Just a mile from Wrigley Field and one Red Line stop before Addison, Cleveland Indians fans can find refuge amid the Cubs fervor that has gripped the rest of Chicago during the 2016 World Series.
"It's crazy to see every other bar full of Cubs fans," said Mike P., a bartender at Vaughan's Pub on 2917 North Sheffield Avenue.
Eammon Vaughan opened the bar in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood 20 years ago. But about 15 years ago, one of his bartenders, a Cleveland native named Jeff, suggested they also make it an Ohio State bar, which quickly morphed into a Browns and Indians bar as well.
On this Wednesday night, the bar is packed with mostly Indians fans for Game 2 of the World Series, but there is a smattering of Cubs fans too.
After the Indians score their lone run of the night, Katie O'Grady jokingly yells at another patron wearing a Cubs tie: "Go to a different bar!"
O'Grady, wearing an Indians hat, drinks Dortmunder, a Great Lakes Brewing Co. lager. She sits at a table with her fellow University of Dayton alums, Natalie Kaufman, Karli Tomaselli and Kerry Noonan, a White Sox fan.
Kaufman, who was also at the bar Tuesday night for Game 1, wears an Indians jacket, and Tomaselli sports an Indians hat she had her parents ship her.
Her father used to be an Indians' season-ticket holder. If she wasn't sporting Indians gear and rooting them on, he "would disown me."
Born and raised in Cleveland, Kaufman becomes exasperated when the Cubs fans in attendance cheer.
"You're in Chicago," she mutters. "Go to a Chicago bar."
At another table Nick Poulin says, "Every yuppy in America is rooting for (the Cubs)."
Poulin is from suburban Cleveland but wanted to move to a bigger city. He watches Game 2 with friend John DeGennaro. A bucket of beer sits on their table while DeGennaro said he hopes Cleveland sheds "The Mistake by the Lake" moniker.
"I want to be called, 'Champions of the Lake,'" he said.
If the Indians win in the same calendar year as LeBron James and the Cavaliers did, it will certainly change the perception of the city.
The winless Browns, though, don't seem poised to change that narrative. Poulin doesn't go to Vaughan's for Browns games.
"I'm too embarrassed," he said. "I watch Browns games at my buddy's house."
When the television screens showed James, who attended Game 2, the bar erupted. But there were few other times for the Cleveland faithful at Vaughan's to show much excitement.
When Jason Kipinis, a native of the northern Chicago suburbs, got the Indians' first hit off Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, the bar cheered. Nate Shriver, who grew up in Akron, even gave the double bird to the TV screen.
Not all patrons at Vaughan's take umbrage with Cubs fans. Two friends, Mary and Donna, root for both.
"We love the Indians a little more," Mary said.
A human resources/healthcare worker who lives in Wrigleyville, Mary wears a Snoopy Indians shirt, but she can zip up her coat to conceal it.
"People can be a little crazy," she said. "I don't want to be heckled."
Donna now lives in Andersonville and works in the optical industry, but her uncle managed the concessions at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
"I love the Cubs too," said Donna, though her friends and co-workers keeps pressing her to choose a team. "Everyone is giving me a hard time."
Donna and Mary sit at table, chatting up new friends, including one in Cubs gear.
That is part of the charm of this bar, where people come together to bond and root for their team.
O'Grady meets Dan Zoller, who grew up in the same Cleveland suburb as her parents, and she tries to figure out if her family's path has crossed with his.
Zoller, a psychologist for Chicago Public Schools, is at Vaughan's for the first time after hearing about the Cleveland bar from a security guard at the school. Zoller plans to bring his two brothers here this weekend for the World Series games.
"I wish I knew about this during the NBA championship," he said.
Eric Turner had been to Vaughan's about 15 times for Indians regular-season games. The microbiologist is from Kalamazoo, Michigan, but his uncle was an Indians fan.
Turner wears an Indians jersey, though he jokes that he should get one of the former Browns safety who shares his name.
"Everyone tells me I have to get an Eric Turner jersey," he said.
Turner lives four blocks south of Wrigley, and he and his roommate have a gentlemen's agreement regarding the Cubs-Indians World Series.
"We don't talk much about it," he said.
Dealing with Cubs friends and acquaintances is a recurring issue.
Adel is a Cleveland native who now lives in Bucktown. The medical device saleswoman has heard from associates: "We're not friends if the Indians beat the Cubs."
On this night the Cubs defeat the Indians 5-1 to even the series. Highlights were few and far between for the Indians. Arrieta stymied them, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
But the true winner may be Eamonn Vaughan, who has enjoyed such brisk business at his bar during the Indians' postseason run that it rivals a holiday.
"We're calling this St. Patrick's Day season," he said.
Follow Jeff Fedotin on Twitter @JFedotin.
