending on what sort of atmosphere you like, there is a decent variance. Two bars I like which are on Clark Street south of Wrigley are Goose Island and the Irish Oak. Goose Island, as you may know, is probably Chicago’s most famous “micro”-brewery, if you’re into good beer. If you like Guinness and a quiet atmosphere, the Irish Oak is probably a good place to go. If you don’t mind a bunch of loud drunken frat boys, you could indeed try the Cubby Bear (just to say you’ve been there) or go to Murphy’s Bleachers (on precisely the other side of Wrigley from the Cubby Bear). Finally, if you like a bunch of super-tanned yuppies talking about their tans, you could try Central, which is also on Clark.

Depending on how much time you have to kill, you could wander south on Clark all the way to Belmont, which is not TOO far and has a lot of interesting alternative shops.

There’s great pizza at the place right by the el tracks on Addison, but it’ll probably be pretty busy. Goose Island, in my opinion, probably has the best food within a one-block radius of the park, but it’s a bit expensive. What can I say – Wrigleyville is a yuppie neighborhood. If you want delicious food for a lower price, I do recommend the Taco Bell right by the main entrance.

And if you see a guy with a bunch of shirts on a stick, would you do me a favor and give him a little kick? This is the guy who just had to be forced to stop selling a very racist Fukudome shirt.