City of Chicago unveils remodeled Soldier Field

CHICAGO -- From high atop Soldier Field, the view never looked better to longtime Chicago Bears fan Rich Figiel.\nSitting by his 64-year-old father 10 rows from the top, Figiel praised the intimacy of the new stadium and had no complaints about his new seats -- even if they weren't as close as his old ones.\n"This is great. I can see the boats in Lake Michigan from here. The field is closer than I thought it would be. It's comfortable," he said. "It's actually nice, very nice. I'm surprised."\nTwo seats to his right, the view wasn't as good.\n"Are you nuts? The players look like ants," his father Dan Figiel said. "Sixty-five dollars for this bird's nest up here? Give me a break."\nEven the unveiling of Soldier Field for Monday night's game against the Green Bay Packers didn't end the debate over Chicago's newest building: Is it an eyesore or a sight for sore eyes?\nFor most fans who endured years of long lines, lousy facilities and tiny seats, the assessment was generally positive.\n"Wow. This is really cool," said Matt Fase as he walked into the stadium for the first time. "It needed to be upgraded. I like the fact that they saved the colonnades from the old place, and I liked the old stadium. But this is much, much better."\nThe renovated Soldier Field has been ridiculed by critics for its jarring exterior along the lakefront. The facility integrates the colonnades from the old Soldier Field, built in 1924, with a modern bowl of green glass and stainless steel that billows up and over what was saved of the war memorial.\nInside, the new stadium is just as modern.\nFan-friendly upgrades include twice as many bathrooms -- a major problem at the old stadium -- wider seats and three times as many concession stands. A pair of jumbo video boards jut out behind the field, and the seats are 37 feet closer to the field on average.\nIt drew raves from fans such as Fred Warf.\nThe 54-year-old owner of a hair salon has seats in the lower level, which had been in his family for 36 years.\n"You pull in and you wonder if it's a flying saucer," said Warf, dressed up as Santa Claus. "They really built it up outside with the greenery to hide it, and on the inside it's beautiful. It's multileveled and it really opens up. The views are spectacular. I don't think there is a bad seat."\nThe stadium cost $606 million to build, though the Bears paid for less than a third of the project. The remainder will be financed by revenue from the city's hotel-motel tax.\nCapacity was reduced from almost 67,000 to about 61,500, giving it a cozy feeling -- if that's possible for a football stadium.\nBarry MacLean, 65, had one of the best seats in the house: a spacious suite on the 40-yard line. He bought it for employees at his manufacturing company, and he wasn't disappointed.\n"I'm like a lot of people. I don't think it's very attractive outside, but inside it's spectacular," he said. "From the outside, you can't imagine it could be anything but a compromise. Inside it's terrific."\nMost agreed, though not all.\n"I'm not into these new, fancy stadiums," the elder Figiel said. "I miss the old place"