How hard to get Chicago Cubs tickets?

T

TheFied

2,500+ Posts
I think we are going for a Thursday day game in about a month. I am pretty certain they are sold out for the season. So how hard is it to scalp for the game? How much should I expect to drop?

Are the outfield seats actually more expensive there?
 
Yes tickets are pretty hard to get from the box office. I believe they are sold out for the season (at least anything in 2 or more). Being a Thursday game it will be easier to get than weekend tickets obviously. You should be able to get tickets in the ($50-$60 range). Just walk up and down the street near the bars and you shouldn't have a problem finding any. Fianlly, the bleacher seats can be more expensive than other better seats.
 
I lived in Chitown last year and never paid more than 25 bucks for a bleacher seat. Go to Craig's List and all problems will be alleviated...

Heck if you begin emailing prospective ticket holders the day before or of the game, you will pay $10-15 per ticket.
 
TheFied -

A couple of years ago I went up there on Memorial Day weekend for a game against the Rockies. There are a lot of storefront "ticket agencies" around Wrigley. In my experience, avoid those like the plague.

What we did instead was to hit the bars around Wrigley a few hours before the game. Sometimes the bartenders have extras that people have left for them to give away/sell/etc. Also, just striking up some conversations will do the trick. Especially when you say you've come up from Texas. In my case, that earned me two free rounds of beer, and tickets for $10 each from some drunk members of some U of Illinois alumni party.
Unfortunately they weren't bleacher seats but we got in the door cheap. The ticket agencies were trying to sell tickets upstairs for north of $100 after the game had already started (!!) and unlike most scalpers, they didn't seem interested at all in negotiating down.
 
When my son was in his early teens, I took him a couple of times to Wrigley to see the Cubs. We stayed at the Palmer House and got our tickets at a ticket venue in the hotel. The tickets are not a bargain but if you want very good (non-bleachers) seats , they've got 'em. Once you get your tickets, step right outside and get on the train which deposits you at Wrigley.
After the game there is only one place to be- the sports bars. Those guys know how to celebrate!
 
Went to a weekend series against the Braves a few weeks ago. Purchased most of my bleacher tickets online through the Cubs the first day the seats went on sale back in February or March, but we had one extra person we needed. Was able to buy a single bleacher ticket for about $50 on Stubhub, which ended up being around $75 with fees. The pickup spot is a block north of Wrigley, very convenient and had no problem whatsoever. I would bet that you could do better buying from someone in a bar or on the street, but since we were with old folks I didn't want to risk it. Also, this was for a Sunday game. I imagine for a Thursday game you could do better. If you want to get first row bleachers, expect to get there at least 2-3 hours pre-game, the earlier the better on the weekend. We arrived 2 hours pre-game on Sunday and were half-way up the bleachers and arrived 1.5 hours pre-game on a Friday and were also half way up the bleachers. I highly recommend the bleacher experience. It is a blast, lots of interaction with the players (Soriano interacted with the fans throughout the game in left field), and lots of drunken fun.

The sports bars around the park (Murphy's Bleachers behind the bleachers and all of the places on Clark St.) are awesome. My son and I agreed it was third on our list of lifetime sporting experiences, behind the Nat'l Championship Rose Bowl and that year's Ohio St. game. We are seriously considering making a Chicago/Wrigley Field trip an annual summer tradition in our family.

If you are staying downtown, take the Red Line north. It will drop you off less than a block from Wrigley, right in the middle of the action. We loved the mass transit system in Chicago - very user friendly and a great way to experience the city. We stayed a few blocks from Wrigley in a rental house and had a blast. There is a ton of stuff to do within walking distance of the ballpark.
 
For a Thursday game you shouldnt have to pay more than $40 if you hang out near Murphys (for bleacher tickets) or the Wrigley sign (for non bleacher). There are usually plenty of people that want to get rid of their extra seats
 
I go to about 7 or 8 games a year and I never pay more than face value. There are always people looking to dump tickets right outside the stadium for face value or less, in some cases. DO NOT buy from the licensed vendors near Wrigley. They are vultures and a guy once threatened to "kick my ***" because I was unloading a ticket near his "territory." I cannot stress how ******* ****** those ******** are.

Sports bars are OK, but they're super crowded. Out-of-towners seem to like the experience, but I like dives and rock bars so I walk down to the Underground Lounge, which is a cool little bar in the neighborhood.

You cannot have a bad time at Wrigley. The place is magical -- you can just feel the history when you're there. I like the bleachers, but I don't think it defines the Wrigley experience. You will enjoy yourself in almost any seat.

What game are you thinking about checking out? I'll let you know if anything is going on, and keep an eye/ear out for tickets....
 
Found the maps. Looks like I'll pick up the Red line at Chicago & State and take it north to the Addison exit.
 
TheFied,
Just saw your question. That's the way to do it. The Addison stop is right next to Wrigley. Very convenient. There are tons of bars in the area, just wander around until you find one that suits you. Murphey's Bleachers behind the center field bleachers is a good spot to hang out outside if the weather is nice. Several other places have biergartens. Check out this link for detailed info about bars all over Chicago. Chicago Bar Project
If you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer them if I know the answer.
 
Just got back late last night. We went to the THursday game. Cubs won big. Great game. We took the L to Addison and then it was right there. Went to Murphys before the game across from the outfield. Had a few beers there and then started walking to the stadium. As soon as we crossed the street, I put 2 fingers up and immediately a fan approached me. He had 3 for behind home plate about 15-20 rows back. He sold us 2 for face. That easy. I'm sure I could have found a better deal if I had waited or tried harder but screw it, 2 tickets under the overhang (it wasn't pretty Thursday, overcast) at face, no fees.... Good for me.

I wish we had gone on Friday; it was gorgeous. But we walked all through the north side and downtown core on Friday. We walked from about 11am to 5pm. And my wife and I are very fast walkers so my guess is we did about 4 miles per hour. We probably walked 14-16 miles. I'll post my full review and what we did on another thread you did.
 
Rain delay on Saturday and Sunday the game was postponed (tonight). Glad we went to the game on Thursday after all. Friday was gorgeous but the weather was alright on THursday at least.
 
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