Wisconsin! How is it? Why do I like it so much?

Beautiful

• I love the flat endless landscapes with fields, huge barns, cows, and big skies. Right now the trees are in color. Rural New England has hills and stone walls. The farms are smaller. The scenery is sweet. In the Midwest the land is vast and powerful.
  

German

• In Wisconsin, names reflect the heritage of early settlers. In the mid 1800's immigrants came from places like Germany, Belgium, and Luxemburg. Today's Wisconsinites are invariably fair-haired and blue-eyed. Streets, businesses and people have names like Kurz, Kaufman, Schroeder. Years ago people still spoke German and German newspapers were common. See NPR "In Rural Wisconsin, German Reigned For Decades". Today German language is still taught in Wisconsin schools and you occasionally see translations. Note that the dentists in photo below identify themselves as Zahnarzt. Summertime festivals feature brats, kraut, beer and German bands.
  

Death notice published 1899 Die Wahrheit, Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Beer

• A lot less fancy wine drinking here. People drink beer with their supper. Good draft beer is readily available everywhere.
  

Dairy

• As soon as you cross the border, you'll know you are in the dairy state. On the highway, cars flaunt America's Dairyland license plates. Shops entice you to come in, try and buy delicious local cheeses. Restaurants put real butter on the table. Wisconsinites like butter plus it is actually illegal for restaurants to not give it to them. Bet you did not know that up until the 60's the sale of "margarine" was illegal in Wisconsin. It had to be bootlegged in from Illinois! See article about Wisconsin's Butter Laws. If it comes from the cow, Wisconsin has it for you.

So many to choose from at the Cheese Shop

Cedar Crest Ice Cream truck outside the Manitowoc plant and shop

With Pat and Stan

We spent a wonderful day in Lakevilla, Illinois, near the Wisconsin border, with our dear friends Pat and Stan whom we know from when we lived in Chicago so many years ago.

We ate like kings: steaks and a fantastic breakfast.

Stan's idea of a serving of steak for one person! I could only eat half!

Pat and Stan love their pets, which includes 3 energetic dogs, a kitty and 6 very exotic birds. Pat raises birds. Her birds are beautiful and they talk and sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

Here is Pat with her beloved Sadie.

Milwaukee
After we left Pat and Stan we met Bruce's cousin Sara at Cafe Hollander in Milwaukee. Sara comes from a small Wisconsin town which she visits monthly, but has been enjoying the fun like in the capital city. Cafe Hollander serves great beers and good food. I had a local draft beer and their version of "Mussels Wittekerke Ale" with whole grain mustard, cream, and ale-braised onions.

Goodbye Chicago

It was much too short. Could have stayed in Chicago much longer, but after bagels and some photos, we pushed on to Wisconsin.

Here we are with Vikki and Ron outside their gorgeous Oak Park home.

Kirk, Bruce, Vikki and Ron

More Chicago and Oak Park

More driving around Chicago and Oak Park. We visited Bruce's friend Mel and did a short tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's homes.

In the afternoon we went to the Conservatory in Garfield Park. Bruce and Vikki had lots of fun examining a white salamander who was hiding in the foliage. We also saw Oprah's studio.

A typical Chicago scene for us.

Bruce with his IIT and Peace Corps buddy outside Mel's Oak Park house.

A Frank Lloyd Wright home in Oak Park

Bruce with his cousin Vikki in Oak Park

Great Day in Chicago

We spent great day in Chicago. Did a drive all around the city seeing the various neighborhoods and took walks along the lake, in Millenium Park, and down Michigan Avenue with a stop at one of Chicago's newest landmarks, the Marilyn Monroe statue.

Bruce holding up the Bean

Bruce holding up Marilyn Monroe.

For lunch we had a Chicago hotdog at Superdawg.
For dinner we had Belgian mussels at Hopleaf. These mussels were so good steamed in Belgian Wittekerke wheat beer. The accompanying frites were divine. Chicago is considered America's best restaurant city. Great pizzas, bratwurst, hamburgers and so many great chef's restaurants. Lots of pubs with large selections of domestic and foreign beers. With so many tourist attractions and good food, I could easily live here. Hey, I did live here and enjoyed every minute of it!

Dale and Nancy

We had a great visit with Dale and Nancy. Bruce and Dale always talk into the late night about all the fun they had growing up in Lincolnwood. Nancy made a delicious Penne with Bacon and Pumpkin. Nancy also showed all the interesting artifacts found on the family farm in central western Illinois, including old maps and arrow heads. Thursday we had lunch in Andersonville, the Swedish section of Chicago.

Arrive Chicago

Chicago viewed from Northerly Park, near Planetarium

Came into Chicago via Route 912 and the Skyway. After a visit to IIT, we took a short walk along Lake Michigan at Northerly Park (which used to be Meigs air field until Mayor Daley bulldozed it secretly overnight). Next we took a drive down Michigan Avenue then up Sheridan Road to our old neighborhood. Another short visit to the lake then off to see Dale and Nancy who live next door to Bruce's boyhood home.