Secret pleasures of Chicago.

The American Libraries staff welcomes all conference out-of-towners to our treasured turf, hoping they'll find time to enjoy some of our favorite city hideways and escapes. The following is an agonizingly selective list; look for us at the conference press areas, and we'll share some more. Beverly Goldberg

* The riverwalk paralleling Lower Wacker Drive between Michigan Avenue and Wabash Avenue. Boat-watch from your cozy bench alongside the Chicago River while both the Sun-Times Building and the Tribune Towers look on. Nourishment for the body available, too, from a nearby cornucopia of cheap eats (see Restaurant Guide).

* D. B Kaplan's Delicatessen, Water Tower Place. 1977 winner of the National Restaurant Association's Great Menu Award, the food isn't bad either. 157 sandwiches to agonize over (e.g., the Studs Turkey, A Legitimate Beef) while bombarded by murals of blatantly fattening suggestions. Come hungry before noon or after 1:30 p.m.

* 4th floor of Neiman-Marcus (737 N. Michigan Avenue) where the Exhibition Hall and Gift Galleries house a magnificent international potpourri of collectibles …