What's a good 3-day itinerary for Chicago?

Day 1 stays below the Chicago River. Start at Millennium Park by 8:30 AM, when the wind off Lake Michigan still has a bite and Cloud Gate reflects the skyline without 200 selfie sticks in the frame. The Bean, as locals call it, went up in 2004 on a 24.5-acre park that took 6 years to finish. Walk south 3 blocks to the Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, and head straight to the Impressionist galleries on the second floor. The Seurat alone is worth the $35 adult ticket. Budget 2 hours. Lunch at Cafecito on Congress Parkway, a Cuban sandwich counter where a pressed cubano runs $11 and the coffee hits harder than you'd expect from a Loop takeout window. Continue south along the lakefront trail to the Field Museum, founded in 1893. The Evolving Earth exhibit on the second floor tends to be quieter than Sue the T. rex in the main hall. Dinner means deep-dish at Lou Malnati's on Wells Street, where a butter-crust sausage pie for two runs about $28. By 8 PM you'll have covered about 9 kilometres on foot.

Day 2 heads to the North Side. Take the Brown Line from the Loop to Armitage, about a 15-minute ride, and start in Lincoln Park by 9:30 AM. The zoo is free, has been since 1868, and the big-cat house smells exactly the way you'd expect, but the paths along the South Pond are worth the detour. Head east to North Avenue Beach by noon. The sand gets warm enough in mid-June to sit on comfortably, and the lifeguard stands are shaped like steamships. Lunch at Twin Anchors on Sedgwick Street in Old Town. They've been slow-smoking ribs since 1932, and the baby backs arrive with a bark that cracks when you pull them apart. A full rack runs about $36. Sinatra used to eat here. Walk it off heading north through Lakeview to Wrigleyville. Even without a Cubs game, the bars around Wrigley Field fill up by 4 PM. Grab a seat at Murphy's Bleachers on Sheffield Avenue for a $7 Old Style and the best people-watching on the North Side.

Day 3 covers the West Side and the far South Side. Start in Pilsen by 10 AM. The Pink Line drops you at 18th Street, and the murals begin within a block. 16th Street between Halsted and Ashland is the densest stretch. Breakfast at Carnitas Don Pedro on West 18th, where a half-pound of carnitas with two handmade tortillas, raw onion, and salsa verde costs $9. The pork is braised for 8 hours and falls apart under a fork. From Pilsen, take the L north to the West Loop, where Randolph Street between Halsted and Racine holds more restaurants per block than any other corridor in the city. Girl & The Goat at 809 W Randolph still draws a crowd 16 years in. Walk 2 blocks south to Fulton Market, where the old meatpacking warehouses smell faintly of cold concrete and now hold galleries and design studios. If energy holds, take the 6 bus south to Hyde Park for the Museum of Science and Industry, founded in 1933. The U-505 submarine capture exhibit on the lower level is the best single room in any Chicago museum.

A 3-day CTA pass costs $20 and covers every L train and bus route. Buy one at any station kiosk at O'Hare or Midway. The Blue Line runs from O'Hare to the Loop in about 45 minutes for $5. Mid-June temperatures sit around 22 to 27 degrees Celsius, but the lake wind drops the feel by 3 or 4 degrees. Bring a layer for the lakefront. Chicago's grid runs on one rule. State Street divides east from west, Madison Street divides north from south, and 8 blocks equal one mile.