Howdy.

I'm going to take my son to the White Sox game Sunday. For kids, they have an autograph session before the game and let them on the field afterward to run the bases. So we thought we'd give it a try.

Any tips for someone who has never even been to the Bridgeport area? I have no tickets yet and no pre-paid parking. Will I have trouble parking a couple hours before game time? Is it a pretty good idea to pay the $22 for stadium parking and not trust a private lot?

Also tips on what kind of tickets (in the lower-price range) might be best? Etc. Thanks.

If you arrive a couple hours before the game, there will be plenty of spaces (and tailgaters) in the official lots. The Cell is right off the Interstate and surrounded by official lots. To see the neighborhood itself, you'd have to go another 2 blocks north or west. Bridgeport is largely residential (mostly middle- and working-class families, though there's been a recent influx of homes that cost $1 mil. and up) with some good restaurants and divey bars. Grandstand (a huge sports apparel etc. store) is on 35th and Wallace.

In addition to the "Kid's Day" stuff you mentioned, the Sox have the Fundamentals Deck over the LF concourse. Definitely check that out. If he's going to run the bases, keep in mind that you have to line up before the game ends. Also, check out the wide variety of foodstuff available at different booths around the concourse. If you're interested, I think you can get a "first Sox game" certificate from Guest Services inside the park.

As far as tickets go, the prices and locations are easy to understand compared to most MLB parks. Where ever you choose to sit, your son's ticket will be $1. For adults on Kid's Day, the cheapest tickets on the lower level are the bleachers ($31 each). For an extra buck ($32), you get a regular OF seat (not a metal bench) in lower reserved. The cheapest tickets overall are upper reserved ($17). Upper box tickets (roughly between the bases) are $21. You can access Fundamentals from either level but can't access the lower concourse with upper deck tickets.

35th is the main drag in Bridgeport, heading over to Halsted and beginning a block west of the ballpark before seeing anything (past the railroad tracks). It's a very low-key neighborhood -- it is the south side, after all. I dunno anything about parking.

IIRC, the best beer selection is somewhere off in the left outfield corner.

Probably too late for OP, but for Sunday morning in Bridgeport, I highly recommend the Healthy Food Lithuanian Restaurant at 3236 S. Halsted. Family run, fresh ingredients. I've gone once every year or two for the last twenty years - some ethnic favorites have fallen off the menu for a more generic fare, but the Blynai (Thick Crepes) or - when they have it - the roast duck are great.

http://www.healthyfoodlithuanian-chicago.com/

Back from the game, which the Sox won 6-1 behind 2 Konerko homers. They landed on either side of us, each a few dozen yards distant.

Didn't get to Lithuanian breakfast; sounds great, maybe next time.

No problem parking about 80-100 yards from the stadium ($22). The $1 kid's tickets were great, and my $32 lower reserved outfield seat was just 7 rows up. My son and his friend got about 8 autographs each and they ran the bases with vigor afterward.

Gotta go back June 8 for the next Kid's Game!

Thanks for the tips.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed yourselves.

Forgot to note that I found another bargain: for the first hour they open the park (so 11 am-noon for yesterday's 1:05 game), hot dogs are "buy-one-get-one-free."

So 2 dogs for $3.25.

Woo-hoo!

He didn't say that.

True. Perhaps they "gotta go back" because they had a terrible time.

I think it's called "masochist."