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…
Posted by ankit at July 26, 2025 10:48 PM | TrackBack