midweek check-in

Thanks to everyone who passed around my "I Heart Milwaukee" post. I hope to see some more of them start popping up out there.

It's a busy week here at AWHQ.

Monday: Played racquetball at the West Allis WAC with my buddy Phil G. Had a little flat tire adventure on the way home.

Tuesday: Walked home after picking up Andrew Bird Noble Beast CD at Central Library. Had hoped to match Ms. Quarter's Team Blog on He's Just Not That Into You. Instead ran into my friend Ben and grabbed a $5 martini at Buckley's. Then had a quick appointment at East Town Spa next door. Then had to meet my friend Joan at Brocach to use another gift certificate. More on this coming later.

Tonight I hope to finish those outstanding blogs and possibly do some more laundry before heading to Becky's for LOST.

I also have to fill you all in on the events of this weekend. Should be great times!

Running out of time, but don't forget tomorrow is the Milwaukee Connector meeting at the Harbor Lights, followed by the the Bike Fed's Love Your Bike Party at Lakefront. See you there!

thankful tuesdays: global warming edition

I am really thankful for 60 degree days in February. I am thankful to the polar bears that likely sacrificed their lives so that I could enjoy a respite from the winter doldrums.

I Heart Milwaukee!

National Geographic's Traveler Magazine focuses on cities this month. But your typical "it" towns of Shanghai, Montreal, London, Sydney...you get the gist. However, they're asking for input from readers to represent their city. Show it some LOVE if you will. So below is what I'm sending in for Milwaukee. I encourage you to do the same!

Milwaukee is My City.

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is to our beautiful Lakefront (parks, beaches and festivals in the summertime, or maybe just  Lakefront Brewery in the winter (well also in summer, I won't lie).)
When I crave the best wings on the planet earth I always go Points East Pub. Affordable drinks, a friendly staff and usually live music in the backroom.

To escape the city streets I head for a bike ride on the superb Oak Leaf Trail. There's over 100 miles of bicycle trails in Milwaukee County alone and you can link into other trail systems to seemingly ride forever!

If I want to see a great movie I go to the beautiful Oriental Theatre, or its sister, the Downer Theatre. Both work with Milwaukee Film for unique screenings by local and international filmmakers and participate in our film festival.

For complete quiet, I can hide away in the future "Milwaukee's Central Park". Bring your bike, dog, hiking shoes, camera. It's so peaceful here you forget you're just a couple miles from downtown.

If you come to my city, get your picture taken with the Bronze Fonz (just don't call it "art").


If you have to order one thing off the menu from Beans & Barley it has to be the chicken salad plate. I've never once been disappointed, nor seen anywhere in the world incorporate so many vegetables into one meal.

The Milwaukee Public Market is my one-stop shop for great gourmet cheeses, artisan bakery, fresh deli and produce year-round.

Locals know to skip Water Street and check out Brady Street, the Third Ward, Riverwest or Bay View instead. Milwaukee has so many diverse neighborhoods, pretty much one for every personality type.

When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go to any of Milwaukee's free summer music events -- Jazz in the Park, River Rhythms, Chill on the Hill -- just to name a few. I'll also never miss the quarterly Gallery Night - a fantastic night on the town with all the art you can handle for free.

For a huge splurge I go to any of Milwaukee's independently owned boutiques--two faves are Boutique Vieux et Nouveau and Lela.

Photo ops in my city include the Santiago Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum and the best vantage points are from a boat on Lake Michigan, the Discovery World museum, or neighboring parks.

If my city were a celebrity it'd be Mickey Rourke, poised for a comeback.

The most random thing about my city is it is home to the largest four-faced clock in the world (Big Ben is the largest four-faced chiming clock).

My city has the most charmingly aloof men.

My city has the most fun-loving women.
 
In my city, an active day outdoors involves hiking (or snow-shoeing in the winter) part of our miles of trails; canoeing, kayaking or sailing in one of our many waterways (or ice skating on them in winter); playing a round of beach volleyball at Bradford Beach; then going for a sunset or moonlit stroll along the lake.

My city's best museum is the Milwaukee Art Museum. The architecture is impressive, but the collections and special exhibitions will blow you away.

My favorite jogging/walking route is along the Lakefront (I can't give the preservation of this public space enough props) from downtown all the way up to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

For a night of dancing, go to '80s Night at Mad Planet (not your typical '80s night, this skews toward alternative, industrial and deep cuts). Or, for live music, check out the beautiful and historic Pabst Theater, Riverside Theater and Turner Hall Ballroom.

Pizza Shuttle is the spot for late-night eats.

To find out what's going on at night and on the weekends, read OnMilwaukee.com. (And of course The Accidental Wisconsinite!) Also make sure you're twittering with the right folks. Milwaukee has a solid creative community leveraging social media to get the conversation started.

You can tell a lot about my city from the dedication of its sports fans. 

You can tell if someone is from my city if they are ridiculously nice and can drink you under the table.

In the spring you should walk Milwaukee's unique neighborhoods, catch a early-season Brewers game at Miller Park (don't forget to tailgate), and people watch on the first warm day sitting outside at Alterra at the Lake.

In the summer you should hit up Milwaukee's plethora of festivals and free music events (including Summerfest, the world's largest music festival), create a brilliant meal from locally-grown produce found at our city's numerous farmer's markets, and experience the wonder that is the Wisconsin State Fair.


In the fall you should drive to Elegant Farmer for apple and pumpkin picking, head over to Madison for a Badger Football game, and back to Milwaukee for a Packer party on Sunday (because who can get tickets to Lambeau, really?). The bars really get creative with the latter, my favorite from this season was The Bomb Shelter bar serving bear meat at halftime during the game against Chicago.



In the winter you should explore Milwaukee's magical one-of-a-kind pubs and taverns like Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall and Paddy's Irish Pub. Not a drinker? Escape to the tropics and the desert at the Mitchell Park Domes.


A hidden gem in my city is the Urban Ecology Center. Not only does this incredible organization do wonderful educational work (connecting inner-city kids with nature), but it's a fantastic asset to the community and visitors alike. There's usually an interesting hands-on program regarding the environment or sustainability going on, and if you're a member you can borrow equipment (from drills to skis to kayaks for free). The "super-green" building at the Riverside location alone is worth the visit -- plus where else can you slide into a community center?

For a great breakfast joint try the Café at the Plaza in the Plaza Hotel. Charming old school dining counter and open kitchen and in the summer they have the most adorable courtyard area. Huge portions at affordable prices, it tastes like your grandma is making you breakfast.

Don't miss the Locust Street Days festival in June, the quintessential neighborhood festival. One of Milwaukee's nicknames is "The City of Festivals" so there's usually a church festival, a neighborhood festival and a large ethnic or music festival happening every weekend in the summer.

Just outside my city, you can visit historic Cedarburg. With several boutiques, a winery, and even a crepe shop, this town is the definition of "quaint," and a great place to take parents. 

The best way to see my city is walking the length of the ever-expanding Riverwalk. You can walk from the harbor, through downtown and into developing residential areas.

If my city were a pet it would be a loyal hunting dog. It may seem to loll about sometimes, but it'll surprise you at times  and run after some birds with the gusto of a young pup.

If I didn't live in a city, I'd live (where?) - in the Welsh countryside, as I can't imagine living in an American suburb.

The best book about my city is The Making of Milwaukee by local historian John Gurda. I'm not sure of any fiction books that are set here. But we win the classic television category hands down with Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is "Roll Out the Barrel." Seriously, what other MLB team includes a polka after "Take Me Out to the Ballgame?".

If you have kids, you won't want to miss the Discovery World Museum. Hands-on exhibits, a to-scale replica of the Great Lakes, an authentic tall ship and a splendid aquarium provide fun for adults too.

The Santa Cycle Rampage could only happen in my city. Sure other cities have Santa events, but do they include biking in the snow, brewery tours, shotskis and polka seranades?

My city should be featured on your cover or website because Milwaukee is a vastly underappreciated gem. I am a transplant from "urban darling" Portland, Oregon and I think Milwaukee has got it goin' on.

monday munchies: culver's turtle sundae

Totally earned after an hour of racquetball and then a flat tire misadventure in West Allis, WI.

Thank God for Ted the Mechanic who stopped and helped out the non-mechanically inclined young professionals.

sunday catch up: too nice to blog

Believe it or not it was over 50 degrees this weekend. I've been out and about and when I've been home I've thrown open the windows to air out the place and clean out the winter blues.

I know it won't last, but I sure appreciate it!

Friday night I did stay in to shake off the last of my "bug." Saturday I woke up early and went to yoga. I walked to Brady Street afterward--in my yoga pants!! It was that warm. I picked up quarters and grabbed coffee and a bagel at Brewed. I came home and did six loads of laundry (still more to do), gathered up three bags of clothes for Goodwill and started attacking my kitchen. I finished the kitchen tonight (after a run to Target for supplies) and I must say it's lovely.

I actually am going to start rotating rooms each week so each gets a thorough cleaning once a month. I'm so busy that I figure writing it down on a calendar will help. I hate cleaning, but I certainly like clean rooms!

Last night I had my annual reminder of why I hate chick flicks. I agreed to a girls night (which WAS fun, I do love my girlfriends) and we went to see He's Just Not That Into You. It was so terrible that I'm actually going to team blog my review with my friend Mandi. Look for that coming this week (if it's not so nice out that I don't want to be at the computer!).

music madness: "don't" stop the music - fun with the iPod

The other day I had a hankering for Don't Stop Believin'. Don't judge. When I scrolled to it by song title (I rarely use this function) on my iPod, I found I had two versions. The original, of course and also a cover by Marnie Stern. This got me curious about what other "don't" songs I had on my iPod. Turns out quite a few--it took me about a week to get through the list. I thought all that effort could make for an interesting blog exercise. Since I'm still laying low, what better way to spend my Friday evening than doing a little track-by-track for you?

1. Don't Be On With Her - Miami Horror: Start off the don'ts with a little dance, shall we?
   
2. Don't Be Shy - Cat Stevens: One time my dad organized his and my mom's vinyl collections into "crap" and "not crap." I think Cat Stevens was one of the few of Mom's folk records that made the "not crap" pile. I agree. I know people like Sheryl Crow like to cover him, but there's something about songs like this that make you smile.
3. Don't Be Shy - Spektrum: This song is truly awful. It looks like I acquired it from a free iTunes download. I now have an extra 3.2 MB on my iPod.
4. Don't Care - Threatmantics: I have no idea where this catchy tune by this catchy Welsh band came from, but it's certainly, uh, catchy! I'll keep it.
5. Don't Change - INXS: Shut up. INXS 4 Eva! Besides, I dare you to watch the video and not lick Michael Hutchence in all his '80s glory.
6. Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) - Loretta Lynn: This ended up on my iPod after Pitchfork ran their "Best of the '60s" feature a few years ago. I really wish I'd listened Loretta's tale a little closer -- or posted the lyrics on my back door.
7. Don't Dance - Hot Chip: Hot Chip's albums flow together though and I think out of context some songs just start off weird, which I think is the case with this one. The intro seems really out of place following Loretta Lynn, but once you get into the meat of the song it's quite excellent.
   
8. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House: Hey now, hey now, stop mocking me. Besides, this is apparently the 7th best Australian song of ALL TIME (at least through 2001).
9. Don't Fear - Maps: Another mysterious appearance, but I'm glad it's here. A very pretty song. Fairly cool video too.
   
10. Don't Forget Me - Way Out West: Yeah, yeah, it's from the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack, but I'm allowed to have a girly side, okay? I have a soft side for sad, haunting music.
    
11. Don't Give Up - Noisettes: I suspect this may also be a Grey's addition. I'm also allowed to have girly pop-punk too.
    
12. Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Sergio Mendes: Look! Bossa Nova! I'm soooo super cool. Actually this song is pretty damn sweet. And it takes me away to swinging '60s Brazil, where I bet it's a lot warmer than Milwaukee (even with our 50 degree heat wave baby, yeah.) Sorry I couldn't find a link. Elton John dominates in this category.
    
13. Don't Leave - Frankel: Quite an enjoyable tune from an eMusic sampler. Can't seem to find a link, but trust me, it's nice.
    
14. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston: Do I need to explain one of the best songs of all time? I think not. Dare you not to boogie down or sing along. I also believe this song is about 20 minutes too short.
    
15. Don't Leave the City - Magnolia Electric Co.: Here's a depressingly beautiful song that it's cool to like. I would definitely work this into a soundtrack somewhere when I achieve my dream of becoming a soundtrack supervisor.
    
16. Don't Let Go - Pacha Massive: Another tolerable eMusic sampler find. It's sort of Spanglish jam in a Santana meets the Cardigans sort of way.
    
17. Don't Let Him Waste Your Time - Jarvis Cocker: Jarvis is one of my musical crushes and I wish I'd listened to him along with Loretta Lynn.
    
18. Don't Let It Get You Down - Spoon: Spoon does not get me down. Especially when their current homepage links to about 30 YouTube videos of Obama celebrations! Spoon apparently really likes "don't" songs though, as this is the first of several on this list. I am huge fan of "old" Spoon and this track off Kill the Moonlight is one of my faves.
    
19. Don't Let Me Explode - The Hold Steady: Well we already know that this is the best band of all time, so of course this song off Separation Sunday is perfectly fine.
    
20. Don't Let The Sun Go Down - Daniel Johnston: Wow, I seem to be in the hip part of my Don't run at the moment. Let's enjoy this before something embarassing pops up.
    
21. Don't Lie To Me - Big Star: Also essential for any soundtrack I would ever create.
    
22. Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis: Yeah, we may have temporarily exited Coolsville and traveled to Meghan's obsessions circa 1996. You're definitely singing it in your head right now.
    
23. Don't Make Me A Target - Spoon: Told you there'd be more Spoon. Did I mention it'd also be excellent?
    
24. Don't Mistake Me - Keisha White: You could probably use this song to sell tampons, yogurt or shoes, but you know what, I kinda like it.
    
25. Don't Panic - Coldplay: I liked Coldplay before it was cool to like Coldplay, and definitely way before it was uncool to like Coldplay.
    
26. Don't Read Dostoyevsky - Alaska In Winter: Don't let the band name throw you off, this gorgeous music has nothing to do with Sarah Palin. At least I certainly hope not.
    
27. Don't Sleep In The Subway - Petula Clark: Petula Clark is full of jams. I love this song, not just because of my love of public transit, but because it basically rules. Not wanting your amor to be homeless. Well, that's love. Unfortunately you lose the grand production in the live clip.
    
28. Don't Stop - Girl Talk: One of my favorite tracks off Feed the Animals. It samples Born Slippy and In Between Days for goodness sake!
    
29. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey: The track ultimately responsible for this entire undertaking and several monumental moments in pretty much anyone's life who was a teenager after 1981 to the present. For me it'll always remind me of my trip to France when this got stuck in my friend Dan's head and he used it to teach English to French middle schoolers. He gave them a list of phrases from the song and asked them to write a story: "small-town girl," "midnight train," "city boy"...etc.
    
30. Don't Stop Believin' - Marnie Stern: This chick is so impressive at shredding a guitar, I can allow this cover to coexist peacefully on my iPod.
    
31. Don't Talk Like - Sleater-Kinney: Perhaps Marnie Stern would've never covered Don't Stop Believin' if Sleater-Kinney had never existed. How's that for blowing your mind?
    
32. Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s) - Los Campesinos!: I'm currently holding a grudge against this awesome Welsh band because they are playing a free show in Madison and ignoring Milwaukee. Still, this song is really brilliant.
    
33. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Bob Dylan: My best friend, Kat, used to play this for me whenever I got bummed out over stupid high school boys. Stupid high school boys were so not worthy of this song. Or of me.
    
34. Don't Try to Fool Me - Miss Li: I'm guessing another Grey's entry. Stop judging.
    
35. Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys: My mom hates the Beach Boys, my dad loves them. I think I have to go with Dad on this one.
    
36. Don't You Evah - Spoon: The final Spoon song in the "don'ts." And yeah, two are off the same album. How do you feel about that?
    
37. Don't You Want Me - Human League: You were waiting for it, weren't you? I know I was!
    
38. Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up - Cortney Tidwell: Technically this is the Ewan’s Objects In Space remix. It's pretty epic and a solid way to bring us out of this bizarre exercise.

Next listening project will be the "downs." Any other song prefixes you'd like me to tackle?

what i'm missing tonight because of a sore throat and the inability to clone

I have tickets for Classical Connections at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra tonight. I would also like to be at the Milwaukee Film screening of Handmade Nation. Or the 2nd Anniversary Party at Buckley's . Or the opening of the new Jans Lievens Exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

However, thanks to picking up one of the strains of nastiness going around these days I will be at home, in my pajamas, with my chicken broth and orzo.

My tea kettle just hummed. It sort of sounds like the symphony tuning.