I had about three hours in Chicago to scamper about and see as much as I could at the Art Institute, eat lunch, and meet our group at the Field Museum.
I did so with the help of a handy little tourist map, given to me by a helpful Chicagoan (in general, I found the people of Chicago to be lovely, nice and helpful)...
…and my scribbled plan from before. Since the museum didn't open until mid-morning, I explored, found coffee, went to the art store, and then made my way over to where there was a long line forming down the steps of the museum. It was a festive feeling, even in the gray rainy cold of that early April morning. A museum guard was entertaining a little girl in line in front of me. Her family was visiting from Milwaukee. "My family's from Milwaukee," the guard said. "Great town."