BRIDGEPORT — After looking at the Sox Suite at the Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast, you'd never know that owner Dave Samber isn't a huge Chicago White Sox fan.
The suite at the B&B, 3322 S. Morgan St., features loads of White Sox pennants, programs, T-shirts, clocks, lamps and bed spreads.
"It's my life. It's a marriage ... for better or for worse," said Samber, who is originally from Cleveland, although he's not an Indians supporter either. He has lived in Chicago since graduating from Valparaiso University in 1972.
Samber has owned the building on Morgan Street, which also is home to the well-known Polo Cafe restaurant, since 1985.
He opened the B&B in the shadow of U.S. Cellular Field in 2008. The bed and breakfast also has the "Mayors' Suite" — dedicated to Bridgeport's five mayors — the "11th Ward Suite" and "Hardscrabble Suite" in honor of the neighborhood's original name.
"I wanted to reflect some of the high points of the neighborhood, and the Sox are a strong part of Bridgeport," said Samber, who lives in the building.
The 1,000-square-foot Sox Suite, which has three bedrooms, two closets and one bathroom, costs $300 a night. That includes a cooked-to-order breakfast by Samber and a spot in the parking lot next door.
Samber said his Sox Suite customers range from international executives to neighborhood folks.
"There have been several times when a wife or girlfriend wants to treat her husband or boyfriend. It's his birthday, and they're going to a Sox game, and they stay over," Samber said. "The rest of the people who come have no idea it's the Sox Suite."
Bridgeport resident Sean McCormick, who stayed in the suite in 2008, said he enjoyed the "uniqueness" of his experience.
"I appreciated all the hard work that was put into it," said McCormick, 69. "It's furnished very nicely, and it's maintained very nicely."
Samber said Sox tickets aren't part of any packages, but he will them pick up at The Cell, which is about a mile away, for guests if they're arriving from out of town and call ahead.
Samber said there are several Sox Suite dates available, including the South Siders' home opener against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
"The suite gets booked, but not often enough," Samber said. "People are still finding out about it."
