Thanks for the comments guys! I'll get the Smurf tackling video uploaded soon since you asked so nicely.
To zcat18 and peersteve, yes I truly enjoyed Chicago, though as it was the final city on the tour, I was way too tired to drink so didn't really sample the nightlife! Being known for its skyscrapers, I was surprised at how open and green the city was, nothing like claustrophobic Manhattan!
The Baseball was fun as well; it was nice to see the White Sox win, though the atmosphere was much livelier at the Phillies game. I enjoy most sports, and would have liked to see a basketball or American football game as well, but there were none on during our stay. The ticket prices were very reasonable as well, though the beers were a bit on the expensive side inside the stadia.
I didn't find Baseball slow or boring to be fair, though there's clearly a difference in the culture of watching live sports in the US to over here. Going to a Baseball game seemed to be quite a social occasion, the dining and drinking etc being as important as the game itself, with the singing/chanting etc being driven by the announcer or mascot. In the UK, the main spectator sports (Soccer/Rugby) tend to be more action packed, with boisterous crowds and fierce rivalries. If you’re ever in the UK, I would highly recommend you go to a Premier League Soccer game, and if it’s the right time of the year, a rugby international match (a Six Nations game in Cardiff is truly unique, as the Millennium Stadium
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Stadium is right in the heart of the city, only a couple of minutes walk from all the bars and shops)
Of course, I’m not comparing like-with-like, to be fair to the Baseball teams, they play pretty much every day through the season, so the makeup of the crowd will be different every game, whereas Soccer/Rugby teams play on average about once a week, so tend to have the same followers/fans watching them at every game.
The following are the additional photos I promised – menu and amenity bag. The lip balm was particularly useful; the Vegas desert heat had not been kind to my lips!
