Running the bases at Wrigley Field is thrilling, but so is riding around them Saturday in a train in the snow.
That was one of the winter activities people enjoyed on a snowy Saturday at the Cubs’ ballpark at this year’s version of Wintrust Winterland at Gallagher Way.
Among the new attractions this year are the Polar Puck Shot and Trim the Tree games, a 25-foot Fun Slide and a ride called The Edge, which swings back and forth, providing a different view of the ballpark.
“It was fun,” Matthew Krukowski, 42, of Avondale, said of riding The Edge.
He was there his 4-year-old son and his visiting parents.
“We wanted to do something fun during the day,” Krukowski said. “It’s nice to be on the field level. My dad had been to Wrigley before, but he’s never been in this part of Wrigley.”
Sunday is the last day of Winterland, or which Wrigley Field is outfitted with some things Cubs fans would never see during the baseball season, including an ice skating rink, ice bumper cars, acarousel, and après-ski-style lodge and holiday decorations. Admission is $5, plus extra fees for attractions. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Brynn Bliven, 8, had come with his family and friend from Iowa as part of her birthday celebration. Ice skating was at the top of the list for Bliven and her friend Reese Zweibohmer, 9, according to Zweibohmer’s mother Ashley.
“My kid has never been here,” said Ashley Zweibohmer, 41, who’s also from Iowa. “She was just amazed when we walked in.”
It was the second trip for the birthday girl and mom Paula Bliven.
“We are huge Cubs fans, and it’s so cool for the kids,” said Paula Bliven, 42. “Last year, when we came, it was the first time my kids had ever been to Wrigley on the stinkin’ field. How lucky can you be? ... Wrigley is mesmerizing for us.”
Another group of kids there for a birthday party were chanting the name of one of the rides they wanted to try: “Teacups! Teacups! Teacups!”
They ended up riding the Tilt-a-Whirl first, having conquered the slide and the train, which they loved, according to Natalia Roncancio, 41, of North Center, whose daughter Victoria Matallana,was celebrating her fifth birthday.
The weather, which started off as a fluffy dusting of snow, turned wetter, with sleet, but that didn’t phase the kids or Roncancio.
“It’s Chicago,” she said.
