lucis

Went for a football (soccer) game between German club Bayern München and the English club Manchester United at the newly renovated Soldier Field. I had never been to a pro football game before, and was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, being a friendly game, neither team had its best players, and no one was trying really hard. The game ended on a 0-0, and was decided by a rather unexciting penalty shootout. Unexciting because no one really cared - it was simply a way of getting the 58,000+ spectators to spend more money on food and beer while they waited for the game to end. It was fun, I just hope the game had been more competitive.

Soldier field on the other hand was far from being a disappointment. I havent seen too many stadiums, but this is probably one of the best I’ll ever get to see. The thing is huge (seating capacity of 60k+). Its location right between lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive make is absolutely perfect. Even better is the architecture. While some may not like the new design, I thought it was brilliant. The stadium is basically a cross between early twentieth century architecture and modern UFO-style building style. Parts of the stadium were built as early as 1924, while a major chunk was added in the last couple of years. Amazing blend of old and new architecture.

While I was there, I also got a chance to play with the awesome $800 Nikkor AF 180mm f/2.8 ED-IF lens. While the focal length was still probably a bit too small, this lens made taking photos a real pleasure (as opposed to my humble Nikkor 50mm, which reduced the players to little ants). I’ll try to post some pictures soon…