Chicago by the L: Architecture, Deep Dish, and the Neighborhoods Beyond the Loop

Arrive by 9am before the crowds build around Cloud Gate (the Bean). Walk through the park to see the Pritzker Pavilion, Crown Fountain, and the BP Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge offers one of the best skyline views in the city.

Enter via the Modern Wing on the north side (connected to Millennium Park by the Nichols Bridgeway) to skip the longer main entrance line. The Impressionist galleries on the second floor hold the largest collection outside Paris. Do not miss the Thorne Miniature Rooms on the lower level, 68 tiny rooms recreating interiors from the 13th century to 1940s.

Revival Food Hall on Clark Street has a dozen local restaurant stalls under one roof. The Italian beef at Borgata is solid, and Danke has excellent German sausages. Avoid the tourist-trap restaurants directly on Michigan Avenue.

The Riverwalk stretches 1.25 miles along the south bank of the Chicago River from Lake Shore Drive to Lake Street. Stop at City Winery for a glass on the water. The architecture views from river level are different from and arguably better than the street-level views above.

For deep dish, go to Lou Malnati's on State Street and order the Malnati Chicago Classic with the buttercrust. Order it first thing when you sit down because deep dish takes 35-45 minutes to bake. While you wait, have a salad. For something beyond deep dish, Randolph Street in the West Loop has Girl & the Goat, Avec, and a half-dozen other restaurants that put Chicago on the national food map.

Book the Chicago Architecture Center cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady, widely considered the best architecture tour in any American city. Docents from the Chicago Architecture Center narrate the 90-minute trip along the main branch and south branch of the river. Book at least a week ahead for summer dates. Morning departures tend to have fewer crowds.

Michigan Avenue between the river and Oak Street is the Magnificent Mile. The shopping is standard high-end retail, but the architecture is what matters: the Wrigley Building (1924), Tribune Tower (1925), and the Water Tower (one of the few structures to survive the 1871 Great Fire). Walk the east side heading north for the best views.

The River North location on Ontario Street is the most convenient for tourists. Order an Italian beef, dipped, with hot giardiniera. This is Chicago's signature sandwich, not deep dish. A combo meal with fries and a drink runs about $14. The chocolate cake shake is excessive and worth it.

360 CHICAGO (formerly the John Hancock Observatory) on the 94th floor has the TILT experience and arguably better views because you can see both the skyline and the lake. The Skydeck at Willis Tower has the glass Ledge extending over the street. Pick one, not both. Sunset timing is ideal at either.

Cindy's Rooftop at the Chicago Athletic Association hotel overlooks Millennium Park and the lake. London House has a terrace cantilevered over the Chicago River. Both require patience for seating on summer evenings but the views are among the best in the city.

Sue the T. rex, the largest and most complete specimen ever found, is the star. The Evolving Planet exhibit traces 4 billion years of life on Earth. Basic admission does not include special exhibitions. Arrive at opening (9am) to beat school groups.

Take the #18 bus south from Museum Campus or walk 20 minutes. The transition from the lakefront museums to Pilsen's muraled streets is one of the best neighborhood shifts in the city.

The National Museum of Mexican Art is one of the best free museums in the country, with 10,000+ works spanning 3,000 years of Mexican and Latino art. Outside, 16th Street and the surrounding blocks are covered in large-scale murals. Walk Halsted, 18th Street, and the alleys for the best ones.

Carnitas Don Pedro for carnitas by the pound. Taqueria Los Comales for al pastor tacos. La Vaca Margarita for birria. These are not trendy taco shops. They are family-run spots that have been here for decades. Order in Spanish if you can, English if you cannot. Nobody cares either way.

Chicago invented electric blues and has a deep jazz tradition. Buddy Guy's Legends in the South Loop is the most famous blues club in the city. For a more local experience, check the schedule at the Green Mill in Uptown (a former Prohibition speakeasy), or Rosa's Lounge on the Northwest Side. Sets usually start around 9pm.

Take the Blue Line to the Damen stop. Sultans Market for a cheap, excellent falafel plate. Big Star for breakfast tacos on the patio (weekend brunch only, go early). The six-corner intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North is the heart of the neighborhood.

Walk north on Damen from the Blue Line stop. Wicker Park has the independent shops and record stores. Bucktown, just north, is quieter with tree-lined streets and more residential character. Reckless Records on Milwaukee Avenue is one of the best used record stores in the Midwest. Myopic Books is three floors of used books that smell exactly the way a bookstore should.

Randolph Street and Fulton Market are Chicago's restaurant row. Girl & the Goat, Avec, Roister, and Duck Duck Goat are all within a few blocks. For something faster, Time Out Market Chicago has stalls from several acclaimed local restaurants under one roof. This neighborhood has changed from meatpacking warehouses to the dining capital of the Midwest in about 15 years.

Take the Brown or Purple Line to Armitage. Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the last free zoos in the country and sits inside the park between the neighborhood and the lakefront. The park itself has the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, walking paths, and a lagoon. Walk east to the lakefront for views back toward the skyline.

Pat's Pizza on Lincoln Avenue is the quintessential tavern-style experience: thin cracker crust, cut into squares, served on a metal stand. This is what Chicagoans actually order when they want pizza. No tourist lines, no 45-minute wait for dough to bake. Pair it with an Old Style beer for the full local experience.