Aaah, Milwaukee. Or, if you prefer it Wayne's World style: "Mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land." Thanks
Alice Cooper (fast forward to minute 1:45)! Home to the Miller Brewing Company, Harley-Davidson, the Brewers, Summerfest,
Laverne & Shirley, Kohl's Department Stores,
Usingers Sausage House,
Happy Days, a wicked cool
Art Museum and copious numbers of German descendants (ME!). Not
to mention Les Paul, Liberace, Gene Wilder, Danny Gokey, Bob Uecker and um, well, er... Jeffery Dahlmer. Also, sort of home. Granted, I grew up about 25 minutes from Milwaukee, but still, it was THE city.
It was where I went to see Michael Jordan play in his prime, where I went to see No Doubt and REM back in the day, it is where my college boyfriend lived (ugh, let's not go there), where I
went to the
old County Stadium to watch Bernie Brewer slide into his giant mug of beer, and now Miller Park where we watch the Brat, the Hot Dog, the Polish Sausage, the Italian Sausage and the Chorizo race every game night. (
See right. God, if that stuff doesn't make you just love this town, I don't know what will.) It is where I always went with my parents to Big Fun Things (like the ballet, theater, sporting events, State Fair, etc.). No, it wasn't like growing up near Chicago or some place bigger or cooler, but it was still pretty great.
Being from Milwaukee also predisposes you to drinking Miller beers (also,
Lienenkugle's. Nom nom nom.
Summer Shandy and Honey Weiss, I love you!). And see that photo to the left? That is the Miller High Life (aka: "The Champagne of Beers") logo, the Girl in the Moon. I dressed up as her for Halloween a few years ago and it was the AWESOMEST costume ever. And no one got it. Sigh. The perils of not living in Wisconsin anymore. Anyway, the lady who was the model for the Girl in the Moon? Esther Moody. She was a ballerina and my Mom took ballet lessons from her when she was a twee little girl. See, practically in my blood to drink Miller beers.
And also, for the record, the Brewers' had the single coolest sports logo maybe ever in the history of sports (
see right). Seriously, look at that thing. A "M" for Milwaukee, a "B" for Brewers all fashioned into a stylish baseball mitt complete with a ball in the center of the "B". I tell you, why they ever got rid of this is beyond me.
Milwaukee is also home to, no jokes, the world's largest music festival. You heard right, Milwaukee. Wisconsin. Its name?
Summerfest. What
is it? It is essentially 10 days of beer, food, music, entertainment and crowds all situated right down on
the shores of Lake Michigan. Because it is "Cooler by the Lake" and that is actually true. While sometimes it can be far from fun, it is also wicked awesome because some really cool concerts come into town and yeah, beer! So that is where Beth and I are heading this weekend, just like we did last year, to go see our favorite band perhaps ever. Counting Crows. Sweetness.
This also means we get to do some serious people watching, because I have found that nothing brings out the crazies like the name Summerfest.
Witness this photo:
Sexy, right?
Nothing helps celebrate the world's largest music festival like mullets, Harley Davidson gear and spandex, often all in one outfit! All of which you will find in great abundance here. Just another reason to love Milwaukee. It isn't pretentious in the least. God Bless it.
So yes, that is where I am off to this weekend. I cannot wait. And for good measure, I will also be spending some quality time with, maybe my favorite town in the Midwest: Madison. But that is another post for another day. I hope y'all have a stellar weekend and when you raise your glass of beer and noshing on your bratwurst while relaxing in the summer sun, give a tip of your hat to Milwaukee.
