Play in the City

The unofficial first day of summer

Happy Memorial Day!

I LOVE days off. Today has been ridiculously relaxing, and I haven't had a day like this in a long time. I have off until Friday this week - I'm barely going to know what to do with myself!

I spent a lot of time online this morning. Like most people, I spend a significant amount of time on the internet, but I'm talking ALL MORNING today. I can't help but constantly wonder: what did we do before the internet? I'm in the process of looking for a job, looking for an apartment, and (almost) planning a wedding. (I hesitate to admit this, but most of my time is spent here looking at wedding stuff rather than doing important things like job and apartment hunting...) But I imagine it was a lot harder to do all of those things before the wonderful internet!

Anyway, I've added a new "Upcoming Events" area to this site so readers can know what's going on in Milwaukee and what I'll be up to in the coming weeks. I'm all signed up for the Miller Lite Ride this Sunday, and the Urban Tadpole Race on June 18. The bike ride will just be a nice way to spend a Sunday morning, but as for the Urban Tadpole, my super-competitve boyfriend's spirit is rubbing off on me a little - we want to win!

This week I'm going to get my bike all ready to roll for the summer, and Thursday night I'll be going to Jazz in the Park. It's the first one of the season and I'm excited - I hope the weather is nice that night. It's so cool to bring a bottle of wine and some snacks (mmmm - Brie) and a blanket down to the park and listen to good music on a summer evening. (The main pic of me on this blog is actually from Jazz in the Park last summer.) It's at Cathedral Square Park at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday night - I highly recommend it!

The word is out

As I've begun telling people I know about what I hope to do with my blog, I've gotten a lot of positive responses. I thought the email I got from my Aunt Jill - who lives in Libertyville, IL, a suburb of Chicago - was an especially good testimonial for Milwaukee:

As far as generating interest in Milwaukee as a tourist attraction - rats! I always like to keep it as my little secret. I consider Milwaukee one of the friendliest and most fun, affordable places. I often take my friends up there and they are surprised at how much is going on, and how easy it is to get around the city. Oh, well, I guess I better be willing to share it - especially now that you'll be doing such a good job of promoting it!

DONE!

Well, my big day has come and gone and now I'm officially a college grad. I'm incredibly happy, but I have to say, this side of the milestone doesn't feel much different than the other side - at least not yet. I think it'll hit me when I don't have to return to school in the fall.

Graduation day on Sunday was wonderful. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. At 83 degrees and sunny, it felt like the first official day of summer. We (UWM) graduated at the US Cellular Arena and Marquette graduated right next door at the Bradley Center, so that area of downtown was overflowing with graduates and their families, and there was a real feeling of celebration and excitement in the air. Our ceremony was nice and it went so quickly - two hours flat for 2,100 graduates! I was impressed.

After the ceremony, my family decided to head down to the lakefront for a bit to take some pictures before dinner. We climbed out onto the rocks and goofed around a bit, and took some pics.

We then headed to Harry's for dinner, and it was absolutely delicious. It's one of my favorite places on the East Side for drinks and lunch, but I'd never been there for dinner. The desserts were especially heavenly.

I got a Sony Handycam from my parents and I'm absolutely in love with it. I might become one of those annoying people with a camera always in people's faces! It's such a great thing to have to be able to look back on fun times. I'll definitely be bringing it with me on most of my outdoor excursions this summer! I wonder if there's a way to upload short videos onto my blog?

So that's it, then. Bring on the real world.

It's playtime!

Living in a place that has all the perks and energy of a big city and all the warmth and charm of a small town is about as lucky as a person can get.

When I moved to Milwaukee two years ago, I became one of those lucky people.

And what makes me even luckier is that I didn't have to give up my love for the outdoors when I became a city girl. Milwaukee fuses nature with city life about as perfectly as can be, and starting today, I'm officially on a one-woman mission to show people exactly how.

Welcome to my blog. Here I'm going to spread the word about the kickin outdoor recreation scene in and around Milwaukee, and along with that, I'm hopefully going to inspire people – in Milwaukee and elsewhere – to get out there, be active, try new things and ultimately enjoy their lives a bit more.

Because let's face it, you only live once, right?

Anyway, allow myself to introduce ... myself.

I just finished college two days ago and it feels FABULOUS. I'll graduate from UW-Milwaukee on Sunday with a degree in Journalism and then it's off into the real world. I'll be looking for a full-time job eventually, but really, I'm in no rush. After being in school for almost 18 years, I'm looking forward to spending a little time just for me.

Of course, I do have a job. I waitress at the Lake Park Bistro, Milwaukee's finest restaurant - though some may say I'm a bit biased. The people are always interesting, the view is always spectacular, and best of all, it pays the bills, so I'm not going anywhere just yet.

As for my blog, I already have some awesome activities in the works. I'll be getting scuba-diver certified and I'll be diving in Lake Michigan later in the summer. I'm going to enter road and bike races, and even the Urban Tadpole race - which is sort of like the Amazing Race except in downtown Milwaukee. I'll be golfing and fishing and boating and hiking and exploring the local parks and recreation areas.

I'm expecting a proposal any day now from my wonderful boyfriend, Dave. (how presumptuous am I?) I think to celebrate, we're going to go sky diving! So there's lots of excitement in the works.

Also, you can bet I'll be spending all kinds of time on the lakefront.

Seriously, I see the lake every day and I still marvel at it on a regular basis. It's so beautiful! The lakefront in Chicago is nice, too, but it's mostly cement. Milwaukee's lakefront is all grass and beaches and rocks to climb and sit on.

There's nothing like a beautiful spring day to get people out to the lakefront by the hundreds, jogging and biking and rollerblading and playing catch and flying kites and having picnics. But for every person out there, there are a hundred more inside, too busy to notice or too lazy to care. 

Get out here people!!!

As you've probably already gathered, I'm a pretty active, outgoing, and opinionated person. I think this blog is the perfect project for me to hopefully have a bit of influence on the masses.

My city has many stories just waiting to be told, and I can't wait to start tellin them!

Stop back again soon!