How to spend 12 hours in Chicago

Start your day in West Town at one of the best restaurants in Chicago. The first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin Star, Kasama serves a 13-course tasting menu for dinner that books up more than a month in advance, but their counter-service breakfast is first come, first served. Order your food to go or be prepared to wait in line for a longanisa sausage breakfast sandwich, an ube latte and a wide selection of pastries like blueberry tarts with chamomile cream and coconut black sesame macarons.

It’s easy to spend all day or even a weekend exploring the myriad of exhibits at this natural history museum, which launched in the aftermath of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and now boasts a  collection of 40 million artifacts and specimens. Marvel at Maximo the Titanosaur, the largest dinosaur ever found, and then visit the Field’s most famous resident, SUE the T. Rex, the biggest and most intact fossil of its kind. After you’ve had your fill of science, step outside and visit Kim and Carlo’s Hot Dog Cart for a traditional Chicago-style dog.

Chicago’s motto is “city in a garden,” and urban planners prioritized green spaces after it was rebuilt following the Great Chicago Fire. Millennium Park is a modern embodiment of that vision, a gathering place that hosts concerts, festivals, film screenings, ice skating, art tours and more. See the city skyline and your own face reflected in Cloud Gate—the giant sculpture nicknamed “The Bean”—and the faces of Chicago citizens on 50-foot towers flanking Crown Fountain.

Get a spectacular view of the city from 1,000 feet up in the building formerly known at the John Hancock Center. The recently renovated 94th floor observatory allows you to look out at Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, the Loop’s skyscrapers and beyond, with the windows providing labels to explain what neighborhoods are in view. Grab a local beer at the brand new Cloud Bar to brace yourself for Tilt, a ride that creates the sensation of tipping over the edge of the building. You can also try some of the city’s most popular snacks like Garrett Popcorn.

Alinea is Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurant, but chef Grant Achatz’s multi-hour tasting menu experience won’t work on a tight schedule. Instead you can check out sibling spot The Aviary, which applies the same focus on surprising diners with whimsical and meticulously crafted dishes to its complex cocktails. Order a la carte drinks and bites or book a sampling of dishes paired with some of their greatest hits, which can incorporate fire, smoke and elaborate glassware.

The Second City has served as a training ground for some of the best comedians and comedy writers in the world for more than 60 years, with famous alumni including Stephen Colbert, Bob Odenkirk and Keegan Michael Key. While the improv and sketch comedy group has satellite theaters and touring shows, you shouldn’t miss the chance to check out the original. The performances are often interactive, with actors seeking prompts from the audience or even bringing them on stage, and they’re filled with audacious musical numbers mocking everything from politics to pop culture to the pitfalls of dating.

The Great Migration brought the blues to Chicago and the music developed its own style in the city, where it has been nurtured by clubs, festivals and local record labels. Open since 1968, Kingston Mines is the largest and oldest continuously operating blues club in Chicago. It boasts two stages, so you can be sure to find an act that matches your vibe. The club is open until 4am Thursday and Friday and 5am Saturday, so there’s time to catch a show no matter what else you have on your itinerary.