CHICAGO — There's a park full of surprises, Broadway hit shows and the most famous improv comedy theater in the country, a joint that inspired John Belushi's "cheeseborger, cheeseborger, cheeseborger" skit on "Saturday Night Live," a cherished baseball field, a dinosaur named Sue, a world-class art museum, an amusement park, jazz and blues clubs, architecture that gets people to take boat rides for closer looks, and restaurants that win big prizes. To start.

After three days in the Windy City, my friend Mary Lou and I felt like we'd been on a whirlwind, amazing vacation.

Tom Uhlenbrock/St. Louis Post-Dispatch / MCT (ENLARGE)

Boat tours identify the best of Chicago's architecture.

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So why should YOU go? Beyond seeing the views from atop the Sears Tower and taking the kids to the city's No. 1 attraction — Navy Pier, with an amusement park, children's museum, beer garden, shops and restaurants — here's why:

Millennium Park: On Michigan Avenue, the park that opened in July 2004 as an extension of Grant Park is 24.5 acres of cool. I crossed a side street from the Art Institute of Chicago, and looked up to see a boy's face with water sliding over it. His face was five stories high. His eyes blinked. Then his mouth formed an O and out came a neat arc of water.

He's one of 1,000 Chicago residents caught on video a few years ago. Every five minutes another visage appears on an LED screen on two 50-foot-tall opaque glass-brick towers, which face each other across a shallow reflecting pool that's two-thirds of the length of a football field. Kids scamper across the pool, which barely covers their soles, and try to drink the spouting water that flows from spring to fall. Grown-ups take photos and grin at the creativity of Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. The Crown Fountain is impressive and a hoot.

So is what locals call "The Bean" (because it's shaped like a kidney bean), albeit a three-story stainless-steel bean that British artist Anish Kapoor named "Cloud Gate." It reflects the sky; it reflects everything. It's a people magnet. They walk under its 12-foot arch in the middle, touch it, take pictures and beam with a child's delight at discovery.

Nearby is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by Frank Gehry, and described on the park's Web site as a 120-foot-high "billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons." The outdoor theater has 4,000 seats, and another 7,000 audience members can sit on the grass. It's home of the Grant Park Music Festival and free outdoor concerts and shows all summer.

Check www.millenniumpark.org, and download an audio tour for a computer or MP3 player. Free daily tours are at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in summer, from the Millennium Park Welcome Center, 201 E. Randolph St. in the Northwest Exelon Pavilion. Call (312) 742-1168.

Wrigley Field: North of downtown is the nation's oldest National League baseball park, built in 1914 and hallowed ground to Chicago Cubs fans.

Diehard fans plan their trips around Cubs games in the stadium named for William Wrigley Jr., the king of chewing gum.

The White Sox, three-time winners of the World Series, play at U.S. Cellular Field, formerly Comiskey Park.

Architecture boat tour: Crane those necks up. Volunteers lead 90-minute boat tours for the Chicago Architecture Foundation each summer, and while our tour was heavy on names and dates and short on stories, it was a worthwhile way to see Chicago.

Our guide pointed out Gothic towers, neo-classical columns, bas-relief sculptures, mirrored high-rises. We inhaled petroleum aromas.

I was fascinated that The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper building has a Holiday Inn above it. The guide said, "There's a saying in Chicago: that if you stand still long enough, they'll build a building over you."

Reservations are essential, and tickets are $28-$30. Book online at Chicago Architecture Foundation or call Ticketmaster at (312) 9020-1500.

Theater and nightclubs: We saw "Wicked" — the musical hit about the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz" — at the Oriental Theater at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, 24 W. Randolph St. "Jersey Boys" — another long-running Broadway show — is at the LaSalle Bank Theater (formerly The Schubert) at 18 W. Monroe St.

We laughed until we hurt at Second City, where comedians such as Stephen Colbert, Mike Myers, George Wendt (Norm in "Cheers") and the late John Belushi and John Candy got their start. This show, at Second City's auxiliary Chicago E.T.C. theater, was "Campaign Supernova! Or How Many Democrats Does It Take to Lose an Election?" Be careful if you're seated up front — you may be in the show.

Andy's Jazz Club and Restaurant, 11 E. Hubbard St. (312-642-6805), is a haven for jazz fans. A popular venue for national touring acts, the Jazz Showcase (312-360-0234), reopened last month — after a hiatus of a couple of years — at 809 S. Plymouth Court, in the Dearborn Station building.

To find out what's going on when you're in Chicago, ask your hotel for a Where magazine. Also check the The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, the weekly Chicago Reader and the City of Chicago Tourism Office site.

Museums: Where to begin? There are scads of museums, but not enough time. Try two.

The Art Institute of Chicago (312-443-3600) on Michigan Avenue is known for blockbuster exhibits. But construction of the new Modern Wing — bigger and better — means 92 of the museum's major Impressionist paintings will be at the Kimbell Museum of Art from June 29 to Nov. 2. There's still plenty to see, though, including Grant Wood's iconic "American Gothic."

A hefty trek — or a short cab ride — away is the Field Museum (312-922-9410), at 1400 S. Lakeshore Drive, where the first thing you see is Sue. She's 42 feet long and 13 feet tall and is the "largest, most complete, and best preserved" Tyrannosaurus rex fossil unearthed so far. Upstairs there's an intriguing time line depicting the evolution of our planet.

Eating: Hot dogs (the Gold Coast chain), pizzas (Pizano's and Giordano's) and Garrett's popcorn are musts.

As is a visit to the original Billy Goat Tavern (312-222-1525), inspiration for John Belushi's "cheeseborger" skits on "Saturday Night Live." Under the El tracks at 430 N. Michigan Ave., a sign warns: "Enter at your own Risk." A cook flipped burgers — all with cheese — while another took orders.

"You want chips?"

"No."

"Why not?!"

We walked on to "Top Chef" judge Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill, 445 N. Clark (312-661-1434). Conversation was lively and loud in the brightly painted Mexican restaurant, where there was a 45-minute wait for lunch.

"What about in there?" I asked, pointing through a door to Bayless' more upscale Topolobampo, where decor and lighting were subdued. We were immediately seated. (It takes months to book a dinner reservation.) We feasted on a pork dish we wrapped in tortillas ($15.50 at lunch, $35 at dinner) and a chicken salad with a pressed cheese wafer the size of a plate.

Down the street at 500 N. Clark is Naha (312-321-6242, www.naha-chicago.com), where co-owner and Chef Carrie Nahabedian won the Best Chef Great Lakes title in this year's James Beard awards, the Oscars of food.

Then there's Alinea (312-867-0110), 1723 N. Halsted. Chef Grant Achatz won the Outstanding Chef title at James Beard this year for his minimalist menus of something called molecular gastronomy. The 13-course tasting menu costs $145.

The Italian Village (312-332-7005), 71 W. Monroe, is much more affordable. There's a different Italian restaurant on each of three floors. We ate in The Village — strings of overhead lights, terra-cotta walls, like a village — among prom-goers in full dress.

After more than 107 years of serving German fare downtown, the old Berghoff's closed, but a new Berghoff Cafe (312-427-3170) opened at the same location, 17 W. Adams St. It looks the same and serves really good Wiener schnitzel. Besides, when was the last time you heard Johnny Mathis sing "Wonderful Wonderful" while you ate?

And everyone should do breakfast at Lou Mitchell's, 565 W. Jackson (312-939-3111), a block from the Union Passenger Terminal. Women and children get free Milk-Duds and everyone gets a free dollop of ice cream after their pancakes or bacon and eggs.

IF YOU GO

Where to stay: Downtown in the Loop, so named because of public transportation tracks that form a loop around the area.

Hampton Inn Majestic Chicago Theatre District, 22 West Monroe St., (312) 332-5052. Boutique hotel in the same building as "Jersey Boys"; free breakfast. My room was $161 (plus 14.5 percent taxes), much less than other hotels in the area; other dates may be lower or higher. Easy walk to Millennium Park, Art Institute, theater.

The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel, 636 S. Michigan Ave., (312) 447-0955, (800) 468-3571. Between the Art Institute and Field Museum, the 1910 classic (12 U.S. presidents stayed here) was closed for years, and just reopened after a $112 million renovation. $229 to $369 weekend with breakfast.

Tickets for Oprah and Jerry Springer: Phone lines open again in early August for the "Oprah" show; (312) 591-9222 or (312) 633-1000 (weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The "Jerry Springer" show, (312) 321-5365.

More information, discount coupons and tours (live and audio):

Official Chicago tourist information (877) 244-2246. Download a free Chicago Blues Audio Tour.

Visit the tourist office in the Chicago Cultural Center (Tiffany domes, free concerts), 77 E. Randolph (at Michigan Avenue). Buy transit tickets there and sign up there for free InstaGreeter tours of downtown on weekends; book free Chicago Greeter tours up to six days in advance at (312) 744-8000.

The Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center is at 163 E. Pearson Ave.