Milwaukee Summerfest

WEB RESOURCES

Meet: Milwaukee
This unlikely destination proves full of culture, history and sites worth seeing.
By Matt Wilson

Do you know the Dr. Seuss story Green Eggs and Ham? I've read it to my two-year-old daughter so often that it's become a sort of household mantra. "Zoey," I say, when she turns down the chocolate cake, "You should try it. You may like it." I know she will love it, but first she must try it. And so, to all of you out there who would rather fly to someplace exotic and far, far away, I say, "You should try Milwaukee. You may like it."

I admit that I was skeptical when I first received the invitation to attend a music festival in Milwaukee for JohnnyJet.com. It's not that I have anything against Milwaukee. I just didn't know anything about it. And though the invitation claimed that I would be attending Summerfest, the world's largest music festival, I had a hard time imagining how such a thing could possibly take place in Milwaukee, WI. Still, the older I get, I realize the less I know and the more I have to learn. So I prepared to set off on a journey of discovery.

GETTING THERE
I flew Northwest Airlines. If you have the option to take another carrier from Seattle to Milwaukee, I highly recommend it. The experience reminded me of a flight I once took to the old Soviet Union back in 1991. Everything felt exhausted, from the seats to the employees; not a single smile all day. I later found out that there was a massive union strike going on. Across the country, pilots simply called in sick that day and as bleak as my flight was, it was nothing compared to the experience of so many other travelers who were simply stuck, wherever they were.

I arrived in Milwaukee in the late afternoon and took a shuttle to my hotel. The shuttle, Airport Connection (mkelimo.com, 800-236-5450), operates in a number of large cities and offers both a shared-ride and limo service. It's a quick and convenient way to get to and from your hotel. The limo dropped me off at the Hilton Hotel in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. This grand dame has seen shinier days. Long before the city was renowned for its beer, this hotel, completed in 1928, catered to the upper echelons of Milwaukee society. There is grandeur to the bones in this place, most evident in the lobby with its tall marble columns, art deco styling, gilded trim and elegant crystal chandeliers. And like much of Milwaukee, there is a renewal happening here. The historic elements of the building were restored in 1994 with a focus on the first five floors. Rooms were enlarged and wired for cable and Internet and were updated with modern classic furnishings. But like the city itself, the renewal process cannot entirely erase years past and everywhere you look, you can see that this is an old building. My room was spacious and comfortable though the view was forgettable. The bathroom was clean, well lit and had terrific water pressure. The latter was not surprising given that there is an indoor water park attached to the hotel. It seems that during the winter months, folks come from near and far to stay at the downtown Hilton just for the water park. The Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 509 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53203, TEL: 414-271-7250.

POTAWATOMI
Shortly after my arrival, I met my host downstairs at the Miller Time Pub. We had a few minutes to get our bearings and then we were off to have an amazing dinner at Dream Dance restaurant. Dream Dance is located in the Potawatomi Casino, a massive, ever-expanding, all-night gambling complex right in the heart of downtown Milwaukee. Bizarrely, the restaurant is adjacent to a cavernous bingo room. It's like situating a Ferrari dealership inside a mall and next to a nursing home. It just doesn't make sense and yet, as I walked past the bingo hall and through the massive polished doors of Dream Dance, I was transported into an entirely hidden world. Dream Dance reminded me of a Native longhouse by firelight, simultaneously seductive and cozy. But it is also elegant and refined and from the moment I sat down, I was made to feel like an honored guest. They have an incredible selection of over 630 wines, luxury cognac and champagne carts, and a service team that was as good as any I have ever encountered.

DREAM DANCE
For dinner, I opted for the cucumber soup and the chef's signature dish, Venison Rossini. The deer is farm-raised on a ranch owned by the Potawatomi tribe. The ranch is located in Laona, Forest County, on 320 acres of tribal reservation land adjacent to Nicolet National Forest. Prior to the main feast, we were presented with a selection of Laguiole knives from the Auvergne region in France. Each knife is handcrafted, totally unique and carved with intricate Templar-esque designs, dating back to the 15th century. Supposedly, the knife you choose says something about your personality though our waiter remained tight-lipped about what exactly he learned from our choices. The deer was shockingly good and my fancy knife cut through it like butter. The main dish was both preceded and followed by a sumptuous procession of delicacies, each more delicious than the last. By the time the desserts were rolled out, chocolate cakes, passion fruit mousse and more, I was ready to be rolled out myself. And roll I did ... right out into the bingo hall, through it, and into the poker room.

POTAWATOMI CASINO
As I crossed the through the bingo hall, on my way to an uncertain future at a Texas Hold 'Em table, the late-night downtown crowd packed tight at their tables, I was struck by the fact that Potawatomi serves as a sort of inner-city refuge. It really is an inclusive sort of place. Poor college kids on a date, grandmother and daughter, lonely, out-of-work men, all folks who, were it not for this cavernous, well-lit bingo hall, might be cloistered at home in front of a screen. Potawatomi provides a place for people who don't have the resources, whether financial, physical or mental, to take advantage of the city's other urban activities. It is a clean and well-lit place where people can come and, without judgment, sit and be entertained, talk with friends and family, and simply people-watch. At Potawatomi, there truly is something for everyone. No wonder they are so successful. Potawatomi Bingo & Casino, 1721 W Canal St., Milwaukee, WI 53233, TEL: 414-643-0681

WORLD OF DISCOVERY
Morning came faster than I had anticipated and I found myself rushing down the halls of the Hilton to meet with our host Jenean Sherman, a beautiful and energetic woman. She had scheduled a day of adventures for us starting with a tour of the new Milwaukee Discovery World. (TEL: 414-765-8625) Discovery World is not your run of the mill tourist trap. It is an innovative attraction and regional resource aimed at inspiring adults to pursue lifelong learning while encouraging them to explore both the beauty and the economic value in the beauty of the region's natural resources. The exhibits immerse visitors in a fantastic blend of the natural world and high technology. Though the target audience is adults 16 to 27 years old, it is equally entertaining for both the very young and the old. If you are visiting with children, The Discovery World is a great place to bring them. You can show them a massive scale model of the great lakes, rain and rainbows included, take them under the lakes to see the many denizens of the deeps, and walk them through an old sailing ship. But the more adult exhibits are really what make this place so special.

The Discovery World was built, in my opinion, as a sort of talent dam. There are 10 universities in Milwaukee and every year, some of the most talented of these kids leave Milwaukee in search of new jobs and more interesting opportunities. What's more, many of the old industrial jobs have been taken away from Milwaukee, as businesses search for cheaper labor overseas. So Milwaukee, in order to continue thriving, must both attract new high-tech- and info-tech-based business and retain a pool of qualified, inexpensive, potential employees. So The Discovery World gives kids a place to explore future careers in, and be inspired by, the next wave of technology and science. It encourages them to literally get hands-on experience with these technologies, while simultaneously giving them the tools they need to start projects of their own. If enough kids focus on these emerging technologies and stick around, Milwaukee will find itself with a healthy pool of talented and intelligent people with which to draw new high-tech companies.

All of the exhibits are geared towards technology that is currently emerging and likely to be the driving science and industry in the next five to 10 years. Exhibits include the HIVE (Human Interactive Virtual Environment), which is a research space for students and professionals providing detailed interactive information about the city, region, and resources. The Secret Labs, a series of rotating exhibits which explore careers in high-tech five years out including Biomimicry, Nano-technology, Dynamic reuse, Virtual surgery, Genetics and more. The R&D café has tools to help you build a business plan or learn how to get a loan. A working Fabber prototyping lab enables you to build 3D prototypes from a CAD file! If you have never heard of these things, then all the more reason to go to the museum. These technologies will be a huge part of life in the 21st century.

Of course not everyone is interested in science and technology so there is also a high-end television, video and audio production facility that can be toured and rented for private events and projects. Visitors can rent it to create a small movie or weekly television show. You can call ahead and make an appointment for a public tour. There is a fee for private use such as parties or projects. Fees are kept low so that anyone can have access to the technologies. There is also a printing and publishing lab with all the tools you need to produce a professional-looking zine or art poster.

I've just scratched the surface of what's available at this remarkable place, but I honestly loved it and wish there was something like it in Seattle. The visionaries behinds its creation have done a terrific service to the people of Milwaukee and I hope that other cities, including my own, will take note. The Discovery World really opened my eyes to the fact that Milwaukee was not at all the city that I had pictured in my mind but something radically different. Discovery World, 500 N. Harbor Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53202, TEL:414-765-9966.

WONDERFUL WINGS
Discovery World is located on Milwaukee's beautiful lake frontage and is adjacent to both the Summerfest fairgrounds and the awe-inspiring Milwaukee Museum of Art. A word or two on the museum is required here. You must see the museum if you come to Milwaukee. It is Sydney's Opera house. Seattle's Space Needle. It is an architectural gem both inside and out. It reminds me of some of the more fractal tropical shells I have seen, crossed with an old sailing ship. The first Santiago Calatrava-designed building in the United States, it features a 90-foot high, glass-walled reception hall enclosed by the Burke Brise Soleil, a sunscreen that can be raised or lowered creating a unique moving sculpture. The massive wings of the museum literally flap up and down at noon and sunset, weather permitting. It is a fine complement to the Discovery World's goal of connecting technology with the natural world.

We gazed across at the art museum as we left Discovery World, then headed for lunch across the street at Coast Restaurant. Eating at Coast is a terrific way to experience the Milwaukee coastline. From the deck, while you savor the warm calamari and crab cakes appetizer, the Calatrava wings beckon like the open sail of an Elvish white ship. The food seems fresher with such a view and as you quench one appetite, delicious bite by bite, your appetite for the museum and the wonders that must lie inside grows. By the time you finish your entrée, a tuna Nicoise salad, you are settled, rejuvenated and hungry for the next adventure. Coast Restaurant, 931 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202, TEL: 414-727-5555.

A WALK THROUGH THE CITY
After lunch, I opted for a walk through the city. I found Milwaukee to be a surprisingly nice city for walking. It seemed that in any direction there was a beautiful pedestrian thoroughfare to travel. Whether along the waterfront through the grand park or along the Milwaukee River, right into the heart of the city. Unlike so many other cities, my poor Seattle included, Milwaukee benefited from a period of Socialist leadership in the 1900s. Certainly Socialism is no societal panacea, but anything in moderation can be beneficial. In Milwaukee's case, the result is a city that left some of the prime real estate open for public enjoyment. A peek at Google Earth shows that much of the lakefront around Lake Michigan is either a park or is publicly useable. Frederic Law Olmsted designed the major park in Milwaukee. Frederic designed another small park in NYC, Central Park. There is also a nice walkway along the river, which gives you access to some of the best parts of the city.

I chose the urban route and headed into the city from the lakefront until I reached the Milwaukee River. At the river, I headed north on a journey that would take me to the Historic Third Ward, on through the heart of the city and finally to my ultimate destination, the Lake Front Brewing company.

THE THIRD WARD
The Historic Third Ward boasts the highest concentration of art galleries in the city, numerous restaurants, unique specialty stores, architects, advertising agencies, graphic designers, artists, the Milwaukee Public Market, the Broadway Theatre Center, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design as well as condominiums, office buildings and industrial space. A tremendous amount of money and energy has gone into revitalizing this section of the city and the project is ongoing. But visitors to Milwaukee should not miss the opportunity to explore the myriad shops, restaurants and galleries here.

MILWAUKEE ALE HOUSE
While walking along the river, I came across the Milwaukee Ale House. Being somewhat parched from my difficult journey, I ventured inside for a refreshment. The Ale House has a riverside deck for when the weather is warm and from there you can watch the Chicago boaters pull up to their weekend party condos while drinking a fresh local brew. It used to be that schooners would pull up there for new sails once they had been shredded by the gales of Lake Michigan. Back then, this old warehouse sold nails and sails but in 1997, the new owners converted it to a strictly food and ales shop. It’s big and warehouse-y inside with plenty of tables for tipping back the homemade brews and room for dancing. If you are patient and plan on coming back, you can buy a mug space on the wall for $30 and hang your mug alongside other dedicated patrons. When you pull up to your private boat slip, your mug will be waiting for you. There's a wait for space though, so be sure to sign up soon. Space is limited. Milwaukee Ale House, 233 N. Water St., Milwaukee WI, 53202, TEL: 414-226-2336.

EISNER ADVERTISING MUSEUM
From the Ale House I wandered out into the streets of the Old Third Ward in search of The Eisner American Museum of Advertising Design. The museum was on my list of things to do because my father has been in advertising his whole life. I have had more than a few arguments with my dad over the years about the good and bad side of the advertising industry and it seemed to me that a museum honoring the industry might shed some new light on an old conversation. Turns out I was right. As you walk in the door, there's a Big Boy staring you in the face with a sign reading "Historians and archaeologists will one day discover that the ads of our time are the richest and most faithful reflections that our society ever made of its entire range of activities." Walking around The Eisner brings this home in a way that I can't quite convey any better than Eisner himself. To see the ads from another age, the '60s for example, is to peer through the looking glass at a world that is both familiar and yet fundamentally shifted from our own. It's a trip through time and a trip all around. Next time I go to Milwaukee, I hope my dad is with me. The Eisner American Museum of Advertising Design, 208 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, 53202, TEL: 414-847-3290.

From The Eisner, I headed back toward the river, past the historic Milwaukee Public Market, and for a while I was content just to walk alongside the old buildings, occasionally settling on a bench to watch the boaters cruise past. And then I found a book. A traveling book. Moby Dick, in point of fact. A traveling Moby Dick left on a riverside bench for whoever felt the need to sit and read. It has been a few years since I've seen ol' Ahab hunt his whale and I found it not the least bit curious that this particular book should be placed in my path. So I sat for a spell and hunted down some of the passages that had stuck. ". . . because truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself." The Milwaukee River boasts such contrasts at every turn. Historic shipping warehouses are converted into museums themselves overshadowed by modern glass towers hosting the industries of the information age even as they reflect sunlight down to the remains of the industrial age. Rust and flower. River and road. Conservation and progress. I left Moby Dick on the bench and, satisfied with my direction, headed into the present and the heart of the city.

I passed lovers under bridges. British telephone boxes. Weekend boaters celebrating a moment on a warm dry dock, drinking in both sun and ale. The urban canyon stretched upward around me until it blocked out the sun and all around I could hear the wild honking of impatient commuters and the babble of excited tourists. I never felt the press of humanity, though I walked beneath the feet of countless thousands. Milwaukee is not a busy city when compared to the megatropolises of NYC, Chicago and LA. More like Portland, Oregon in scale and energy. And it was not long before I found the high walls coming down and the dense, low-roofed sprawl springing up. I know that were I to venture upwards out of my protected river walk, I could get lost in the many vibrant neighborhoods that ring the city. But my destination was rising up out of the river ahead and I was determined to get there and back again to the city before dusk.

THE LAKEFRONT BREWERY
The Lakefront Brewery sits on the edge of the Milwaukee River. Naturally. It is nothing to look at inside or out. If you've been to your local bar or brewery and you are expecting polished wood, stainless steel holding tanks, pool tables and friendly wait staff, you are going to be sorely disappointed. And if you like your tours neat and tidy with yellow lines to indicate where you may and may not stand, glass walls to set you apart from the machinery and a well-rehearsed and scripted tour guide, best call ahead for a tour of the old Miller brewery 'cause this ain't the place. This is a beer-lover's brewery. It's fun, casual, unrehearsed, you can touch the fermentation tanks, and sit on the fresh bags of organic hops. You can drink beer so fresh that you can literally kick the tank it's been brewed in. And you will laugh. Not because the place itself is funny but because the folks who work here are so lighthearted and happy to be working here that laughter naturally spills from their cup to yours. Only at The Lakefront Brewery will you see the Three Stooges immortalized on a fermentation tank. And only at the Lakefront will you see a savant like Sara Beth, our "beer consultant" perform a nearly flawless rendition of Laverne and Shirley's title song in front of a beer-bottle-capping production line. Though a small fish in the world of beer, the Lakefront boasts a proud and tasteful history. The Lake Front follows the German Purity Law of 1384 and uses only fresh ingredients to make their beer. In 1996, The Lakefront was the first brewery to use both organic hops and malt for the first truly organic beer in the US. It was also the first brewery to recognize the needs of those with an intolerance to wheat and so, having successfully lobbied the US government to alter the very definition of beer to include not just hops and barley, it produced the first fruit beer in the US. If you're looking for a fun and casual beer brewery experience with a historical twist, hilarious hosts and delicious beer then check out The Lakefront. No need to call ahead. Check out the website for tour times and just show up. Lakefront Brewery LLC, 1872 N. Commerce St., Milwaukee, WI, 53212, Tel: 414-372-8800.

NEXT WEEK
Here ends part one of my journey. Part two continues next week as I visit Summerfest, the world's largest music festival, confront old age in the faces of ancient Pyromaniacs, find myself staring down the barrel of a fully loaded MTV video camera and lose myself in a relic of the Cold War.

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