I was ecstatic last week about the possibility of watching the Chicago Cubs in their victory parade on Friday. I had hoped Graham, Victoria and I would be able to watch it together if he didn’t have to work. Hours later, we found out we could instead be IN the parade!
We arrived at the Wrigley Field lot at 8:30 a.m. thinking we were late. But we had plenty of time to check in, take photos, catch up with friends and board our trolley. The parade began about 40 minutes past its scheduled 10 a.m. start time, but no one seemed to mind. At one point the trolleys started moving but then stopped for a while at Clark and Grace, so Graham hopped out to grab us empanadas. That encouraged the rest of the trolley to grab some, and pretty soon the vendor was sold out of them.
I would have never imagined the amount of people we saw lining the streets. We heard nonstop cheering the entire length of the parade, from Wrigleyville to Grant Park. People even pulled over on Lake Shore Drive to watch and film the event on their cellphones. Signs included “Dear Santa, Never mind. It happened.”
Graham became the trolley MVP by getting out and handing out stickers and candy whenever we had to stop along the way. Police officers helped us get our goodies out to the crowds when we could not reach them from the trolleys, and they cheered along with the rest of Chicago.
The trolleys took us to Grant Park, where associates and their guests had a designated viewing area for the rally. I can safely say I had never seen a larger crowd for a public event. I will never forget any moment of it!
I am so grateful for this experience! Go Cubs!
