1. The smell of baseball in the air on Clark Street, even when the Cubs aren't playing (or is that just beer?).

2. Playing the curve on the shuffleboard table at Toon's, one of the few shuffleboard tables in town (for the record, the rather warped table curves south — start your shot on the north end of the table).

3. Popping the cork on a bottle of wine in the summertime while waiting for a table at Tango Sur — a popular BYOB Brazilian steakhouse on Southport that doesn't take reservations.