Play in the City

Baseball season's almost here ...

For my husband, next week is like Christmas, his birthday, and summer vacation all rolled into one. Oh yes, it’s the start of baseball season.

Monday is the big Opening Day at Miller Park, and on Sunday, fans are invited to the annual Brewers On Deck event, which starts at 11 a.m. and is totally free, including parking. For more information about the event, go here, and to see my recap of last year’s On Deck, go here.

Yes, it isn’t the most thrilling outing for me (and that became quite an issue on here last year!) which is why I’m going to try to convince Dave to write a guest blog for me after Sunday. We’ll see how that goes over.

The Milwaukee Public Museum

In the years that I've lived in Milwaukee, I've been of the belief that I'd never before had the pleasure of visiting the Milwaukee Public Museum. However, once I set foot inside it yesterday, I realized I'd been wrong as the memories came flooding back to me.

The T-rex taking a bite out of the triceratops. The old lady in her rocking chair on the streets of Old Milwaukee. The Indians, the animals, the hundreds and hundreds of bugs. I knew I'd seen it all before.

I'm sure I was there on a field trip back in elementary school; maybe even more than once. That was before I paid attention to the names of places, before I called any of the shots. If mom signed a permission slip and a bus showed up to take me away from school, I was there. The rest was just details.

Hmmm ... and my brother just called and he told me that mom and dad took us when we were young, too. Why don't I remember this? And yes, that wall of skulls that Dad poked his head through was indeed the one at the Public Museum.

Experiencing the museum as an adult was a completely different experience, though, so really, yesterday was still a first.

Ellen Burmeister, Marketing Director at the museum, invited Dave and me for a personal tour, and I'm so glad she did, since it was just the kick in the pants I needed to finally pay the museum a visit.

We met her there at 11 a.m. yesterday (ok, 11:15 – we were a little late) and after introductions were made, she led us up to the third level to start our tour. She said she suggests that people start up there and work their way down since there's so much to see, and many people are tired out by the time they make it to that level!

I've been struggling with how to approach this entry, since describing the things we saw could literally fill a book. So I’m going to refrain from too much detail and instead say this: you simply must go there yourself, and soon. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't yet been there as an adult, and if it weren't for this blog, who knows how long it would have taken me to get there.

Now that I'm old enough to appreciate what's inside that huge building that I drive past all the time, I'm simply in awe. A visitor can literally take a trip around the world when he or she walks into that building, and I just had no idea what I'd been missing this whole time. I get to do a lot for this blog, but this is most definitely one of the most rewarding, worthwhile excursions I've made.

Milwaukee boasts an internationally-acclaimed museum that is unrivaled by most others around the country, and the wealth of information and history inside is nearly endless.

We spent two and half hours walking the three levels of exhibits, and we just breezed past most of them. We didn't spend hardly any time reading the signs and information that accompanied the exhibits; we simply had too much ground to cover.

With most places that offer memberships, I just can't really see the appeal. If you've been somewhere once or twice, that's probably good enough, but I can certainly see it taking a year's worth of visits to really see and appreciate it all at the Public Museum.

Most of us who live in or near Milwaukee are aware of the Museum's financial problems as of late, and of course I had to ask Ellen about them. To an outsider like me who doesn't give it much thought outside of what I read in the papers, it simply appears that the Museum doesn't appeal to enough visitors and hence is going under. But it's not that simple.

On the up side, the Museum won't ever shut down – it's been open to the public since 1884, making it one of the country's oldest museums, and the building belongs to the county. It attracts plenty of visitors, especially on weekends; yesterday the building was filled with groups and families and couples, and definitely didn't show any signs of trouble. It's just that the Museum borrowed a lot of money over the years to bring in big exhibits and make improvements, and the money coming in could never quite catch up to all that borrowing.

Ellen said that people often comment, "well, I wish there was something I could do to help, but I just don't have the money to be able to make a large donation." She said that the people of Milwaukee need to understand that they can help by simply buying a ticket, making a visit or a few visits to the Museum each year – that that's the support they need.

I spent the time yesterday speaking with Ellen as we walked and walked, while Dave took the pictures.

One of the first things she explained to me was about the floors of the museum: many of the floors are made of concrete and aren't perfectly flat; it feels like you're walking outside. She said this is because most flat museum floors are hard on people's feet, thus making it more difficult for them to walk around for long periods of time. I'm a fan of hiking and of being outside, and for me, that little fact added an extra layer to the experience of walking through the museum.

We saw a ton of incredibly lifelike animals, many of which weren't behind glass but instead positioned in a diorama, which is a three-dimensional replica of the animals' natural habitat. Ellen told us that the Milwaukee Public Museum was one of the first museums to display animals and scenes in such a way, and museums around the world have followed suit.

Before it was illegal to do so, many of the animals were killed in the early to mid 1900s for the sole purpose of being put on display at the museum.

In more recent days, animals have been brought to the museum from the local zoo after they've died. The museum's lion was actually brought back from Africa in the early 1900s from an expedition by the museum. The baby lion was an orphan so the scientists brought it back to Wisconsin and raised it as their pet in the museum, which at the time was housed where the Milwaukee Public Library is today. (The museum moved to its current building in the 1960s.)

The lion had a pen on top of the library so it could get fresh air, and its favorite toy was a bowling ball. When it was about 18 months old, the museum staff took him to the vet and the vet suggested that the lion be moved to the local zoo, which is where he lived the remainder of his life, and then he returned to the museum for good after his death.

Walking through the museum, you're never quite sure what to expect when you turn another corner. Unlike, say, an art museum where room after room is going to look pretty much the same, here you're not sure what scene or mannequin or artifact is going to greet you. Every walkway is different, every exhibit features its own incredible details. It's really an overload on the senses.

I couldn't help but imagine how creepy it'd be to walk through the museum alone sometime, with its dark walkways and old, old masks and relics, and its scores of animals and people that could seemingly come to life.

Then Ellen told us that Museum does allegedly have its own ghost.

Stephen Borhegyi became director of the museum in 1959 and oversaw the museum's move into its new building. He was killed in a car crash just blocks from the museum in 1969 and died at the age of 47. Ellen has never seen him herself, but she says that a handful of security guards have reported seeing a man with a mustache roaming through the museum.

Very intriguing … but I’m glad I didn't run into him.

Last week, when I told a few folks I would be visiting the museum this weekend, each and every one said I had to be sure to find the rattlesnake button. What?

Yes, there's no sign to announce it, and I couldn’t even tell you which exhibit it was at, but there's a rattlesnake in one of the prairie scenes whose tail rattles if you find the button that controls it. Ellen showed me the way and I was instantly in the loop.

On the second floor we saw two special exhibits, one featuring Samson the gorilla who died at Milwaukee's zoo in 1981, and one called Chicano Now: American Expressions, which was a loud, colorful, totally cool exhibit that documented what it is to be of that culture in America today. That exhibit alone could have taken up hours! (it's here through the end of the summer, so perhaps I'll be able to spend some more time checking it out.)

We spent some time in a special exhibit called Temples, Tells & Tombs and the room was extraordinary. The columns were painted to replicate exactly what columns looked like in Egypt, and we saw a real live mummy who dated back to 600 B.C.

When we got to the first floor and came upon the glass displays of bugs, I couldn't stomach too much. I can barely handle Wisconsin bugs when I come upon them – but these exotic, enormous beetles and spiders? No way, man.

However, we learned yet another fascinating fact: everything we saw in the exhibits on the three floors of the museum only accounts for a mere 20% of all the items that the Museum has in its possession. The Museum building takes up another three levels, not including the basement, and those extra levels house the other 80%; in total, the Museum boasts a collection of more than five MILLION pieces.

One of the last things we did was visit the butterfly garden. It had been a temporary exhibit years ago but was so popular that the Museum made it permanent. It was hot and humid inside, with all sorts of plant life growing around us. Hundreds of species of butterflies of all different colors and sizes floated above our heads. A butterfly nursery was situated in one corner of the room; since butterflies don't live overly long, the Museum needs to be constantly harvesting them for the exhibit. The people around us seemed to be enjoying it, but this was probably my least favorite part.

The butterflies were pretty and all, but I don't like anything flying around me or touching me, pretty or not. And the bug petting zoo in the next room? Forget about it.

See now, I vowed to not go into detail and yet I've been rambling for paragraph after paragraph. I didn't mention dozens of the exhibits we saw – dinosaurs and guns and Indians and rocks and birds and an igloo and the ocean and the Streets of Old Milwaukee, which Dave said he'd love to go back and spend more time in during our next visit.

The time we spent there was just completely overwhelming and awe-inspiring. Once again, we Milwaukeans are so very lucky to have something like this in our midst, and many of us just have no idea. The Museum is amazing, plain and simple, and I honestly can't wait to go back.

I'd love to hear your opinion … what's your view of the Milwaukee Public Museum? Have you been there recently? How does it measure up to other museums in the city (MAM, Discovery World) and how does it measure up to other cities' public museums?

And if you haven't ever been there, why not?

Just in time for spring ... Transition Grand Opening

Spring is finally here, and after five long months of winter drudgery, I’ve made my yearly vow to relish every last millisecond of the warm weather that’s to come.

As always, I have big plans to spend my free time these next months outdoors, walking and running, hiking and biking, enjoying the sunshine and getting back into great shape, preferably without even having to give that part much thought.

I certainly don’t need any more incentive than a 65-degree day to get me outside – but the getting into great shape part might take a bit more effort.

I’m very excited about an opportunity that’s been presented to me, and I’m thinking it’ll be just the kick in the pants I need to get serious, melt away this winter pudge (Dave last night: why are you sticking your belly out like that? Me: Um, I’m not.) and improve my ability to run and bike like a champ.

Transition is Metro-Milwaukee’s first all-in-one personal training studio, performance center and bike store, and its grand opening is this weekend. Located in Pewaukee, the 6,000 square foot center is the place to go for personal and group training, advanced fitness testing, and full-service bicycle needs.

The best part is that it’s not just a place for hardcore athletes – it’s for people like you and me, too. It offers customers the services and equipment that were once reserved solely for elite athletes.

I’m going to check out Transition in the coming weeks to get my fitness levels tested (gulp) and to get my bike tuned up just in time for summer. Of course I’ll report all about it when I’m done.

The public is invited to come celebrate the opening this weekend: See the facility, meet the staff, enjoy free food and beverages, and compete in indoor bike time trials, a stability ball contest, or a pull-ups contest. There will be $2,500 worth of prizes given away between Friday and Saturday. Festivities start Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 7 a.m.

Transition is located at 203 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Pewaukee.

I’m not sure that I’ll be able to make it this weekend, but if any of you attend the event, please let me know how it was!

Alverno Presents: Jodi Picoult

What a sweet feeling it is when you build something up in your mind, get your hopes up, and then that something turns out to be just as satisfying and exciting as you'd anticipated.

I purchased the tickets to see Jodi Picoult at Alverno College back in the beginning of January, so I had weeks and weeks to anticipate meeting her, read a couple more of her books and look forward to her newest. And I had weeks and weeks to chat with my online BFF, Krista, via email and Facebook, getting to know her better and sharing my excitement about our big face-to-face introduction.

When I first bought the tickets, March 15 sounded so far away; however, Thursday came fast, and suddenly I was nervous.

Krista was fabulous on paper – or online, as it goes. She's hilarious and smart and we have a lot in common – but would she be cool in person? What if we were ruining a beautiful friendship by meeting in person and, possibly, being disappointed?

She arrived at my house around 5:45 on Thursday evening, having gotten out of work in Oshkosh early to make the drive. When I saw her pull up, I ran down the stairs and opened my front door, and I gave her a big old hug on the porch before inviting her up. No worrying was necessary - I could tell right away that we'd like each other in person, too.

She met Dave, changed out of her work clothes and got a brief tour of the place, and after posing for a couple pictures to document our big date, we were out the door.

The plan had been to get some dinner and drinks, but the reading started at 7 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. as we'd originally thought, so there wasn't time. We hit up our local Noodles for a quick bite and then were on our way to the Pittman Theater at Alverno College.

Women of all ages, from high school age to elderly, packed the theater. Krista and I presented our tickets at the door and were each given a hardcover copy of Nineteen Minutes as we entered the auditorium. I smelled its new book smell and clutched it to my chest as we walked down one of the side aisles, determined to find the best two seats we could.

We ended up about 2/3 of the way back and had about 10 minutes to spare before Jodi was to take the stage. The crowd of 500 ladies – with the occasional man sprinkled in – was buzzing and eager, and everyone hushed when a presenter approached the podium to explain the post-show book signing process.

When she was finished, another woman appeared from behind the curtain and Ms. Picoult followed closely behind. There she was, curly brown hair, in a long skirt and boots, looking happy and calm, and totally normal. 

But to two book nerds and would-be novelists (if only we knew where to begin) like us, she was anything but normal.

She is what so many strive to be but what so few actually become: a successful, talented, widely-acclaimed author whose novels are both respected and admired by critics and the literary world and also loved and devoured by the general public.

Right off the bat, she announced that Nineteen Minutes would be her first novel to debut at number one on the New York Times Bestseller List, which was of course met with huge applause.

Jodi was just as fun to listen to as her books are to read. She was friendly and outgoing, and animated as she read small excerpts from her book. She read just enough so that we were all enthralled by the story of a school shooting and its aftermath, and anxious to get home and dive into the rest of the book.

For nearly an hour after she read aloud, she answered questions from the audience, and there was never a shortage of arms raised high into the air. She spoke about her education (Princeton and Harvard, wow) and first jobs (copy editing, Wall Street), her husband and three kids, her writing routine, and her favorite authors. She also answered many questions about her different novels, about certain scenes and endings, her research methods, and about the emotions she goes through since she writes about such controversial and stirring subject matter.

There were still a dozen hands raised when it was time to wrap up, but if she hadn't stopped, we'd have probably been there all night. Jodi retreated to the lobby area and guests were let out according to the letters we had stuck in our book. We were letter E so we had about a half-hour wait until we could get up.

When it was finally our turn, we hopped into the quickly-moving line. A young guy asked our names so Jodi wouldn't have to and he wrote them on a Post-It. When we approached the table, a woman took our books and laid them on the table in a stack, while Jodi plowed on through, writing each person's name and "Enjoy!" along with her signature in the front of each book.

It all happened really fast, but we got a few pics and we each managed a hello and thank you, which was good enough for us! I mean, I suppose we were secretly hoping that she'd stop what she was doing, invite us to meet her for a drink afterward and proceed to tell us how to be just like her, but alas, that did not happen.

We made the drive back to my house and then Krista had to hit the road. We hugged good-bye and made tentative plans to get together again (and again) – for sushi, for running, for game night with our guys.

I loved Krista and I loved Jodi and the night was simply fantastic. A new friend and a new book all in one night, what could be better!

Schwartz Books and Alverno bring in some big name authors on a fairly regular basis, so be sure to watch their websites for info. In May, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk will be here, which Dave was pretty psyched to find out.

Jodi cranks out a book every year, so she'll likely be back next spring. Krista and I will definitely be in attendance, and maybe this time Ms. Picoult will ask us for drinks.

Hey, we book nerds can dream!

Model Shots

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned how we were going up to Elkhart Lake to pose for some pictures with our wedding photographers. It ended up being quite a long day that day: I was in the makeup chair at 10:30 a.m. and we were taking photos until 9:30 that night, plus then we drove the hour home to beat the impending snow storm.

Now, I'm no model, but some of these pictures turned out pretty darn cool. Proof of what good photographers can do! I'm not quite sure if I'm supposed to be sharing them or not … I guess if I have to take them down, I'll take them down, but until then, you can click to see a few of my favorites. 

Wedding 1 Wedding 2 Wedding 3 Wedding 4 Wedding 5 Wedding 6

Fashion 1 Fashion 2 Fashion 3 Fashion 4 Fashion 5 Fashion 6 Fashion 7

I knew them when ...

My hometown of Burlington, Wisconsin – or B-town to those of us who grew up there – is really turning out the talent these days.

Tony Romo, 1998 graduate of BHS, led the Dallas Cowboys to the playoffs this past season and officially put Burlington on the map.

Now we might just have a future Grammy winner in our midst, and you, my friends, can say you heard of him here first.

Jon Hainstock was three years behind me in high school, and while I didn’t know him too well, I, like most everyone in our school, knew of him and of his amazing musical talents. Year after year, Jon with his guitar and his voice was the highlight of BHS's annual Variety Show - and he's come a long way since.

Jon currently lives and goes to school in Indiana but will be moving back to Wisconsin in the near future, and plans for playing some shows in Milwaukee are in the works. He recently released his second album and he’s working hard to spread the word.

As a proud fellow B-towner, I was all too happy to help him out!

Check out his website here and listen to his music on his MySpace page.

The Greater Milwaukee Auto Show

Every year around this time, I'm suddenly unable to leave my house without getting irritable and thinking, how can it not be spring yet?!

The cold and cabin fever is really starting to get to me, and one look at the crowd at the Milwaukee Auto Show yesterday told me that I'm not alone. Thank goodness for a reason to get out of the house and start thinking about dry roads and open windows!

Yesterday afternoon after some fantastic burgers at the North Star American Bistro in Shorewood and before an evening showing of Zodiac out in New Berlin, Dave and I spent some time at the impressive Midwest Airlines Center downtown at the auto show.

We were able to work our way through the three-level building without too much trouble, despite the huge crowds. I wish we'd been able to go during the week, but like many people, our schedules just didn’t allow for it.

In some of the smaller conference rooms, we saw vintage Mustangs, Model Ts and a VW bus straight out of Little Miss Sunshine, and the walkways featured cars like the Mini Cooper and the Land Rover along with table after table welcoming guests to enter to win a new car.

The larger conference spaces were where all the different major manufacturers displayed their new models, and when we walked inside, that delicious new car smell wafted over us. We drooled over Porsches and Mercedes, and we each took some time to visit our dream cars (me: a BMW, him: an Infinity G35) as well as our more realistic picks (me: a Mazda 3, him: a Saab 9-3.)

The new car smell mingled in the air with the smell of brats (mmm – now that got me thinking summer!), and beer, soda, nachos and ice cream were being sold, too.

The auto show wasn't really my thing, but I certainly see the appeal. Every kind of car you can think of, all under one roof, ready to be touched and sat in, with all the pertinent information right on the sticker – no pushy salespeople or pressure involved.