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Milwaukee
Saturday 24th June
We set off early for our trip to Milwaukee today we start off on route 2 South Then after Escanaba we go onto route 41 which will take us down into Wisconsin and Green Bay where we are planning a little stop off to go to the Green Bay Packers stadium and do a tour,
We stop off at a little town called Peshtigo and go into a little family ru diner for breakfast and it is a great place and really friendly,after having our usual we continue our journey South
After about an hour and a half we arrive at Lambeau Field home of the Green Bay Packers and after struggling to find anywhere to park we find that there is an ironman contest going on inside and outside the stadium today and a security guard tells me that they might not be doing Stadium tours today but we go inside the Atrium and find out that they are,after purchasing the tickets we are shown the stadium bu two lovely ladies who explain the history of the team and the stunning stadium,
We are taken pitchside and led out of the players tunnel and into the vast arena(81,000) capacity it is a fantastic view up into the vast auditorium from low down,we are shown inside a corporate box and given lots of info on all things Packers we part company with our two wonderful hosts and go and buy a little tat as momentous from this lovely interlude on our trip to Milwaukee.
We continue and about 90 minutes later stop at a small town on the lake called Port Washington,a lovely picturesque town and we go onto the pretty beach,there are a lot of small dead fish on the beach and we wonder if it has anything to do with being next to a huge power station.
Continuing the trip we arrive in Milwaukee and after getting a bit lost we find the Plaza Hotel and check in it's a nice hotel and has lots of Art Deco features and fittings,our room is right next to a little outside area that serves breakfast and beer in the evenings.
We go for a walk to find dinner and explore the town,it has a lovely river walk and a noisy little Irish distributor that we avoid and we go in a place called Pier 106 and Jackie has Perch tacos and I have a burger which both are very nice and quite nice,
We carry on our investigation and after taking photos of each other next to a bronze bad statue of the Fonz we walk back home and have an early night with a drink
Sunday 25th June
Up early we try to have breakfast at the hotel but after being told there will be a 30 minute wait we decide not to hang around for one of the 15 or so empty tables to become available and walk into town and eat at a place in the main road which is a pub with an enormous long bar,we decide to sit outside as it is a great sunny day but there is nobody about and after we have eaten we stroll down the river walk and head back to the hotel and we went back out and walked up to the lake through Juneau park where there is a smaller lake with people canoeing on it we walk further round and people are flying kites and cycling,
It's a lovely huge park with a marina in one corner
We carry on and walk past the Milwaukee Art museum and decide that we will go there tomorrow,the weather today is glorious as we walk through the town and get some wine and Bourbon and head back to the room for a drink or two before dinner.tonight we walk up to a place called the Knick to eat and I have the ribs once more and Jackie has Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with pine nuts all washed down with beer and cider.
A lovely day once again and we head back to our hotel for post dinner drinks
Monday 26th June
Got up and had breakfast at the hotel,Jackie had poached egg on Avocado and I had Corned Beef Hash just for a change,
It's all very nice.
We freshen up and set off to the Milwaukee Art Museum,the weather today is overcast bordering on a bit chilly at times,
The museum is housed in a stunning building right on the lakefront and it is all pure white and shaped like a sailing ship,we pay the entrance fee and proceed to the Pop Art Exhibition which has various furniture and toys and paintings by Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol amongst others,we look at boring portraits in the next section and then go downstairs and look at the exhibition which featured old toys,birds and various children's playthings,
We now go up to the top floor which has modern sculptures and the like
We go down a floor and buy some tat in the gift shop and finally go to the Rashid Johnson exhibition which consisted of giant ceramic tile artwork that was quite good
It's a lovely Museum and a couple of hours well spent
On walking back through town it is really quite chilly now so we walk through the skywalk that is an elevated walkway that goes through various parts of the city and has a few shops in it,
On returning home we have beer,wine and Bourbon then head out to a restaurant a couple of blocks away from us called Buckleys which is a little more upmarket and Jackie has crab salad and I have Shrimp and Oyster salad it is all really nice and we have various beers and ciders to wash it down,for desert Jack has carrot cake and I have Key Lime Pie with blueberry topping it is all delicious,a tad expensive but very very nice,we retire to the hotel and end our night once more with beer,wine and Bourbon
Tuesday 27th June
We wake to more wonderful sunshine and I go to the market across the street and get some bread,cheese and fruit and juice for breakfast in the room and very nice it is too.
We shower and walk through town to the Harley Davidson Museum about 2 miles away it's a hot walk and after a bit of a rest we buy tickets and enter the museum it's a fascinating place with cars bicycles and obviously many,many motorbikes there is a section where you can sit on some of them and have photos.
We visit the race of gentlemen exhibition which is all about a rece event they have on the beach every year,well when I say race it's just an excuse for a days posing.
We stroll back and have a bit of a sit down on the river walk and take in the sunshine then we go to Milwaukee Public Market which looks good but on closer inspection the fish,meat and fruit and veg is not of the best quality and massively overpriced.
After heading home we have the usual few drinks before going to dinner at a place just down the road from us called Louise's,an Italian restaurant,the waiter is ridiculously over the top,Jackie has pizza and I have blackened Shrimp with fettuccine which isn't the best meal ever but it's very filling
A few drinks at the hotel and then sleep is once more the order of the day
Wednesday 28th June
We wake this morning to overcast skies with a bit of rain so after breakfast in the room again we decide to have a bit of a drive around the city,
We start off going through downtown and then heading to the east which is a bit rougher than most of the other places,then we go through a few more neighbourhoods that vary immensely and then we go to a county park with an observatory in it before heading to The outskirts of town to Miller Park the home of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team,another fantastic stadium which has at the front a small arena called the Helfaer park where there is a little league game going on and it's a great sight to see the kids out playing in there own little arena overshadowed by the vast arena next to it
We go inside Miller Park and into the gift shop and buy a few things before wandering the concourse and taking a few photos,when a man that works there as a tour guide talks to us and asks us if we would like to go pitchside,we excitedly agree and he takes us down to the basement then invites Jackie to open this huge heavy gate that he has just unbolted and when she does it unveils the most amazing view from pitchside into the huge arena enclosed by the sliding roof bacause of the rain today,
He gives us the full info about the. Stadium and pitch and also the mascot that slides down a huge flume every time the home side scores a home run with fireworks to boot.we feel quite special to have gotten a private tour for free and remark what a lovely man he is to do this while he is waiting to take his next group of paying customers on what we have just done.
We head back to town in the drizzle and fill the car up ready for our final journey back to Chicago tomorrow then back to the hotel
A few drinks later and all packed ready for home we head out for dinner and decide to return to the Knick again as the food was good,
Jackie has blackened shrimp and I have fried chicken with mashed potatoes,greens and sausage gravy and once more it is all delicious
We also have one last desert and I have crime brûlée and Jackie has an enormous chocolate cake,both are delicious,
It's been another great day which again has been a holiday full of diversity,
We sit in the restaurant watching the phenomenal storm going on outside and when it has nearly stopped we make a dash for our hotel,both of us are absolutely stuffed so it's quite a slow dash
Back at the hotel we have a beer and wine and are soon asleep
Thursday 29th June
We awake early for the dreaded trip home and pack our final things and have coffee before checking out and driving the short distance to Miss Katie's Diner for breakfast
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