Despite temperatures near freezing and impending rain, I enjoyed the Chicago Cubs home opener. The Cubs won 5–0, with the game ending just as the rain arrived.

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I know secret places to park near the ball park, but I’m not revealing those. The short walk allows me to soak in the atmosphere as the whole neighborhood comes alive.

My first stop was Slugger’s, one of the cornerstones of the area for the last 35 years. Along with an extensive menu, it has video games, indoor batting cages and dueling pianos. Monday they also had Leila Rahimi, Dan Bernstein and Laurence Holmes of Score sports radio broadcasting, live. I enjoyed the sports talk, but I saved my appetite for the ballpark.

Nearing the gates opening, I meandered to Gallagher Way. Not much has changed, although all of the statues were relocated within the gates.

Although spruced up a bit in recent years, the concourse is still probably the least impressive in Major League Baseball. That doesn’t matter once you climb the stairs and see the beautiful field. With Chicago’s skyline as the backdrop, this is the best part of Wrigley Field.

Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, currently battling cancer, was joined by other Cubs legends to toss the first pitch. The Cubs scored three in the sixth inning and cruised to a 5–0 shutout.

I made my way back to my car, getting mildly soaked in the process. The Cubs win made it seem sunny to me.

— John Wroblewski, online writer