Totally Awesome Vacation: Milwuakee (Algonquin for "the good land.")

Note: This is a little late in coming, but I am determined to post all the things I have been writing about. I went to WI Sep 26-28.

So...Milwaukee. I know, right? Why in the world would I choose to go to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By myself. Well, I went mostly because one of my very dearest friends, Sam, got married in August and I went to attend his open house since I could not be there for the actual wedding. Also because, after the previous 3 weeks of vacations, I needed to go on vacation somewhere NOT HOT.

For the past little while, I have been trying hard to eat right, etc. It's a good thing I started some time ago, otherwise my arteries would have shut down completely within hours of getting to WI. Partly because I left DC at the crack of dawn. That alone is enough to kill any person. But, add the cheese, sausage and Oktoberfest and I was in heart attack trouble.

I flew in early on Saturday morning so I could see some of the city before the open house at Sam's parents' home that night. I stayed near Marquette University, not far from downtown, at the Ambassador Hotel. I chose this hotel because they have a cool Art Deco theme. It turned out to be a nice hotel in general and I recommend it.

There was a good little diner near there - Ms. Katie's. It was so Wisconsin-ish, I loved it. Every man in there had a mustache and they all talked very loudly. It was a great place to people watch and their White Denver Omelet was FABULOUS - with three kinds of cheese. After that, I threw my diet out the window. Cheese! I was in the land of CHEESE! How had I not visited here before??

I really liked the architecture in Milwaukee. Actually, I generally liked the whole city. It felt established, yet home-town nouve riche, it's hard to explain. There were also some lovely improvements to the downtown area. They were definitely on the way up (as opposed to Memphis.) Either way, it earned what it got and was happy to be where it was. I know that is a lot to read into an entire city in 48 hours, but there you go. I am nothing if not assumptive.

The city came into it's own in the late 1800s and early 1900s and most of the buildings reflected that with Flemish Renaissance flourishes. No where is that more evident than in the Pabst Mansion. A few steps from the hotel, I toured the home right after Ms. Katie's delicious breakfast.

We were not allowed to take photos of the inside, but I loved it (for a Milwaukee mansion.) Capt. Pabst was a man way ahead of his time. He planned ahead and spent years building his dream home. I really liked the layout and he had planned for some neat hidden storage areas. How much do I love storage? A lot! Our guide was a nice, very plump woman who had a very annoying laugh. She was OBSESSED with the Captain and kept talking about him like they used to be married, he just happened to die before she was born. In fact, she said that she couldn't wait to die just to see him. Uh, weird - that's taking the job a little seriously.

The Ambassador Hotel has a shuttle that will drop you off anywhere in the city, which is fantastic. I asked for a drop-off downtown because I had a very carefully laid out map of things to do that afternoon.

Stop 1) The Bronzie Fonzie - In 2008, the city unveiled a "Bronze Fonz" along the downtown Riverwalk, which is also very nice. "Heyyyyy"

Stop 2) Renaissance Books - Yikes. I read about this place in a NY Times article and wanted to visit, since I love bookstores and the idea of having a picnic lunch along the downtown riverwalk while reading was too good to pass up. Reality soon smacked me in the face. You might remember that I need organization in my bookstores. This place is a BILLION TIMES worse than The Book Thing. There was garbage and junk everywhere. There was a random coffee pot plugged in between stacks. I was there long enough to snap a few shots and then had to run out of there because I was starting to have a panic attack at the lack of organization and the genuine fear that it was going to spontaneously combust. Mark my words, that place will end up burning to the ground very soon. It was terrifying.

Stop 3) Usingers - The famous sausage factory. There is a saying: "People don't want to know how two things are made: Laws and Sausages." I spent most of my career learning about the former up close. If the making of sausages was anywhere near as ugly, I wanted nothing to do with it. I opted for a small sausage as a gift for a friend and hightailed it out of there.

Stop 4) Wisconsin Cheesemart - The name says it all. I spent forever in there. I couldn't decide. I ended up with some squeaky cheese and a caramelized Swedish Cheese as a gift for Hoss.

Stop 5) Mader's - THE German restaurant in Milwaukee. And that's saying a lot since the city is full of Germans. It was Oktoberfest time and they had a polka band and some dancing going on. I didn't want to eat a full meal because I had my squeaky cheese and small sausage for lunch. The lady offered me instead a small serving of their Oktoberfest special - German Nachos. It sounds totally weird, but was actually quiet good - fried thick slices of potatoes, smothered in a sauerkraut infused cheese sauce, and corned beef. I could only have a few bites. But I did discover that after 32 years that I kinda like corned beef.

After getting cleaned up, it was off to Sam's open house! Sadly (because I am kind of dumb sometimes), I did not take any photos of the reception. DOH! It was at Sam's parent's home, which was gorgeous and full of wonderful people. Sam was SOO happy, and I was thrilled for him. Nancy is a great girl. It was really nice to see his family again as well. Pat and Mike are nothing but gracious and generous with their time. I felt like they went out of their way to make me feel welcome even though they had hundreds of people in their home. And Lauren, Sam's sister, is adorable. I totally want her to move to DC. She would do great here. I heart them all, but of course, was most excited to support my dear friend Sam, who has been a great rock to me over the years. LOVE YOU, SAM! (Send me photos if you can!)

Sunday morning, I drove to a little cafe north of downtown called the Comet Cafe. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, so of course it is widely popular and super annoying. It took a while to figure out I had to seat myself and then I had to ask several waitresses for a menu. And I was seated at the bar. You'd think they'd have them out. But no. It then took another hour to get my french toast. HOUR. And it wasn't that good. I hate it when customer service people act like you have ruined their life by simply frequenting their establishments. That's how I felt here. These people were simply too cool to be bothered. Boo on them!

But I was off to happier times. When I was planning things to do during this trip, everyone said "GO TO THE ART MUSEUM!" (Yes, they said it in capital letters.) And I am SO glad I did. The building itself was really breathtaking. Really, a spectacular space.

I also really enjoyed the collection - they had a wide range of items. While I am not a big fan, they also had a nice Warhol exhibit. Photography is my favorite genre, but oils are my favorite medium. There were some great pieces in there. My favorite little surprise was the one with the man and the woman in a white dress in the foreground. I don't even remember who did it. You can see it (and the close up) in the little slideshow below of my favorites. The best overall piece was an interactive piece where you went into this pitch black room with lights on the floor, walls and ceiling. It was very disconcerting at first, but then it became very cool and introspective and then I just felt like I was in a Justin Timberlake video (the only time I will ever think that in my life) and had to get out. I definitely recommend the museum to anyone.

When I was leaving the art museum, it started to rain. And I thought "What I really want to do is climb in bed and watch football." I was, after all, exhausted from my many weeks of vacationing. So I did exactly that. And it was AWESOME. I got a burger from Ms. Katie's (delicious) and ordered the chocolate tort from room service (superb) and watched three football games as it thundered outside and I was snuggley in my comfortable bed. It was a perfect afternoon.

I left the hotel EARLY (6am) the next morning to catch my flight back to DC. However the flight was delayed 6 HOURS and my whole day was shot. I did get a $75 credit on an airline that, despite serving delicious fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on their flights, flies exactly to No Where and No Where West, America. Anyone want to buy it from me? Also, I saw the best sign ever in the Milwaukee airport. (This is for you, Hoss.)

This was above the area directly after the screening area. I use "discombobulated" all the time. The thought never occurred to me that "Recombobulation" was a word. But nothing else so aptly describes what happens after going through the screening area. Also, as a warning to the rest of you, don't try taking a photo of the screening or recombobulation area. The TSA does NOT like it.

And, after all of that, I got to fly into the best view of DC ever. I absolutely love living here. I defy any of you to find a more enchanting view of their city.

Overall, I really enjoyed my short weekend. ESPECIALLY the art museum and of course seeing Sam, his wonderful family and his lovely bride Nancy.

That said, is anyone else tiring of me being on vacation yet? I know my boss is. Too bad for all of you! 3 vacations down, 2 to go! At least I usually bring back my boss back some sort of goodie from my trips. All you guys get is this lame blog.