After an early-morning meeting, I found myself in downtown Chicago with most of the day ahead of me. I decided to meander around a bit.

My first stop was Bally’s Chicago Casino, temporarily located in the Medinah Temple Building. Construction for the permanent location in the River West area will begin in 2024, to be completed in 2026. I am not a huge gambler, but I had to check out Chicago’s first casino. I floated around playing a little of everything and happily walked out about even, which is really a win.

Walking around, I stumbled upon Wake-N-Bakery and was drawn into it by the amazing wall mural, created by my friend Ali Cantarella. Having followed her work in progress on social media, it was cool to see the finished product up close and I never pass an opportunity to share her awesome artwork. I selected a kush-n-kiwi lemonade from their many beverage options. The golden kiwi lemonade with a bit of fresh mint was amazing.

By now it was lunch time, and a fun sign at Taco Maya caught my attention. The taco salad I ordered was delicious, colorful, light and larger than expected. They did not scrimp on the fresh avocados. The flour shell was perfectly sturdy with a great texture. Although I was full, the food was so good, I ordered shrimp tacos to go. I thoroughly enjoyed them for dinner.

I don’t get downtown as much as I would like. When I do, I try to see different places. This trip produced three winners.

— John Wroblewski, online writer