Smalltown wanderin’ and musin’–

We are honored to be here now: in this universe, in this galaxy, in this solar system, on this planet, on this continent, in this country, in this state, in this town, and on this street just wanderin’ and musin’ about our mysterious existence.  But we don’t focus on the mystery of it all too much because it is not meant to be grasped by our puny minds. . .rather, we choose to simply breathe the air, hear the sounds around us, see what is seeable, touch what is touchable, taste what is tasteable, and feel gratitude for it all.  The state of Wisconsin continues to seduce us, and we continue to be willing seducees. . .jaaaa!

I send you calming vibes from the streets of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. . .feel them. . .they can help you appreciate all that is going on around you wherever you are.

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It’s lovely out there.

Wanderin’ around in Cream City–

BAM!  It’s Cream City, aka, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. . .we love this cozy town on the banks of Lake Michigan. . .mmm, aaaaahh!

Like many midsize cities in America the downtown area of Milwaukee is mostly dead on the weekends. . .folks don’t live downtown, they work downtown, then head home after 5 or 6 p.m. on workdays and stay home on the weekends. . .’home’ being the surrounding suburbs like Delafield, Nashotah, Oconomowoc, Shorewood, etc.  The downtown deadness means that we have the whole place to ourselves for wanderin’, explorin’, and general photo-takin’.  The corner of “bloody mary” and “Sunday brunch” is a particular delight for us given the fact that the bloody mary is our favorite cocktail on Earth–at least this week. . .the bridges that span the Milwaukee River are fun for traversing as we make our way through the heart of town. . .the public market is filled with lots of good things to eat and drink–the best seafood restaurant in town is in there, a place called the St. Paul Fish Company. . .and of course we have the lake front with the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), walkways, bike paths, snack shops, cafes, etc.  WOW!  It is wonderful having this all to ourselves. . .thank you to everyone for staying in the ‘burbs during our visit–jaaa!

I send you crisp and wide-open vibes from the streets of Milwaukee. . .feel them. . .they will make you feel city-fied in a cozy smalltown way.

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It’s lovely out there.

Great grub…Milwaukee–

POW!  Here we are puttin’ on a major feed at Meritage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and everything is quite good.  The chef/owner, a woman called Jan Kelly, is closing this place at the end of August, and we are eager to see why people love her cooking so much before she leaves town.  Most of her ingredients are locally sourced, she attempts to keep the menu seasonally focused, and her cooking is simple and straightforward. . .mmmm, aaaahh!

Our meal is slow in coming because there are staff issues and supply availability issues with the impending closing. . .nevertheless, we eventually gobble some grilled octopus–as locally sourced as possible:-)…duck nachos–totally tasty and a house specialty…bison brisket–tender and delectable…and a grilled smoked pork loin–absolutely wonderful. . .and all of this is washed down with a great Italian white. . .jaaaa!!  Jan Kelly knows how to cook. . .her food is totally satisfactory. . .so happy to sample her cooking before she moves on.

If you find yourself wandering around in Milwaukee lookin’ for somethin’ good to fill your belly with, then seek out Meritage before the end of August–you cannot go wrong here, I gar-ron-taaaay!

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It’s lovely out there.

Birthplace of the butter burger–

MMM!  Here I am slurping down the double-double bacon cheeseburger at Solly’s Grille just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and this baby is delectable…jaaaa!

Solly’s is the birthplace of a Wisconsin specialty called the ‘butter burger.’  A butter burger is simply a hamburger of any type: cheeseburger, baconburger, bacon-cheeseburger, double patty, triple patty, quadruple patty, etc.. . .with butter slathered on the bun before it is served to you.  That’s it.  And we are not talkin’ bland Land-o-Lakes butter here…no, no, no…we are talkin’ heavy-duty, super-creamy, lightly-salted Wisconsin butter thickly applied to the bun so that it is all oozing and dripping when it arrives in front of me.  Look closely above, and you can see the butter pooling on my plate as I gobble away. . .in fact, it is dripping everywhere, and I am simply dipping my burger into the liquified butter because it is so tasty and cuz I don’t want to waste any of this creamy goodness.

In short, I say that you must visit this place the next time you find yourself hangin’ out in Milwaukee.  Solly’s is just a short drive north up the Interstate heading out of town. . .Google or GPS it to find the exact location.  This is a humble, straightforward, and tasty diner that is totally worthy of your attention. . .plus, you get to pay homage to the birthplace of a Wisconsin classic: the butter burger. . .much tastier here than at any of the Culver’s that you see all over the state. . .always best to go with the original and experience a little culinary history. . .mmm, aaaahh!

I send you artery-clogging vibes from Solly’s Grille. . .feel them. . .they are not so bad for you in moderation.

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It’s lovely out there.

Most outrageous bloody mary!

KAPOWY!  Here we are getting ready to devour the ‘Bloody Chicken Beast’ at Sobelman’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. . .jaaa!  This is a bloody mary served in a beer pitcher and topped with a WHOLE FRIED CHICKEN, a small hamburger, cheese curds wrapped in bacon, cheese curds stuffed with bacon, olives, pickles, cherry tomatoes, peppers, shrimp, sausages, chunks of cheddar cheese, whole scallions, and about a dozen stalks of celery…plus it comes with an order of french fries and multiple pints of beer chasers. . .mmmm, aaaahh!

The answer is, ‘YES,’ for those of you asking if we were able to consume this whole thing.  The fried chicken is actually quite tasty, and all of the other food items are tasty and gobble-worthy as well. . .though, funny enough, the bloody mary itself is one of the most bland and unimpressive bloody marys that we have had in a long time–not spicy, mildly flavorful, and only minimally alcohol-tasting.  Maybe this is for the better because we are stuffed after ingesting this Beast. . .it supposedly serves 4-6 people, but my wife and I put the whole thing away in no time at all–YES!  You might say that we are BEAST WORTHY–jaaa!!

So, if you ever find yourself in Milwaukee and you want something fun to do, then just head on over to Sobelman’s–we prefer the original location here on St. Paul Ave.–order a Beast with fried chicken, and get ready to enjoy the wildest bloody mary that I have ever seen. . .you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaay!

I send you beastly and bloody vibes from Sobelman’s in Milwaukee. . .feel them. . .they are good for your circulation.

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It’s lovely out there.

Sunrise, sunset…Milwaukee–

BOOM!  The sun creates some interesting light when bouncing off of Lake Michigan here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  In the end, everything is really about the light, or The Light. . .we look for it, we feel it, we need it to see, and it enlivens us…The Light does.  Plus, a bloody mary or three bring additional clarity. . .mmmm, aaaahh!!  And they have some damn good bloody marys at The Iron Horse Hotel. . .so pop on over here some time, check in, do some sippin’, and let the light wash over you.

I send you clarifying vibes from Milwaukee. . .feel them. . .they can help you move upward and onward today.

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It’s lovely out there.

Drinks, snacks, hotel bar…mmm!

YES!  The bar in The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serves up solid beverages, tasty food, and a wonderful atmosphere. . .we are just gonna spend our evening here, thank-you-veddy-much!

We ingest an Aperol spritz, a glass of whiskey, glasses of Albarino, and glasses of local beers like Spotted Cow, Riverfront Brew, a Pilsener from Minnesota, etc.. . .all of this is necessary to help us wash down the house chicken wings–good but a tad too sweet and Asiany for us…pigs in a blanket–perfectly cooked with a real “snap” to them as we bite into the tubed meat…and a really good fish fry of cod and crispy French fries–our favorite fish fry in all of Wisconsin so far–jaaa!

Most importantly, everyone here is really nice to us. . .our wait-dude is easygoin’ and into movies, so we get to chat a bit about film every time he brings us another item to eat or drink. . .always love stuff like this when it happens naturally and genuinely. . .we can eat, drink, and discuss movies all night long!

Anyway, I send you relaxing vibes from the bar in The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee. . .feel them. . .they will help you sleep real well tonight.

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It’s lovely out there.

#1 hotel, Milwaukee–

MMM!  We love it here. . .this place gets our vote for the number one hotel in all of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. . .it’s called The Iron Horse Hotel, and it ROCKS!

We drive up to the hotel in its warehouse district-type location, a valet dude parks our car for us in a prime spot without me even asking for it–niiiice!…we pop on in to the front desk, the desk woman says, ‘you must be David’ after I announce that we just received our check-in text from them, she gives us our keys, asks us if we would like a ‘check-in cocktail’, we ask, “what is the cocktail?’, she says, ‘it’s an Arnold Palmer whiskey,’ we say, “uhm, YES, we will have two,” and it is delicious–jaaaa!

We then head up to our room–a corner space with a king bed–and it is wonderful.  Spacious, clean, totally tricked out with snacks, minibar, and Bigelow bathroom products. . .we drop our bags, splash our faces, and enjoy the views of Milwaukee while finishing our tasty Arnold Palmer whiskeys.  Damn, I think we are gonna have to come back here again and again. . .mmmm, aaaahh!

I strongly recommend that you consider staying in The Iron Horse Hotel the next time you visit Milwaukee. . .you will love it here–I gar-ron-taaaaay!

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It’s lovely out there.

Oldest restaurant in Wisconsin–

BOOM!  Here it is…the oldest restaurant in all of Wisconsin: The Red Circle Inn in Nashotah, a suburb of Milwaukee.  We pop into this place on our way to Milwaukee primarily out of curiosity and some hope of an old-world-charm experience, but what we find is a totally refurbished place that is now a somewhat respected dining spot for suburbanites looking for some tasty food and good drink served up in a calm environment.  In fact, it is so calm here that I would call it somewhat staid. . .they play songs like “That’s Amore!” and “I’ve Got You Under My Thumb” on the sound system plus lots of other old Sinatra recordings for the reserved crowd. . .oh boy!

Fortunately, the food they serve here is delicious. . .we do a bunch of small plates and then get the heck out of dodge.  Some of the snacks that we gobble include escargots, scallops wrapped in bacon, Manhattan clam chowder (a Friday specialty), and crab cakes. . .all skillfully cooked and served with a smile–niiiice!  If the vibe and atmosphere were more fun, then we would have had more fun here. . .nevertheless, it is an honor to sample some food in Wisconsin’s Oldest Restaurant–in operation for over 150 years–and we hope that they continue to enjoy success out here in the suburbs of Milwaukee for at least another 150 years. . .jaaaa!!

I send you steady-as-she-goes vibes from The Red Circle Inn in Nashotah, Wisconsin. . .feel them. . .they will help you stay on the straight-and-narrow today.

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It’s lovely out there.

Dinner at New Glarus Hotel–

BAM!  A polka band is playing, old folks are dancing, families are gobbling, and we are extremely happy to be here.  Dinner at the New Glarus Hotel restaurant is the thing to do on a Saturday night in “America’s Little Switzerland”. . .mmmm, aaaahh!  Tonight we are ingesting jaegerschnitzel, piccataschnitzel, roesti (Swiss fried potatoes), Swiss onion soup, and multiple pints of Spotted Cow to wash everything down. . .damn, this stuff is GOOD!  I mean really good. . .we are thinking that this is quite possibly the tastiest meal that we have had since embarking on our adventure here in Wisconsin.  The people here at the hotel are totally sweet, everyone is going out of their way to make us feel welcome and satisfied, and the band–a group of three brothers–is really good…playing polkas, German tunes, pop tunes, etc.  What a lovely atmosphere. . .what an honor to be here. . .what an honor to be alive right here, right now. . .jaaaa!!

I send you gloriously satisfying vibes from the restaurant in the New Glarus Hotel in south central Wisconsin. . .feel them. . .they don’t get any better than this.

To see more magical images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .so much to see and soooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.