Category Archives: Common Man

Ohio State – Michigan 2013

This weekend a group of us Ohio State and Michigan fans headed up to Ann Arbor for both the hockey and football games between the two schools.

Yost Ice Arena

Friday night we headed over to the Yost Ice Arena for the Big Ten Opener between Ohio State and No. 3 ranked Michigan. Yost seats around 6,600 people which is a considerable difference from the 17,500 that Value City Arena in Columbus holds. The small size creates a very intimate environment. We ended up standing at the back of the arena above the goal instead of using our seats as the view was nearly the same. Michigan was clearly the better team but Ohio State’s efficient power play kept them in the game until the final minutes of overtime. The game was heading to a shootout until Michigan’s Andrew Copp scored on a breakaway with under two minutes left in OT. A great game until the very end and it was cool to see the handshake line afterwards.

Tailgate

Before the game we marched about 3 miles from our hotel to a church parking lot for tailgating. The crowd was 50/50 around the lot and then it was about a 15 minute walk to the stadium so it all worked out. We had a couple of growlers from Mitten Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids and a backpack of Hamms.

Michigan Stadium
I have been to Michigan Stadium 3 previous times (2001, 2002, 2007) but not since the most recent stadium renovation so I was looking forward to seeing what has changed and if the audio level was any different. The stadium seems to have only two entrances making it a challenge to tailgate until the final minutes. We ended up funneling in and working our way to our seats in the West end zone. We did notice the students didn’t quite fill in until about 5 minutes into the 1st quarter but that is very common at most of the large BIG Ten Stadiums. The new pressbox/suites that were recently added look as if they fit the original structure but I don’t think they did anything to increase the intensity (i.e. volume level). Granted, we sat in row 84 so maybe closer to the field the level of sound was much greater.

The Game

The game was reminiscent of the 2006 No.1 vs No.2 game, hardly any defense, scoring up and down the field. I can’t say I disagree with Michigan going for the 2-point conversion to win the game, but I was completely surprised. In the stands it seemed like Michigan was just trying to force Ohio State to use their last timeout so they didn’t score in the final 30 seconds. Then they lined back up and went for it. Watching the game in person, it felt like that was the only time Ohio State stopped them. Combining this ending with the hockey game on Friday it was one hell of a sports trip. Great games.

Ann Arbor Breweries

Ann Arbor has four breweries in about two blocks in the heart of town. We stopped at all of them on Friday. Blue Tractor Brewery we didn’t hit until after the hockey game, but it was by far the best. $8 pitchers of all of their beers, decent BBQ and live music in the basement. We spent the better part of the evening there. Before the hockey game we stopped at Jolly Pumpkin, Grizzly Peak Brewing Company and Arbor Brewing Company. We only had one drink at Jolly Pumpkin but that’s mainly because their beer list consisted of mostly sour beers which I’m not a fan of. Grizzly Peak was probably the most disappointing of the group. Arbor Brewing was solid and the food looked great.

Side Notes:

* We took the Wolverine Line Amtrak train up from Chicago Friday morning which got us into Ann Arbor around 1pm. The train ride was great: comfortable, clean and no hassle.

** Before catching our train back to Chicago we picked up sandwiches for the road at Zingerman’s Delicatessen which is about a 10 minute walk from the train station. Yes, the sandwiches are expensive but I think they’re worth it.

*** Michigan Short Bus outside Yost Ice Arena.
**** No one stayed in the Victory Inn Suites.

Pullman and Argus Brewery

This past weekend Julie and I once again took part in the CAF’s Open House Chicago and headed down to the Pullman neighborhood. Pullman is a former company town built by George Pullman to house the employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company. The town of Pullman was built in the late 1880’s and is known for it’s historic Victorian row houses.

Historic Pullman Center

Our first stop in Pullman was the Historic Pullman Center which used to be the Masonic Pullman Palace Lodge. The Center currently houses all of the salvaged furnishings from the Hotel Florence and various pieces from George Pullman’s Prairie Avenue Mansion.

Greenstone United Methodist Church

From there we walked a couple of blocks to the Greenstone United Methodist Church. The exterior of the church is a façade of green stone that was quarried from Pennsylvania and shipped to Pullman. The Church sanctuary is original to the 1880’s including the pews and organ.

Hotel Florence

Across from the Arcade Park and not far from the church is the Hotel Florence. The hotel served the town/company of Pullman as a destination for businessmen and groups visiting the town, and was named for Pullman’s daughter Florence. I believe it also housed the only bar in Pullman. The hotel is currently shuttered and undergoing renovations. There was talk about reopening the bar.

Pullman Factory Complex

What remains of the Pullman Factory Complex after a fire in 1998 is still pretty impressive. The scale of the remaining buildings and the grounds gives a good impression of what 6,000 workers would have experienced on a daily basis.

Argus Brewery

After our stops in Pullman we took a brewery tour at the Argus Brewery which sits just outside Pullman on the other side of the train tracks. This was by far the best brewery tour I’ve ever been on and I highly recommend it. As soon as we arrived we were handed a beer and then Argus’ Brewery Historian took us outside the building to explain the area. The brewery sits on what was once called Shlitz Row after the Shlitz Brewing Company purchased the entire block to serve beer to the Pullman workers. George Pullman made sure that his town was completely dry outside of the Hotel Florence so the Shlitz company setup shop just outside the town. The Argus Brewery is housed in the former stable house for the Shlitz operation. After taking in the street scene we went up to the top floor of the brewery where all of the fermentation tanks are held along with a bar. Since the building was a horse stable previously, the 2nd floor is structurally sound and there was even a horse elevator. The majority of the ‘tour’ consisted of us hanging out in the bar with free reign over the taps. The brewers also provided us with pizza that is made from their spent grains and we basically were give a history tour of the place. After several beers and quality stories we were showed through the actual brewing and bottling process before we were sent on our way.

Really one of the best tours I’ve taken.

Side Notes:

* We had breakfast at the Cal-Harbour Restaurant & Lounge. There really weren’t many options in the area but this is a legit diner.
** We actually saw the Brewery and the Pullman Factory from the train on our way to the Gary Railcats game. That’s how we knew to book the brewery tour.
*** Previous CAF Open House Chicago: 2012

A Day in Bridgeport

This past Saturday (the final Saturday before Football Season) Julie and I decided to spend the day in the Bridgeport neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. We jumped on the Halsted bus and headed South for the better part of an hour. If you’ve spent some time on the CTA buses during non-rush hour times they’re relatively convenient. Our plan was to have breakfast, stop at a root beer factory and then hit up one of the better beer bars in the city while eating meat pies.

Mission accomplished.

Nana

Our first stop in Bridgeport was at Nana for breakfast. I can’t recall where I read about this place but it seemed good from the website. The food was great. I could probably just live off of their empanadas. We weren’t sure if there’d be a long wait or not, but we were seated right away. Julie and I definitely plan to check out their dinner some time.

Filbert’s Root Beer

After breakfast we grabbed the 35th Street bus and headed over to Filbert’s Old Time Draft Root Beer on Ashland Avenue. Filbert’s is a locally owned soda production facility that caters to a lot of restaurants and local food markets throughout the city. One of the managers gave us an impromptu tour and a couple of free bottles for the road. I had actually had some of their root beer on draft earlier in the year at Paulina Meat Market’s tent during Sausage Fest.

Maria’s Packaged Goods
One hell of a day at @Marias_Bar in Bridgeport w/ @julierubes -
Maria’s Packaged Good was pretty much the anchor of this little trip. When we started we were just looking for places within walking distance or a short bus ride from Maria’s. When we arrived they were just opening up and were preparing for some kind of Charter School fundraiser.

For a little background on Maria’s, the place is a liquor store in the front and a bar in the back. I think this used to be a somewhat common occurrence in Chicago. The liquor store in the front has a great selection of six packs and an entire wall of 22oz bombers including a lot of 3 Floyds bottles. The bar in the back has an equally good selection of drafts.

Combining the beer selection with the food options next door makes this one of the best bars in the city.

Pleasant House Bakery

Please House Bakery is located directly next door to Maria’s and I believe is BYOB. You can also order food there and they will deliver it to you at the bar in Maria’s which is what we did. Julie and I shared the Steak & Ale Pie and it was unreal. I can’t image going to Maria’s and not eating a meat pie from Pleasant House ever again.

Skylark

Skylark is probably a mile north of Bridgeport but it definitely was on the way home so it warranted a stop. Huge beer selection, by far the largest dive bar I’ve ever been in. From the outside the place looks much shadier than it is. We actually walked past the entrance at first thinking there’s no way that the place was open.

Greekfest

On our way back home we stopped at Greekfest for a bite to eat. As Street Festivals go, Greekfest was one of the best. No ‘Suggested Donation’/shakedown. A lot of vendors actually had something to do with Greek food instead of just random fair stuff.

Sidenotes:

* Good Luck Auto Repair. I would like to help out with Good Luck Auto Repair’s marketing plan but according to Yelp they’re doing just fine.

** While at Maria’s a couple in drag stopped by to take a photograph in front of the bar. I think they own a costume shop or something. It all seemed perfectly normal at the time.

Black Hand Productions

By Nik Bronder

Category Archives: Common Man

Ohio State – Michigan 2013

Pullman and Argus Brewery

A Day in Bridgeport