Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wayne Campbell: So, do you come to Milwaukee often?
Alice Cooper: Well, I'm a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers began visiting here in the late 16th century.
Pete: Hey, isn't "Milwaukee" an Indian name?
Alice Cooper: Yes, Pete, it is. In fact , it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land."
Wayne Campbell: I was not aware of that.

Ok, so Milwaukee may not have an international reputation as a leisure travel destination, but my good friend Jason lives here and I have become very fond of the place over the years. If it is good enough for Wayne, Garth and Alice Cooper, it is good enough for me...Allow me to share some of my favorite things to do in "The Good Land".

An easy flight from Reagan National Airport, as most of you know, Milwaukee is just an hour north of Chicago on Lake Michigan.

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

Famous as the home of Miller Brewing Company, Harley Davidson Motorcycles and of course, Laverne and Shirley, Milwaukee is a mid-western industrial city that has developed a more diverse economy in recent years and is a great place to enjoy oneself.

My friend Jason had a number of good ideas of fun things to do, and I had some myself. One of the things I needed during my stay here was Frozen Custard. I had no idea what it was until I first visited here a few years ago. Frozen Custard is like ice cream, but it has eggs in it - in other words, it is DARN GOOD.

Leon's is a local landmark - Bill Clinton ate here on one of his midwestern political trips during the 1992 campaign. Hey, if it is good enough for Bubba...

One can almost imagine the kids from "Happy Days" stopping by here after the sock hop. I think thats Joanie and Chachie on the right....

Jason suggested a trip about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee to place called Holy Hill. This former Monastery dedicated to St. Theresa of Avila is now a pilgrimage site for Catholics. The church tower is open to the public and affords one sweeping views of the Wisconsin countryside, Milwaukee and Lake Michigan beyond.

St. Theresa herself:

Inside the tower - that is my buddy Jason

I was taken by the interesting patterns made by the afternoon sunlight coming in through the tower windows:

The view from the top:

Anyone see Quentin Tarrantino's masterpiece Kill Bill Volume 1? We found the "Pussy Wagon" in the parking lot of this holy place...

One of the things I like to do when I travel is go on factory tours. I know, pretty nerdy, but they can be really interesting and are always free! Jason knows this, and got us a reservation for the next day to visit the granddaddy of them all, the Kohler Factory in Kohler, Wisconsin...

The 7,000 employees of the Kohler Company make toilets, bathroom fixtures, and cast iron bathtubs here at their large facility half way between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

They did not allow photography inside the factory, but during the three hour tour, Jason and I saw clay slurry poured into moulds to make commodes and sinks, faucets being fabricated and electroplated, and huge vats of molten iron poured into moulds to make cast iron bathtubs. The latter was my favorite - cherry red-hot bathtubs swinging past on conveyors as they came out of the forge on their way to the cooling area before being glazed. Very cool. Nothing makes a factory tour worthwhile more than the potential to be horribly burned by an iron forge... If you are into such things, and find yourself in this part of the world, I recommend you set aside a morning to visit. The Harley Davidson Factory in Waukesha, Wisconsin is interesting - did that last time - but nothing compares to Kohler...

They did have a nice showroom where they artfully present their products - here is the wall of toilets... Inspiring, I know...

And a nice look at my favorite Kohler product - the Jacuzzi bathtub:

After a day in Kohler, Jason and I headed back to Milwaukee where we had a very good dinner at a Moroccan Place on the river and then took in a play at the local theater. Who says there isn't culture in the home of Lenny and Squiggy?

A few months ago when I decided to spend some time in Milwaukee this spring, I was hoping to catch a Brewers game at Miller Park. As soon as the tickets went on sale I jumped on a few right behind home plate for Jason, his girlfriend Shelby and I.

We started our evening by grilling up some Bratwurst in the parking lot. Here is Jason and Shelby, protected from the April chill by a stomach full of Bratwurst:

The main entrance to Miller Park - note the roof - it is retractable.

Our seats did not disappoint - we were in row five, right behind home plate. Miller Park is very nice - everything one could want from a modern ballpark.

Here is a shot of Jason and I wearing Brewers colors:

St. Louis Cardinal First Baseman Albert Pujols - 2005 National League MVP and future Hall of Famer - warms up in the on deck circle:

Jeff Suppan pitches to Albert Pujols - a fine match up.

Suppan was superb that night. He pitched a complete game and the Brewers defeated the reigning World Series Champions 7-1.

Since Major League baseball games are about entertaining the fans with more than just baseball, at Miller Park they have the famous "Sausage Race". Guys in sausage suits (Bratwurst, Hot Dog, Italian Sausage, Polish Sausage, and Chorizo) race around the field.

Bratwurst and Hot Dog are neck & neck!

Hot Dog pulls ahead of the German and wins!

In the competitive struggle for cased meat world domination, the USA wins again! God Bless America! (Jason tells me that Chorizo never wins - I hope it is not political...)

Next stop, Madison, Wisconsin - home of the Badgers (whatever they are...)