By Nancy Armour
The Associated Press

CHICAGO - There's no question the old Soldier Field was an architectural treasure, instantly recognizable by those stately colonnades overlooking the lakefront.

It was the perfect honor for the nation's veterans, a memorial as dignified as it was simple.

But inside? Come on, let's be honest. The place was showing every bit of its 79 years - and it wasn't pretty. Cramped, uncomfortable seats. Dingy ramps and walkways filled with puddles from the leaky pipes overhead. Scoreboards that were probably outdated in the 1970s. Turf that came up in clumps.

And the locker rooms? There are closets in better shape.

"It was old. It was REAL old," Chicago Bears cornerback R.W. McQuarters said. "You don't want to take anything away from Soldier, but it was time for a change. And we definitely got one."

Put aside all the grousing about the outside of the new Soldier Field, an ultramodern bowl that reminds many of a spaceship and doesn't really go with those majestic old columns. Inside, it's a state-of-the-art gem.

Whether it's players or fans, few will find any reason to complain about the snazzy, new $606 million digs when Soldier Field reopens for Monday night's game against the Green Bay Packers.

"It's like going from an Oldsmobile Cutlass to a Mercedes-Benz," receiver Marty Booker said. "All the veterans, we're just soaking it all in. We're all quiet and, I guess you can say, in an awed state of mind."

The game itself brings together two rather desperate teams.

The Bears, 4-12 a year ago, began 0-2 and were off last week while the Packers are 1-2, losing to dismal Arizona a week ago in the desert. The only reason the Bears are getting a Monday night game is to open the refurbished stadium.

While the "old" Soldier Field is still visible from the outside because of those colonnades, there's not a trace of the antiquated stadium inside.

Capacity was reduced from almost 67,000 to about 61,500, but the stadium actually feels bigger. The average seat is 37 feet closer to the field, and it makes a difference. Every seat on each of the four levels - even the cheap seats way up top - feels as if it's on top of the field.

There are no bleachers, only blue, plastic chairs with orange numbers - Bears colors, of course - and the kind of amenities football fans love. Each seat has at least one cupholder. The club chairs have padded seats. There are three times as many concession stands, and twice as many bathrooms.

Club level seating and the 133 luxury boxes are on the east side of the stadium, and those ticketholders get access to three large lounges featuring concession stands and tables. Televisions ensure fans won't miss any action.

Murals in the lounges feature drawings from Bears history, as well as marquees and signs from games played at Soldier Field over the years. The west side of the stadium has murals of Bears greats, including Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Bronko Nagurski and George "Papa Bear" Halas, the team founder.

And above each end zone, there's a monstrous - 23-by 82-feet - cantilevered video board that will make fans think they're in an IMAX theater when they watch replays.

"It doesn't look like something we should be playing in," linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "I'm not used to seeing this, because I'm so used to Soldier Field and I used to play in Champaign. This just looks like somewhere we'd travel."

As for the new locker rooms, posh doesn't begin to describe them. They're so spacious receiver Dez White joked he'd need a cell phone to talk to someone at the other end.

Each player gets a wide, wooden locker. There is a large shower area, as well as separate training room. The carpeting on the floor is plush blue, with "Bears" spelled out in vibrant orange.

"The (old) locker room was so tight that you could barely move around, and now you have such a big area," Booker said.

The Bears are also hoping their new surroundings will give them an edge on the field. Many expect the noise level to be almost deafening because sound will bounce off the glass walls of the luxury boxes and back onto the field.

There are, of course, some drawbacks. The design of the stadium has been widely ridiculed, with some even saying Soldier Field should be stripped of its National Historic Landmark status.

And while the seats are wider than in the old Soldier Field, it's not going to be like the recliner at home. Take an oversized Bears fan and add a couple of layers of padding for late-season games, and the fit could get a little snug.

Overall, though, the Bears couldn't be happier with their new home.

"When you're outside of it, it's clearly Soldier Field, you can see the pillars," coach Dick Jauron said. "When you get inside of it, though, there's really not a sense of the old stadium. So I like the fact that it's the old Soldier Field, in part, but it's a brand new facility once you get inside of it.

"It's really a phenomenal place."

Today's game

GREEN BAY (1-2) at CHICAGO (0-2)

9 p.m., ABC (Ch. 9,2)

SERIES - Bears lead 84-75-6.

LAST MEETING - Packers beat Bears 30-20 Dec. 1, 2002, at GB.

LAST WEEK - Packers lost to Cardinals 20-13. Bears had bye, lost to Vikings 24-13 in Week 2.

PACKERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (14), RUSH (13), PASS (17)

PACKERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (22), RUSH (17), PASS (23)

BEARS OFFENSE - OVERALL (32), RUSH (29), PASS (31)

BEARS DEFENSE - OVERALL (31), RUSH (32), PASS (17)

KEY MATCHUP - Packers' soft defense vs. Bears' anemic offense. Bears have NFL's worst offense, averaging paltry 167.5 yards per game. QB Kordell Stewart has not been stellar in first two games in Chicago as team averages only 100 yards passing. Packers allow 231 yards passing per game, so this might be Bears' chance to rebound. But Chicago must do better than averaging 3.3 yards per play to have chance of winning in first game in renovated Soldier Field.

NOTES - Packers QB Brett Favre has thrown a TD pass in 22 straight games against Bears, second-longest streak all-time (Dan Marino threw TDs in 24 straight against Jets). ... Packers are 15-0 when RB Ahman Green rushes for 100 yards. He needs 130 yards rushing to pass Tony Canadeo for third in club history.

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