Favorite

Last night, Jenna and I walked down the lakefront, taking in the wildflower prairie and listening to the co-mingled music coming from the nearest Summerfest stages.

Over the past year I've developed an unexpected interest in lighthouses, so with no goal in mind we headed in the direction of one of the visible four, bracing ourselves against the chill in the breeze. Comfortable silences and the calm city behind us, Jenna said she didn't think she could express how much she loved the lake. Every time I see the the blue punctuated by white sails and gulls, something inside my core brightens and I can't believe I live in such a wonderful place.

The End of June

It's been a very busy week.

Tuesday night was spent downtown at Sake Tumi, a pun-tastic sushi restaurant on Milwaukee St. It was a great night, the rain held out long enough for us to enjoy some great maki and watch the expensive cars valeted on the curb. I saw a couple of apartments this week, and one had a sauna built in a small closet. My ideal apartment is difficult to find, as I like older buildings that have been well kept, with bedrooms actually big enough to fit my bed in them. Not an easy search, but I have a couple of months before I need to move so optimism is still high.

Thursday night was the opening night of Summerfest. Passion Pit was the attraction for my friends and I so we walked to a bar-filled corner offering free shuttles to the grounds with the purchase of a drink. Taking said drink onto the turpentine-scented school bus, we made friends with barking strangers, an Australian looking for a green card and a southern girl, and powdery deodorant wearing concert-goers of all types yelling "Sheryl Crow!" at the fireworks on the lake. Summerfest is huge - much larger than I anticipated - and the shows were energetic and rowdy. We left to street performers giving it their all, Harleys roaring, and bus confusion, ending up walking home and stopping at a bar along with way with some new friends. I suppose everyone I know here is a new friend since it's only been 4 weeks. (I wish the guy holding this sign was my friend, too.)

An outing from work took us to the Brewer's game on Friday afternoon, where we tailgated and got free foam fingers in the first retractable dome stadium I've ever been to. I left in the 4th inning and was swept away from Miller Park by Deborah and Katie who came up from Chicago for a 18 hour visit. After some trouble with a missing ID and resident hall "security guard" who takes both himself and his job much too seriously, we went to Yield and had some beers and laughs and talked about the people from high school were fat/married/awesome. Saturday afternoon consisted of Vietnamese food and a brewery tour that turned into drinking beers by the river and listening to Springsteen.

After Katie and Deborah left, Jessica and I went to the beach and sipped local beer in between wave-fueled cat naps. Saturday night, a group of us went to Von Trier again for the German atmosphere, patio seating and free popcorn. The usual 2:00 AM Sunday morning phone call was made to Mystery Science Radio 3000 in Columbia, where Kyle and Tony were celebrating their 5th year on the air with a PB&J buffet and those Coors cans that change color when they're cold.

Today is another overcast Sunday afternoon spent in a coffee shop. The Black Keys are playing on the stereo and people are happy to be outside, rainy or not. The coming week has me looking forward to a butter burger and frozen custard lunch courtesy of my coworkers tomorrow, and 3 1/2 day weekend in Chicago, hopefully on a rooftop somewhere. For now, it's time to run some errands and relax before the morning comes.

Water Town

The river and the lake combined make Milwaukee a water town. Today was a river day for us, as Sunday Funday's cocktails and lunch took place at Water Buffalo, conveniently located on the corner of Water St. and Buffalo St. (clever, no?). The first photo is the view from our table, where we watched tour boats, booze cruises, and kayaks while bathing in the not-too-hot sunshine.

Before getting lunch, we stopped at the Public Market, where I picked up some cookies and postcards for birthday packages. That place is a culinary dream, full of inspiration for dinner parties and effort-full meals.

We also went to Urban Outfitters where I happened upon a lavender 35mm fisheye camera on sale! I took a few shots with it, and can't wait to use the entire roll and see what the developed photos look like! I've wanted to dabble in photography for a while now, particularly with analog cameras, so this was a serendipitous find. Here is the obligatory picture of the new lavender camera, along with the framboise I so adore.

Mild Summer/Longing

Last night was the first time I experienced the Bradford Beach. Sitting on the sand that was just cool enough to give the illusion of dampness, I had the hood up on my sweatshirt. We listened to Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, Grandaddy and Neon Indian while drinking beers and talking about the surprises the short time we've been here has provided. All the surprises were good ones, and every once and a while I looked out at the lake and pretended I could see through the misty darkness to Chicago or Michigan. A few couples held hands and walked by, and I found myself shocked again at the mildness of the summer here. Never before have I experienced a comfortable month of June or been without the intense Missouri humidity for this length of time. It's jarring how comfortable getting dressed and ready in the morning is without the old fear of blow drying your hair only to get so hot you have to shower again.

When I let my mind wander on the chartered bus commute, I often think about Alley A in Columbia and the line it made between two of my favorite places in the world and the eagerness with which I walked back and forth. I'm positive Columbia will always have a piece of my heart and I can't wait to see it and its inhabitants again, but at this moment, I'm glad to be in Milwaukee.

Lost & Found

The weekend has been full of good things.

First, I got lost driving around downtown Milwaukee, but luckily I was with Jessica and Jenna, two people who make getting lost fun. Then we got unlost, retrieved a left-behind cardigan, and ended the night on a note of victory.

Second, Garrett and Andrea came in town from Chicago on Saturday, making the night a great and welcome mix of old and new friends. We ventured out to the Safe House, a local speakeasy-themed spy hangout where everyone is called 'agent' and mysterious sirens blare unexpectedly. A good place to go for drinks with out of town guests (many of the drinks come with a glass to keep). On the way to the Safe House, I'm pretty sure a pack of birds exploded on my car, because the sheer quantity of shit that bombarded us (and my open window) was mind-boggling. Who could be upset with something so confusing?

After dinner we went to Regano's Roman Coin and had a couple of pitchers and enjoyed the low-key atmosphere and the seriously awesome music (minus Cat Man Do). This morning, we went to the Original Pancake House on Downer and had omelets and pancakes that were huge. I mean, really, very very big. I could only eat 1/3 of my omelet. Not joking.

The rest of my Sunday was spent on the search for an apartment for the fall, or more accurately for a parking space near the apartment open house we were going to see.

The Milwaukee Air & Water Show took place this weekend, and the Blue Angels, among others drew in huge crowds of people to the beach area, making it hard to drive and hard to hear. This is a picture taken after the planes flew overhead and a flock of birds scattered. It looks pretty dreamy.

So today, no apartments were seen, but Water Street was explored, a book store was found, the Anthropologie was patronized and a greater sense of familiarity was achieved in Milwaukee.

A little over a week

I made a mental list of the things that were most important to find first upon moving to Milwaukee. Friends are important, yes. So is a good bar. But highest up on my list was a decent cup of coffee and a comfortable place to drink it. If you come to Milwaukee (which I hope you do) I highly suggest heading to Brady Street. It's got everything you could ask for: local shops, food and bars, varying in price, atmosphere and clientele.

For coffee, there's nothing better than the freshly made, small batch, cold-brewed iced coffee from Rochambo Coffeehouse and Teahouse. These people must have known I was coming because those words were heaven to my ears. More importantly, it was heaven to my taste buds. The oft-lost intricacies of coffee come through loud and clear when cold brewed, and this is the best I've ever had.

In the near vicinity, I also stumbled upon The Exclusive Company record store. Super helpful staff, dollar bins and an independent vibe are getting me real excited to come back for a visit (once I fix my record player, that is).
The real gem of the past weekend for those of us new to Milwaukee has been the Hi Hat Garage. The Hi Hat looks like a great spot to grab cocktails on a hot date, but for those of us who are less refined, the Garage is a more relaxed atmosphere. Friday night drinks and Sunday brunch were both excellent, and each time my friends and I were warmly welcomed my those at the tables next to us. Good food, $5 liters of beer, nice people, oh and trees growing inside are all big checkmarks in the yes box.

I think this Wisconsin thing just might work out.