PLACE: St. Paul's Fish Market

         St. Paul's is my favourite restaurant in the Milwaukee Public Market, a new building in an area of Milwaukee that has been the site of food markets for over one hundred years. The St. Paul's staffer in this photo is shucking oysters! My go-to meal is the Clam Digger Po' Boy, sometimes with a cup of New England Clam Chowder to start. 

THING: Neon Signs

  

                                                         
                              Almost every business in Milwaukee has at least one neon sign. Many have several. I've seen a neon sign in the window of a dental office! My theory is that because Milwaukee has always had many, many bars, and bars tend to favour this type of signage, other local businesses added/continue to add neon to better compete for attention in a visually noisy environment. Whatever the reason, the effect is cheering - it's Christmas all year 'round! Fun fact: neon lighting technology was imported from France and first used in the United States at a Packard dealership in California in 1923.                                                            

PERSON: Milwaukee Transit Bus Drivers

                                                Milwaukee bus drivers are a positive and very helpful group of people. A regular transit user, I experience their cheeriness on a daily basis and often witness their generosity to passengers. They welcome people who can't find their tickets (me!) and sometimes even people who "can't find" their tickets. Once I was running to catch a bus and waved at the driver to indicate I wanted to get on at the next stop and she pulled right over and picked me up! 

PLACE: Prospect Towers (MiMo in Milwau)

                                                                                 






             A little slice of Miami Modern on the shores of Lake Michigan. Looking up to the top floors of the Prospect Towers apartment building I can pretend I live in Florida, for a few seconds anyway, until the wicked winds coming off the lake blast me back to reality. Yes, I am a winter whiner.

THING: College Gothic 2: Electric Boogaloo

A more extreme example of the College Gothic architecture found on the east side of Milwaukee, previously discussed in this post. I think that's a sword over the doorway. Perhaps wizards live here!

THING: Living Under A Flight Path

I live under a flight path to General George Mitchell International Airport. Most people would find this situation annoying, but as an aviatophobe I actually find  it reassuring. So many planes fly by each day without crashing or blowing up I've been forced to admit that air travel isn't the life threatening activity I've always believed it to be. 

THING: Door County Cherries

Door County, WI is located on a peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan. The climate and soil are perfect for growing Montmorency cherries. These cherries taste better than any I've ever had. The good people at Alterra Coffee layer them with granola and vanilla yogurt to make a parfait that is, for me anyway, the crack cocaine of food.  

THING: College Gothic Apartments

Built in 1912, this is a typical example of the low-rise, red brick apartment buildings ubiquitous on Milwaukee's East Side. Most are three or four stories tall, with neo-gothic elements around doorways and windows. This architectural style is often referred to as College Gothic because of its prevalence on North American university campuses. Interiors are generally well-maintained and have high ceilings, hardwood floors, and built-in cabinets and shelving. 

THING: Red Bird Mural on Yellow House

Big red bird, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. One: You fly in a butter yellow sky. Two: You are like no other bird on Earth, completely red with a seagull's body and an eagle's wings. Three: You make me smile whenever I pass by, riding the Downer bus upwards to UWM.

PLACE: Sil's Drive-Thru on North Ave.

You can buy mini-donuts here... mini-donuts from

the future!

PLACE: Oriental Theatre on N. Farwell Ave.

When it opened in 1927, The Oriental was the height of glamour and sophistication. An over-the-top interpretation of East Asian/South Asian cultural motifs, the interior still leaves visitors in awe, a riot of gilt and red fabric. Highlights include six big Buddhas, eight porcelain lions, and twenty-six baboon monsters with glowing green eyes.

PLACE: 100 East Building on Wisconsin Ave.

I always assumed this tower was about eighty years old, but found out recently it was built in 1989. Materials and design details are meant to evoke the Pabst Building, which occupied the site from 1892 until 1980. Fun fact: At 37 stories, this is Wisconsin's second tallest building.