OT: Soldier Field experiences

 Cutler throwing the ball to Detroit players is always a great experience!

thanksgiving break (my brother in law was coaching in the Chicago Prep Bowl), and it was striking to me how small (in a good way) it felt on the inside... seemed like all of the seats have good lines of sight and should feel close to the action.  Enjoy!

Tailgating is very difficult as there isn't much parking around the stadium, and the lots that are there are for season ticket holders or insanely expensive.  Your best bet is to get near the stadium and go to the bars in the South Loop before/after the game.  

As for seating, I was at the Bears-Cowboys game and sat in the 400 level...it's very steep but gives you a great view of everything.  Bears fans are very upset with their own team, so there shouldn't be any real issues being in enemy territory.  

Having followed the Lions for the past 45 years I can't tell which is more likely to happen - well because Lions:

A. The Lions lose to a dead in the water, lifeless Bears team playing for nothing that hates their coach, their QB and life in general thereby meaning they HAVE to win in GB to make the playoffs.

B. They beat the Bears but lose to the Packers and the combination of NFL tie-breakers renders them one of the few11 win team's in modern history to miss the playoffs entirely while a 7-9 Saints team gets in and gets home field for the first round.

Haven't been to a game there but did get to tour the stadium while I was in Chicago last month. Definitely would go back for a game if I had the opportunity.

My 5'2", 110-pound sister had nachos thrown at her for wearing Lions gear, even with her then-boyfriend, a vociferous Bears fan. 

I was heckled pretty bad as a lions fan when I was a teenager. It can get pretty annoying

In general, Soldier Field is an o.k. experience. I have gone to a few Bears-Lions games sporting Lions gear and have gotten plenty of verbal abuse. That said, the fans are very disinterested at this point and it should be fine. Hopefully you make it and cheer on a playoff birth! Go Lions!

It's fine. Bears fans are defeated at this point so you shouldn't get any flack from them. Just be respectful and its a good time. Getting there is a bit sucky sometimes depending on when and how you're going.

Watched Johnie(sp?) Morton score on about an 80 yd touchdown from Scott Mitchell and then watched Curtis Enis have probably the best America of his pro career there. We heckled the Bears fans while we were ahead...then proceeded to get lambasted when we were down. Nothing too crazy though. Great stadium though...at least old soldier field. I have yet to make it to the renovated version.

I was there two weeks ago and a fight broke out in a stairwell, on the stairs opposite of us. We watched one guy push another guy head first down concrete stairs, and then fall down himself, all the way to the bottom. Then last week there was a stabbing in the parking lot after the game. Not to scare you, just be careful after the game - drunk and unhappy don't go well together. 

If you like it, you can go back for a Michigan hockey "home" game in the winter!

Been to many games over the years at Soldier Field. I will say that the stadium renovation really improved the seating and sight lines as was alluded to in a previous post. The only thing they didn't get right were the restrooms. Lines are pretty long during most of the game. 

I've seen the Lions, Packers, Vikings, Eagles, Cowboys, Giants....and I'm sure I'm missing one or two others. Bears fans generally just talk smack to opposing fans, but they really hate Packer fans. Seen a lot of fights, mostly started by drunk Bears fan (I know...I know, aren't all Bears fans drunk?) who decided they'd had enough beer so they just pour it on Packers fans. Of course, I've seen Eagles fans do the same to Bears fans, but I guess that's pretty much par for the course, no matter where the Eagles play. There was a stabbing incident at the recent Cowboys game but that was after the game at some parking lot far from the stadium as a group of Cowboys fans and Bears fans played "You suck....No...You Suck" and things escalated from there. 

As was said in a previous post, parking around the stadium carries a pretty hefty price tag....$50 and up. With the price of tickets likely to come down even further after the Bears loss last night, you can probably score a ticket cheaper than it would be to park. 

Have fun.

First was a World Cup game between Germany and Mexico.  I sat behind a guy wearing the largest sombrero I have ever seen.  I couldn't see large sections of the field because of his hat and to make matters worse, he had a drum which he pounded (and I'm using that word accurately) constantly.

Second was a Bears game against San Diego.  The Bears were terrible and the fans booed them for the entire game.  On the way out many of the fans were singing a version of the Bear's fight song, "Bear down, you stinking Bears."

Went to my first home game back in October against the Dolphins. The stadium itself is a hike to get to, but there isn't a bad seat in there, I'm convinced. I was in the 300 or 400's in the north endzone and had a great view of all of Cutler's INT's.

 

As for the fans, it's not anything you wouldn't find in any other stadium in America. There are some jerks and there are some great fans. We had some Dolphins fans seated around us who were having some fun jawing with the locals and getting their family pictures taken by Bears fans for them. On the way out some drunk-ass was trying to fight anyone who looked at him (Bears and Fins fans alike). 

 

Like everyone else said, we're pretty defeated. We're more interested in getting everyone fired at this point. My friends went last night and said the whole stadium just booed every play.

concert in 1977, featuring Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band, Peter Frampton, Rick Derringer, and UFO.  It was hot though.

I've gone to a few. Nice stadium. Good views except from way way up. Fans are nice, in general.

in Urlacher jerseys and a ridiculously long walk in and out of the stadium.  Other than that the stadium is pretty nice inside (despite looking goofy on the outside) and the tailgating can be fun if the weather is decent. 

Saw the (Jim Harbaugh led) Bears pull out a late victory over the Lions in the 1992 season opener.  Very hung over from the night before but it was a fun game.

The best experience was two summers later though...  tripping at a Dead show, almost losing my shit during the best The Other One performance I've seen and then wandering the city.

 

If it's anything like last nights game there should be plenty of empty seats.

Are the Bears the NFL equivalent of the wolverines right now? All that talent and just a terrible product on the field with no heart.

It's fine. A lot of walking though as they block off a lot of the roads near the campus.

Stadium is amazing, area is awesome, museums are great, Chicago a cool town....The fans though are wrose than Ohio fans.  Honestly, they suck.  I was 7 years old the first time I saw the Packers vs Bears and was cussed out by a 40 year old dude, first time the bears beat Favre in like 18 trys or something. 

 

Still its a great experince, and COLD!!!!  Have fun, and travel in a group!

Sightline-wise, it's one of the best in the NFL. In their attempt to try to keep the historic colonnades (they lost their National Register designation anyway), they were forced to build the stadium within the old stadium. This makes the stadium steeper than many, but also means that even seats toward the top are not super-far away from the field horizontally so I think they end up with the best cheaper seats in the league. It's also not a big stadium by capacity.

I'm not even sure you'll have to worry about jerky fans much either. You run into them everywhere in the league really, but with the team pretty much having quit, lots of fans will sell their tickets or just not go, and those that do show up will probably not really give a crap or will be there as much to boo as anything.

Been to many games there. If you can BEAR (get it) the weather, you'll have a great time. Tickets should be down in price as well. Go Lions and reply with any specific questions you might have.

Yeah, I'd definitely go if I were you.

1. Bears fans have abandoned and turned on team. For this reason, tickets should be available, and cheap. Plus, the Sunday before Christmas there is more availability.
2. The Lions should trounce Bears, and go to the playoffs.
3. There's always plenty to do in the Chicago area.
4. Regarding being a Lions fan. Well, the Lions have sucked for so long it doesn't hurt Bears fans that much. Packers would be a different story. Still, if you wore Michigan gear, and had the Harbaugh to Michigan poster, you wouldn't get too many complaints.

Have a great time, and enjoy the game.