Chicago

1. ~8:30a●Diner breakfast or a pastry

   A classic Chicago breakfast — eggs at a Loop diner, or a pastry and coffee before the architecture cruise; fuel for a walking day.

2. 10:00a✦Architecture river cruise

   The single best thing to do in Chicago — a docent-led boat down the river past the skyscrapers, the city that invented them, told building by building. Book the CAF cruise ahead.

3. ~12:00p◆Millennium Park & the Bean

   Cloud Gate (the mirror-polished 'Bean'), the Pritzker Pavilion's Gehry bandshell, and the Crown Fountain — the city's gathering place on the lakefront.

4. ~1:00p●Deep-dish (or tavern-style)

   The Chicago institution — a knife-and-fork deep-dish at Lou Malnati's or Pequod's caramelized crust; or, as locals often prefer, thin tavern-style cut in squares.

5. ~3:00p◆The Art Institute of Chicago

   One of America's great museums — Hopper's Nighthawks, Seurat's Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Grant Wood's American Gothic, and a world-class Impressionist wing.

6. 8:00p✦Alinea ⭐⭐⭐Anchor table

   Grant Achatz's three-star — the most influential avant-garde restaurant in America, an interactive, theatrical journey (the tableside dessert is legendary). Tickets release by the month; book the instant they drop.

The architecture river cruise is the unmissable Chicago experience — book it ahead. Millennium Park and the Art Institute sit right beside the river, so the whole day links along the lakefront.

1. ~9:30a◆Skydeck or 360 Chicago

   Up Willis Tower's glass-floored Skydeck ledge (or the 360 Chicago tilt) for the dizzying view over the city, the lake, and three states on a clear day.

2. ~11:30a→The Riverwalk & Mag Mile

   Stroll the landscaped Riverwalk beneath the bridges, then the Magnificent Mile's flagship shopping up Michigan Avenue to the historic Water Tower.

3. ~1:00p●An Italian beef or a hot dog

   The city's working-class icons — a dipped Italian beef sandwich (Al's or Mr. Beef), or a Chicago-style dog 'dragged through the garden,' never with ketchup.

4. ~3:00p◇West Loop & Fulton Market

   The former meatpacking district turned the city's hottest quarter — design shops, galleries, and the murals of Fulton Market, lined with destination restaurants for tonight.

5. ~6:30p✦A blues or jazz club

   Chicago is the home of electric blues — a set at Buddy Guy's Legends or Kingston Mines, the city's enduring soundtrack.

The West Loop is Chicago's dining epicentre now — book a table here for the evening. The blues clubs are a living tradition, not a tourist act; go late and stay for a full set.

1. ~9:30a◆The Museum Campus

   The lakefront trio — the Field Museum (Sue, the great T. rex), the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium, with the skyline framed across the water from Adler's point.

2. ~12:30p●Lunch & a lakefront walk

   A bite on the Museum Campus, then the lakefront trail — the beaches, the cyclists, and the wall of skyscrapers along Lake Michigan's edge.

3. ~2:30p◆Hyde Park & the Robie House

   South to Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style masterpiece by the University of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry nearby — the architecture pilgrimage.

4. ~4:30p✦A Wright architecture stop in Oak Park

   Or west to Oak Park — the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings anywhere, including his home and studio.

5. ~7:30p●Neighborhood dinner

   Dinner in Logan Square or Pilsen — the inventive, more affordable side of the city's celebrated food scene, with a craft cocktail.

The Museum Campus is a day's worth on its own — pick one or two and don't try to do all three. Chicago is a Frank Lloyd Wright pilgrimage; the Robie House and Oak Park are the essential stops.