"In wine there is truth"

Back to posting about the Market: One of my favorite date nights is to go to Thief Wine Shop in the Public Market.  I love the noise and energy of everything going on around me.  They have excellent wine choices and a really friendly staff.  I think the bar itself is fantastic.  It's made of multiple different woods and quite spectacular.   One of the really cool things about visiting the wine bar in the market is the ability to order or bring food from other places in the market to enjoy with your wine purchase.  If you are looking for a casual place to grab a glass of wine I highly suggest Thief in the public Market.   Check out their specials and their wine tastings at their site.

Looking for something fun to do in Milwaukee this weekend?  Check out Alverno Presents: Global Union!

Global Union is a two day concert (12-5) in Humbolt Park.  It is completely free and features 6 awesome bands!

"Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul."

One of the unique findings in the Milwaukee Public Market is Locker's Florist.  I have this romanticized idea of men in big cities showing up with flowers once a week because if there is a florist on every corner why wouldn't you?   While I realize this is no where near the norm nor would it be that exciting if you actually DID get flowers every week, flower stands in markets make me smile.  Locker's is great because they have unique bouquets, interesting terrariums and fun modern vases.  They have a wonderful mix for anyone looking for a gift.  I am a huge fan of their European hand-tied bouquets.  On Sundays, stop in for two for one roses!

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."

I am going to do a few days of posting about the Milwaukee Public Market. 

As a whole the Public Market is one of my favorite places to take Milwaukee visitors.  While I realize there are markets like this in other states, as far as Wisconsin goes the Public Markets like this are unique to Milwaukee.

The sunny building located in the third ward is home to a vast selection of unique, high quality prepared foods, artisan and ethnic products, spices, wine, candy, flowers and coffee.  Over the next few days I will feature each of these vendors but today I am focusing on the market as a whole

On the second floor of the market is the "Palm Garden" where you can take you purchases and eat in the warmth from the sunny windows.  Also found on the second floor is a kitchen where the market hosts cooking classes.

The market is the perfect place to stop for a bite, do a little work upstairs with a coffee, go out for a date or to bring out of town guests.

Read for the Record!

Hello Milwaukee!

What are you doing on October 6? How does breaking a world reading record while raising awareness about America’s achievement gap sound?

Join us as we participate in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record® presented in partnership with Pearson Foundation. Its a national campaign that mobilizes adults and children to close the early education achievement gap by setting a reading world record.

This annual campaign allows Americans to demand that all children receive the quality early education they deserve. On October 6, 2011, more than 2 million voices will call for an end to America’s early education achievement gap by readingLlama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney – setting a world record in the process!

We here in Milwaukee know how much this problem affects our youth... lets get out and read for them!

Get involved at www.readfortherecord.org to help Jumpstart close the early education achievement gap:

1. Pledge to Read: Submit your official pledge and help us reach more than 2.1 MILLION children.
2. Spread the Word: Use our simple tools to educate your friends and family about America’s early education achievement gap and invite them to read.

For more information visit www.readfortherecord.org

"Believe it or not, American’s eat 75 acres of pizza a day!"

and I am willing to bet at least an acre of that is Classic Slice in Milwaukee.   While I realize that pizza preferences are very personal, I think it would be hard to find someone who didn't think that Classic Slice pizza would classify as at least "good".  In my book it's FANTASTIC.   Recent yelp reviews have shown that a lot of people agree with me!

I remember the first time I ate a slice.   I kept telling Mark, "Oh my goodness.... this is the best pizza, omg it's so good.  Seriously, wow, this pizza is amazing."  He got a little tired of me after a while and said, "Why don't you write about it."  So my dear boy, here I go, approximately... 6 months later.

Classic Slice Pizza is now conveniently located in TWO Milwaukee neighborhoods, Bay View and North Ave.  As the name suggests they sell pizza by the slice and whole pies.  They also feature vegan pizza for those of you who like to avoid animal products.  My personal favorite is the Satyricon Sausage with features feta, sausage, mushrooms and peppers.

What makes Classic Slice is a success in Milwaukee is the "everyone is welcome, feel at home' vibe it sets off.  I think this might be an important part of their success because in my pizza loving experience I have noticed other by-the-slice places tend to cater to the bar crowd rather than the neighborhood folks.  This is not the case at Classic Slice.

The fact that this is the most authentic New York style pizza it town probably helps a ton too.  It has a sweeter more tomato-y sauce than your average pizza chain and their ingredients always seem to be the freshest of fresh.  The owner wanted you to be able to fold your slice in half, and boy can you ever!

My photographs don't do me justice - they just look like me.

If you are anything like me then you would agree that there is nothing that makes a party more fun than a photobooth. 

Well the ladies of The Living Photo booth have taken this practice to the next step.  Their business is like a blend of those "old time" photo places that dress you up all cheesy and part modern wedding photo booth... but cooler!  The ladies started the company in 2010 with a model that keeps people interacting with each other.  

What really sets this photo booth apart from others I've seen is they bring the props and unique backdrops.  They have a large collections of eye-glasses, mustaches, hats and boas, the usual suspects, but they also have large frames, paint brushes, cameras and other exciting add ons to make the snapshot more unique.  The clincher is that they create a custom backdrop for every event they go to.  For a book swap it is a backdrop that has words on it.  For a watercolor event it's a watercolor backdrop.  They tell people, "Give us a theme and we will bring the backdrop and the costumes." The photos cost $5 for a print copy, but they have digital copies too!

Bottom line, these ladies  and their Living Photo Booth rock.  I highly suggest booking them if you are planning and event.  Even if you aren't, I would "like" them on facebook to see where their next party is so you can join in the fun!

 

Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life

This weekend while the 'rents were visiting we went to look for new shoes.  Recently, I have decided that there are two types of shoes I buy, the cheap shoe for when I know I will only wear them a few times and the expensive shoe for when I know I will wear them all the time and I want my feet to feel "happy".   Shoo, in the Third Ward falls into a shop for the later of the two.

What I like about Shoo is that outside of selling TOM's everything they sell is extremely unique.  You can count on few people having the same shoes as you if you purchase from Shoo.  Secondly, even though their shoes are incredibly trendy they are also very comfy.  Being a person with wide feet I find this store to be a miracle because I can NEVER find cute feminine shoes that also feel good.  Finally, I'll be honest, I bought into the TOM's trend.  I got a pair and I was thankful that a store in Milwaukee had many colors!  

Bottom line, if you are looking for well made, comfortable shoes in a sunny little boutique, head to Shoo. While you are there it doesn't hurt to check out their cute purses/bags and jewelry too!

Back to the real life!

Over the last three weeks I have been pretty non-existent in the blogosphere and there is a reason... or maybe I should say an excuse.  In the last month, along with working, I babysat my beautiful one year old godchild for four days, and I refinished my entire dining room and during that time, I will be honest, I didn't experience enough of Milwaukee to tell you about it!

I put the tutu on... couldn't help it!

I am so thankful for the wonderful five days I got to spend with my goddaughter who is an energetic one year old full of life and curiosity!  Watching a child discovering new things is so entertaining; I love watching how her brain is working at this age.  During the time I was with her she was making great strides towards walking starting out walking between her parents and I and moving up to scurrying from one piece of furniture to the next.   This is an important time for me to make sure she knows who I am and recognizes me when I come back.  I hope that is true, because by the time I left, I had a godchild who now knew me well enough to greet me with Eskimo kisses or a smile.  I just can't get enough of that!

Dining room "Before"

Dining room "After"

While refinishing wood was significantly more stressful and daunting than partying it up with the babe, I feel like I emerged from the month victorious!  I can't tell you how badly I yearned for a way strip varnish faster and cleaner but at the end of the month I have a brand-new dining room.  I could not have finished this project alone, well maybe I could, but I know I wouldn't have my wits about me!  My parents and my "fairy grandmother" were loads of help.  Grandma spent four whole days helping me strip, clean and sand 90-year-old varnished woodwork, while Mom and Dad primed, painted, cleaned and decorated the room with me.   This is definitely one of those projects where when it's all said and done you feel the greatest sense of accomplishment.  Since this is technically a blog about Milwaukee and not about me and my crazy life, I will say this, I now have a very close relationship with just about everyone that works at the Home Depot on Holt Ave.  They provide amazing customer service and are very helpful when you are in need.  This particular location is found conveniently less than a mile from my home.  I have been there 17 times in 14 days.  I am sure I don't need to help Home Depot advertise because they are a common household name, but I will say this particular location has a lot of helpful people.  If you have questions, they have answers.

So that is about it.  I'm back to my normal life just like the students that are back to school for the first time this morning.  I look forward to sharing my adventures in Milwaukee with you once again!