Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line runs regular commuter service between Chicago and Milwaukee offering too good an opportunity to “capture” Wisconsin to pass up. Early Saturday morning John, Crissa & I headed off to Union Station to board the 8:25 train to Milwaukee. The one and a half hour ride took us into the deeper snow and colder temps of Wisconsin, my fifth state to visit. I’m 10% to my goal!We only had five hours to get a taste of Milwaukee and after consulting my trove of travel articles decided to taxi directly to the recommended Beans and Barley (http://www.beansandbarley.com/) for a meal. Upon arrival we were apprised of a 45 minute wait which we took as a good sign. The time passed quickly as we perused the wares of the attached health food store. Finally seated we were not disappointed. This natural restaurant offered up wholesome, hearty breakfasts. It was all delicious but I could practically taste the heat of the summer sun in the strawberry jam with chunks of strawberries despite the gloomy, chill of February.
After a leisurely meal we donned our winter layers to walk the 2 miles to the Milwaukee Art Museum. It’s amazing how two miles can seem like 20 when you’re negotiating ice and slush and fording waist high snow berms to cross the street. We were giddy to make it to the cleared sidewalk fronting Lake Michigan where Crissa & I sang the Laverne and Shirley theme song much to John’s chagrin. See the Laverne & Shirley Opener at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mVKUpT4g5k
Santiago Calatrava is one of my favorite architects and I was eager to see his Milwaukee Art Museum in person. It did not disappoint. The magnificent structure seems to be poised for flight. We circled and finally entered the grand foyer. Our time was tight so we contented ourselves with touring the public spaces and are saving the collections for another day. From the brochures and signage I was very impressed with the accessibility and user-friendliness of the museum and hope to return to truly visit the museum, not just marvel at the structure.
We had just enough time to walk back to the Amtrak station so despite the plummeting temperature that’s what we did. My frequent wanderings through unknown cities is a piece of cake with the maps feature in my phone. How did I survive before? This time our walk took us through downtown Milwaukee and the edge of the historic area.
I can’t say that we got to know the city but we had a terrific introduction that left us all wanting more plus plenty of very fresh air and exercise.
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