Humans of Wrigleyville: The Bellman

ByJesse Kirsch WLS logo
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Humans of Wrigleyville: The Bellman
As Wrigleyville readies for game day, there's another kind of frenzy across the street from the ballpark.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As Wrigleyville readies for game day, there's another kind of frenzy across the street from the ballpark. Inside the new Hotel Zachary, you'll find Bellman Sami Jarroush bouncing from floor to floor, getting luggage where it needs to go.

Sometimes it's from car to room; and vice versa. Room not ready yet? He tags it and stores it for later on. Perhaps not surprising, when the Cubs are in town he's at his busiest.

"People are wanting to check out, people are wanting to check in. It's up and down up and down constantly," Jarroush said during a lobby interview, adding, "A lot of people want to store their luggage while they're going to the game."

He mentioned that sometimes people who aren't staying at the hotel will bring their luggage, too; Jarroush said they have to turn those folks away.

With plenty of foot traffic in the neighborhood, he rarely finds time to stop as the guests keep coming through. In fact, in the roughly three months he's worked at the hotel, our interview was the first time he'd ever sat down on the lobby couch.

Some of the people he's seen are returning to Wrigleyville after years away.

"The first thing they say is this 'ain't the old neighborhood,'" he said.

The streets outside the hotel can be pretty calm in the morning, but as time inches closer to first pitch, Wrigleyville quickly fills up.

"Jerseys as far as the eye can see, hats, gloves," Jarroush said of the scene.

Once the game starts, he can sneak a peek on the big screen at Gallagher Way or just listen.

"You can tell what's going on in the game pretty much just from standing outside on the cobblestone," he said.

As a woman walked her dogs down the street Wednesday morning, he made new friends too. Fitting alongside the Friendly Confines.

Who are your favorite #HumansOfWrigleyville?

We want to know who you think of when you of Wrigleyville! Email Jesse.R.Kirsch@abc.com or tweet @JesseKirschABC7 to share the stories of people who make the neighborhood special.