Photo: User:JeremyA · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: User:JeremyA · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Sports Travel
The United Center, the Jordan statue, and the loudest intro in sports. How to plan a basketball weekend in Chicago.
The Chicago Bulls are the franchise Michael Jordan turned into a global phenomenon, and the United Center still trades on that legacy: the Jordan statue outside, the championship banners inside, and the famous pre-game intro (that music, those lights) that no other arena has matched. Even in a rebuilding year, a Bulls game is a proper event.
Chicago itself is a great sports-trip city: the food, the lakefront, the architecture. The game anchors the weekend; the city fills it.
The Bulls play at the United Center on the Near West Side, sharing the building with the Blackhawks. Weeknight games against non-marquee opponents are the value play; the atmosphere holds up because Chicago crowds show up regardless.
Photo: Jack Delano · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Check the Bulls' Dayfari page for the schedule and ticket links. If you're making the trip, look for a homestand: two games in one weekend doubles the value of the flights. And the Blackhawks share the building, so check their schedule too; a basketball-hockey doubleheader weekend is very doable.
The United Center area has grown up a lot: bars and restaurants around the arena now, plus the atrium with the Jordan statue that's a photo stop for every visiting fan. Get there early enough to walk it.
Photo: MichaelMaggs Edit by Richard Bartz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The intro is the thing: lights down, the music, the starting lineups. It's been the league's best for decades. After the game, the West Loop (a short ride east) is where Chicago eats best right now: Restaurant Row on Randolph Street.
The architecture boat tour is the tourist thing that's actually worth it (Chicago invented the skyscraper; the river is the museum). Millennium Park, the Art Institute, and the lakefront trail fill a day easily. And yes, get the deep dish once; the locals' arguments about it are part of the fun.
Check our Chicago pages for what's on beyond basketball: the city's music and comedy scene is deep, and the theater district punches above its weight. Winter games pair well with the city's indoor strengths.
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