Play in the City

A World to Discover

A week ago, I made my first trip to Discovery World.

Yes, I know it’s a little pathetic that the museum has been open for almost two years now and, while I only live about 5 minutes away, I still had yet to check it out. Needless to say, my trip was extremely overdue.

It was a gloomy spring afternoon and I wasn’t in the mood to do anything outdoors, so Eric suggested that we check out Discovery World. He knew that I had been itching to go for a while now. Rather than walk to Pier Wisconsin like I’d normally consider, we opted to drive and found parking at a meter along the road, and then headed toward the building.

We entered into a gleaming white, open-air promenade and we strolled along its expansive windows. After coughing up $16.95 for admission, we took some time to peer out over Lake Michigan and we admired the near 450 feet of public docks that stretched around the museum – the entire view was absolutely breathtaking!

Discovery World was born from a diverse marriage between the old Discovery World that used to be adjacent to the Milwaukee Public Museum, and the newly developed Pier Wisconsin. The offspring is an unexpected combination of high-tech, user-friendly programming, ecology and history all in one.

The museum itself is made up of several distinct units – the Aquariums, the Challenge, the Techno Jungle, and the Great Lakes Future – that are filled with many interesting and interactive displays. The gift shop and café were both open for business when we were there and families occupied several tables along the walls of the corridor and seemed to be enjoying their lunch.

As we continued in the direction of the lake, we watched a little boy make waves in a wave machine that’s located in the middle of the hallway as his parents looked on. Once we reached the end of the building, we entered into an unusually circular building that reminded me of a pilot house on a schooner. This was the Helen Bader Foundation's Great Lakes Future exhibit.

Dining Week is Back for Thirds!

The third serving of Downtown Dining Week begins TOMORROW, May 29 and runs until Thursday, June 5.

For an affordable prix fixe lunch and dinner, no passes, coupons or cards are needed. All week long, simply dine at one of the 30 participating downtown restaurants and select from a special three-course menu.

At just $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner, Downtown Dining Week offers a unique opportunity to sample some of downtown’s best cuisine without breaking the bank. Note: the cost doesn’t include beverages, tax or tip. So, the online lunch and dinner menus list the meal’s regular price to encourage patrons to appropriately tip their server.

I’m taking advantage of this deal to experience some of the new places in the Downtown neighborhood or perhaps to revisit some of the places I really enjoyed, but haven’t been to in a while. I’m eager to check out Swig and the new Fratello’s Waterfront Restaurant.

Other eateries on the list this year are Zarletti, Osteria del Mondo, Bayou and Benihana. For a complete list, head over here. I highly recommend Butch’s Clock Steak House for a good cut of meat and Yanni’s for scrumptious seafood, plus they offer the most food for your buck.

Happy dining!

In Honor of Memorial Day...

What does Memorial Day stand for? A day off? The start of summer? Parades and picnics? The opening of public swimming pools? The day you can start to wear white again?

Some think that the “Memorial” in Memorial Day has been ignored. It seems that many of us don’t observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given their life to fight for our freedom.

As many people prepare to go to the beach or have a picnic or just spend a day at the mall, Memorial Day gets lost amid the hubbub of a long weekend and the unofficial maker of summer. While I admit that I sometimes lose sight of how lucky we are to live in a free country and to have people willingly fight for our democracy, I’ve also learned that Memorial Day’s meaning goes far beyond the three-day weekend we anticipate each year.

When I was young my parents would take us kids to the local Memorial Day parade to honor our veterans or fallen soldiers and to actively acknowledge the fact that my two grandfathers served in WWII. When I got a little older, we’d watch war movies like Gettysburg or Saving Private Ryan every Memorial Day to learn as best we could about the conflicts of war and the suffering that ensued. For the last few years, however, I haven’t made much of an effort to partake in real Memorial Day events.

That’s why this year I decided to bring the solemn meaning back to Memorial Day and turn my mind and heart to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice – not to honor war, but to honor those who died in such conflicts or war. I feel by taking an hour or so out of my extended weekend to reflect on this meaning, I’m doing what little justice I can to the day.

On Sunday, Eric and I spent nearly an hour at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. Located along the shore of Lake Michigan, the War Memorial Center is Wisconsin’s most visible memorial that’s dedicated to the men and women who gave their lives to preserve the freedom of the United States and the world.

The Center was conceived by a group of Milwaukee women in the late years of WWII to honor everyone who served in the United States Armed Forces. According to the website, the Center’s mission is “to honor the dead by serving the living through arts and diverse cultural activities.” People who were moved by this vision began fundraising and eventually pooled together enough resources to dedicate the building in 1957.

To this day, the Center is a way to keep the veteran community’s legacies alive, ensuring that future generations remember the sacrifices that were made to afford each of us the freedoms we enjoy every day. It’s also a great way to get back to the original spirit of Memorial Day, or to just spend a few hours to reflect on any given day.

Happy Memorial Day!

Let’s all hoist a cold libation of our choice this weekend in honor of all of the heroes who make it possible.

Have a GREAT Memorial Day! Keep it safe.

Shag on the East Side, Baby!

Nestled in between Landmark Lanes and the Cutting Crew on Milwaukee’s East Side is Shag Custom Apparel and Gifts.

While Shag is a custom apparel shop inspired by other stores in cities like Chicago, New York and Las Vegas, the shop itself is a Milwaukee original, as well as, a first of its kind in the city.

Wouldn’t you think that since this make-it-yourself T-shirt shop is only two blocks from my apartment, I would have already checked it out? Not so much.

You see, I’d been making a huge effort to avoid entering Shag simply because I knew that once I’d step inside, I’d be hooked!

The problem is that I’m a T-shirt junkie and because I work in "Corporate America," I can’t wear shirts adorning 80s TV show characters or 90s grunge bands anymore, so I’ve been making an attempt not to buy any and to stick with pretty J.Crew blouses. But since Shag conveniently offers the opportunity to design and print your own shirts – I love making and wearing my own unique designs – I couldn’t avoid it any longer.

On my way to the bank the other day I was finally coaxed into entering the shop by the variety of hokey Brewers T-shirts on display in the window. Instead of scouring eBay for hours searching for perfectly fitting vintage Brewers gear, I thought, now would be a great opportunity to make my own one-of-a-kind Brewers shirt.

While figuring out if I wanted black lettering on a yellow shirt or white words on a blue tank was a minor challenge, the concept of clothing design at Shag is very simple. Shag lets you create your own, original clothing by bringing in your own art, photo, phrase, and so forth to be imprinted onto a shirt or polo (among other things), or you can simply choose one of the shop’s 3,000 designs in stock and just adjust the color to your liking.

To help you in finding the right design there are a series of thick binders filled with 2,000 picture transfers, over 1,000 phrases, 11 fonts and six letter colors that are carefully organized by category and conveniently placed on shelves around the store.

Harley Museum Revs Its Engine

Sure, when people think of Milwaukee, they often think of Miller Beer or Usingers Sausage, and maybe even Brewers Baseball, but many also think of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, another Milwaukee icon.

Just in time for Harley’s 105 Anniversary Celebration, the Harley-Davidson Museum nears completion.

For a few years, I heard buzz about the prospect of creating a Harley Museum in Milwaukee and was beginning to get curious as to when this alleged museum would open. Well folks, it’s official. The Harley-Davidson Museum will open to the public on Saturday, July 12, 2008. And really, that’s not very far away!

Grand opening festivities will kick off with one big Harley-style ceremony at 10 a.m. and the party will continue throughout the weekend with rockin’ live music, a custom bike build and on-site tattoo trailers, you know, if you want to get fresh ink to show off during the anniversary. No?

After work last night I finally saw the 20-acre site. Having been interested for awhile, I decided to take a few minutes to explore the location. Boy, does it look cool!

Located in the Menomonee Valley at the intersection of 6th and Canal Streets, stands the massive, 13,000-square-foot Museum. According to local news sources, the site’s three buildings will feature a retail store, a restaurant, a café and a multitude of exhibits that’ll pay homage to the people, product, history and culture that has fashioned Harley-Davidson into the icon it is today.

Last night I noticed one of the coolest parts of this Museum, the bright orange cement along 5th Street that’s for motorcycle parking access. Do you think you’ll be able to see the orange strip from an airplane flying en route for Mitchell International?

Additionally, I think many people will seize the opportunity to stroll around the site, enjoy the river walk or just sit back and enjoy Milwaukee’s skyline because the site is open 24-hour a day. Such aspects will add a whole new dimension to the H-D experience.

The Wehr Nature Center

One of my favorite things in life besides the first bite of a perfect burger is the first taste of summer weather.

That’s why when I woke up to a gorgeous 70-degree day I couldn’t wait to get outside. After a few quick errands, Eric and I made our way to Whitnall Park and to the Wehr Nature Center to explore the 200 acres of southeastern Wisconsin’s natural best.

We zigzagged around passing kids playing on the playground, folks walking their dogs, and families bicycling along the paths until we finally found the Wehr Nature Center. Then, we parked and headed inside to the Visitors Center where we paid $3 for parking, which was reasonable considering admission is free.

At the Wehr Nature Center, you have the option of taking a self-guided tour or participating in one of Wehr’s many programs led by their knowledgeable staff of naturalists. Eric and I opted for the self-guided tour and grabbed a trail map from the reception desk on our way out.

Besides the map, there are wooden posts that act as landmarks along the trails and are labeled with a graphic – a tree, cattail, footprint, and so on – that represent each individual trail loop. Also found throughout the area are signs that help explain each habitat and what flora and fauna are found there.

The Wehr Nature Center has over  five miles of trail loops. Each loop ranges from 0.5 to 1.7 miles and takes visitors through natural environments such as an undulating prairie and an expansive savanna, and vast woodlands and lush wetlands.

When we stepped out of the Visitors Center and onto the trails, I deeply inhaled the faint smells of summer and I could feel the warmth fill my lungs. Without further delay, Eric and I began our hike along the Wetland Loop. This trail took us through a variety of swampy habitats – lowland forest, wetland underbrush and sedge meadow – and down two wooden piers and a bird blind where we paused to watch a gaggle of mallards bob in the lake and paddle after their afternoon snack.

Next, we followed the woodchip path as it led us beneath rainbow canopies of blossoming trees, and through colorful Monet-esque landscapes and canvases of sprawling wildflowers. I’m not going to lie, I literally stopped to inhale the fragrance of each periwinkle Trillium and every Jack-in-the-pulpit that decorated the verdant terrain. Being cooped up all winter, I almost forgot how fresh air smells and what it’s like to get outside and be fully surrounded by nature.

Now That’s Service!

I’ve always heard that Midwesterners are supposedly the friendliest bunch of people in the United States. Today, I could see why.

Something happened on my way home that had a tremendous effect on my day, although it might have had this extraordinary effect simply because I was in a “mood” for most of the day, but nevertheless, it made me realize why I love Milwaukee and the Midwest in general.

I stopped at the Starbucks on the corner of Oklahoma and Kinnickinnic Avenues in Milwaukee because I was in desperate need of a caffeine injection. I must explain that I normally try to avoid Starbucks because I prefer to support smaller chains or local, independent coffee shops. Unfortunately though, my options were scanty, so I had to decide whether or not to continue searching for that indie hub and fall asleep at the wheel or stop at the Starbucks. Needless to say, my arm didn’t have to endure much twisting. In the end, it was a great decision since that particular Starbucks not only completely impressed me, but it brightened my day.

One of my biggest pet peeves is customer service, or lack thereof. If you work in the service industry, I expect you to treat me kindly and attentively; after all, that’s part of your job, isn’t it? With that being said, on the rare occasion that I venture inside a Starbucks, I always leave the coffee shop happy with my experience.

This satisfaction is probably due to the fact that there always seems to be a pleasant air to the place. Starbucks employees are always smiling and chatting enthusiastically while they put your order on the cup and syrup in it and as they take your money and make your change. While it’s never a really thrilling or even optimistic conversation, it’s always filled with sincere smiles. So, it’s no wonder why each patron walks away with a smile or at least a hint of one, a curled lip at the very least.

I pulled up to the drive-through and was glad to see that there was only one car ahead of me. After only about one minute, it was my turn to order. I was warmly greeted by a woman’s voice over the speaker. Her tone was so chipper that I could tell she was smiling on the other end. I cleared my throat and ordered one tall Americano and one grande green tea latte (for Eric). The woman repeated my order and told me the price, and then I inched forward. After a five minute wait, I finally pulled up to the window and was welcomed with the same smile I heard over the speaker. The rest of our exchange went as follows:

Starbucks Girl: “You had the tall Americano and grande green tea latte?”
Me: “Yep, that’s me.”
SBG: “We are really sorry about the wait.”
Me: “That’s okay.”
SBG: “Your drinks are on the house.”
Me: “Really?”
SBG: “And we are going to give you this voucher for two drinks so that your coffees are on us next time too!”
Me: “Oh wow. That’s great! Thanks!”
SBG: “No problem, it’s the least we can do. Have a great night!”

I was only waiting for a mere five minutes, if that, and I got four complimentary drinks! In the past, I’ve waiting hours for dinner at a restaurant and never even received an apology and certainly never a free meal.

Even though the drive-through is a little less interactive – I didn’t really mind that today – you’re still treated with the same service. Such service is quite remarkable considering those people working at Starbucks probably have dealt with plenty of sleep deprived people all day, yet they never break a smile, never slow down, and never try to rush you out so that they can get to the next customer. Clearly, Starbucks has their customer service down pat, which begs the question: Is it actually possible to run a timely and efficient business AND be totally friendly at the same time? Apparently so.

Now, would this concept of a friendly, efficient service be lost in a bigger city like New York City or L.A. or is it every Starbucks’ policy and not solely a Midwest characteristic?

I’m almost positive that when I was visiting NYC and ordering a tall nonfat caramel macchiato each morning, I didn’t get a smile and I wasn’t asked about my day, I was more or less shoved out of the place. Granted, there are places in Milwaukee that don’t demonstrate the concept of good service, still I’m willing to wager that my experience at this particular Starbucks had a lot to do with its location and less about the coffee chain’s philosophy.

At any rate, I suppose I could use this situation as some exaggerated effort to call this an example that teaches a moral lesson about Milwaukee and how great it is, but I won’t. Instead, I’m simply going to enjoy my complimentary coffee...maybe even with a smile.

An Ultimatum

Dear Bill Hall,

My friends are beginning to tease me about wearing your number. It hurts. So, you better start batting over 300, heck, I'll even say 200, or else I'm going to start cheering for pretty boy J.J. Hardy like all of the other 20-year-old women!

Also, in case you haven't heard, your buddy Braun just signed an eight-year, $45 million contract with the Brewers. How does that make you feel? If you don't step-up, you'll soon be licking his cleats. Just saying.

Sincerely,
Your Biggest Fan

Prom the Second Time Around

For many, prom was the highlight of their high school career; on the other hand, there were people like me who’d rather be trampled by a stampede of wild boars than attend a school dance.

I actually broke down and went to my junior prom, though. My mom was a volunteer on the prom committee, therefore I felt obligated to go. Since I couldn’t find a date, my friend Amy set me up with her boyfriend’s friend who was a senior at another high school. So, for the first time ever I had a date to a dance, a date whose last name I still don't know. Whatever. It's not like we were getting married...

Despite being reluctant to go to the dance, I had fun shopping for my dress and getting my hair done. The dance, however, turned out to be a catastrophe. Sure, the food was tasty and the hall was beautifully decorated – the theme was “Secret Garden” – and busting a move with my friends certainly was a blast. But, my fun quickly fizzled when my jerk of a date ditched me to go to a house party.

As a result, I spent half the dance trying to find him and the remainder of the night in a state of bewilderment. I was actually abandoned. How humiliating! My “date” got a free ticket to the dance, a free limo ride and a free dinner all on my dime... and I never saw him again. The funny part is that I didn't even want to go in the first place. *Sigh* Needless to say, I refused to attend another school dance.

Regardless of your prom experience, whether you were a wall flower all night or stole the spotlight on the dance floor, I’m sure it was an evening you’ll never forget. That’s why Milwaukee Recreation is inviting adults to take a trip back to that special (or embarrassing) high school moment by attending a second prom.

This is the Milwaukee Recreation Department’s first Second Prom. The formal dance will be held this Saturday, May 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Beulah Brinton Community Center in Bay View. The fee is $9.50 for Milwaukee residents and $14.25 for non-residents, which is a lot cheaper than I remember paying in high school.

MPS Assistant Recreation Supervisor Joel Symons describes Second Prom as a “tongue-in-cheek send-up of a traditional high school prom.” Apparently, they aren’t taking the event too seriously. In fact, organizers are encouraging adult prom-goers to relive the whole experience by renting a limo, showing up in off-the-wall prom attire (like a baby blue leisure suit), and then dancing the night away to live bands playing hits from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Also, if you work up an appetite from cutting a rug, punch and cake will be on hand. But remember, just like your high school prom, alcohol is not permitted.

So, bring your sense of humor and your old-school dancing shoes for a night of new, happy memories. To register for Milwaukee Recreation’s Second Prom head over here or call the “Prom King” at (414) 475-8538.

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Milwaukee Recreation's Second Prom
Beulah Brinton Community Center
2555 S. Bay Street
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Saturday, May 17 from 6:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
$9.50 for Milwaukee residents, $14.25 for non-residents