THINGS TO DO AND SEE...In the Milwaukee Area

THINGS TO DO AND SEE . . . In the Milwaukee Area
LABOR DAY WEEKEND, 2006


Dad/Dub/Elmer created this list of fun things to do and see while in Wisconsin. Cousin Kathy is already organizing a golf outing for Friday morning; and a bunch of us are getting excited about going to the opening ceremony of the Scottish Games Friday night. And Cousin Debbie has expressed interest in the Art Museum, instantly earning brownie points in my book, because I love that museum! But check out the list and see what catches your eye(s).

GOLF
Numerous good and affordable golf courses in the area. Go to www.golfmilwcircle.com for more details.





MUSEUMS

Milwaukee Art Museum: Even if you aren’t an art lover, the Calatrava addition to the museum with its folding wings is worth a look. Go to www.mam.org



Milwaukee Public Museum: Streets of Old Milwaukee, Indian diorama and interactive butterfly exhibits are outstanding. The I-Max theater is being renovated this summer and the projection equipment for a state of the art planetarium is being installed. Go to www.wpm.edu



Discovery World: Discovery World is a brand new, lake-front, hands on discovery museum. The recently built lake schooner, Dennis Sullivan, open to short Lake Michigan cruises, docks right next door. Go to www.discoveryworld.org



Old World Wisconsin: Located near Eagle, about 20 miles to the SW. Various types of pioneer construction erected by the different ethnic groups who settled Wisconsin. Some have authentically dressed re-enactors who are going about various chores and describe their activities and life in those times. Walkable but can be toured via horse drawn wagon on a hop off – hop on basis. Go to www.oldworldwisconsin.org



Circus World Museum: Located in Baraboo north of Madison and about 1-1/2 hour drive from Milwaukee. Features a great collection of working (well, they do require horses for motive power), circus wagons of all types. Go to www.circusworldmuseum.com



Experimental Aircraft Museum: Located along US 41 just outside of Oskosh about 1-1/2 hours drive north of Milwaukee. Great collection of all types of aircraft both indoors and out. Features an interactive kids section. Go to www.airventuremuseum.org



Railroad Museum: Located near Green Bay about 2-1/2 hours drive north of Milwaukee.
Items on display include one of the largest steam locomotives ever built and the British Railways locomotive that pulled General Eisenhower’s train in Europe during WWII. Go to www.nationalrrmuseum.org



SPORTS

Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers are in town over the weekend playing Florida at night on Friday and Saturday with a day game on Sunday. LA comes to town on Labor Day (day game) for a three game series. Sorry we couldn’t arrange for the Astros or Cardinals to be here but at least you American League followers will get a chance to see authentic baseball with the pitcher actually batting. Miller Park with its retractable roof is a must see. Go to www.milwaukeebrewers.com or call 414-902-4100 for tickets.



Green Bay Packers: Packers play Tennessee at 3PM, Friday, September 1, in exhibition in Green Bay. Lottsa luck getting tickets. Go to www.packers.com





EXPOSITIONS

Scottish Games. Three day (Friday through Sunday) Features various competitions to include pipe bands, dancing and sheep dog. Traditional Scottish foods available. Opening ceremony Friday night, September 1. Go to www.wisconsinscottish.org





RESTAURANTS

Many great restaurants of just about any type you can imagine in and around Milwaukee.
Just a few of our favorites are:



Eagans on Water: Located at 1030 N Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Phone 414-271-6900 for reservations. Complimentary parking in the building with validation of ticket.



Jakes: Located at 21445 W Capitol Drive right here in Brookfield. It’s just about a mile north of the folks' house. Phone number is 262-781-7995. Features steaks and onion rings.



La Fuente: Located at 625 S Fifth St. Milwaukee. Phone is 414-271-8595. Dad says: "Their shrimp soup is to die for and a meal in itself."



Pano’s Char House: Located at 20290 W Bluemound Road, Brookfield, it’s right across the road from the LaQuinta Inn.



Perkins: Right across Barker Road from Pano’s. Inexpensive but food quality is spotty and service usually slow.

Third Ward Café: Located at 225 E St Paul Ave in the historic Third Ward. Phone 414-224-0895 for reservations. If you go there tell Jane hello for Dad and Janet.



Weissgerber Restaurants: Several nice restaurants in downtown Milwaukee, Waukesha and on nearby lakes. Go to www.weissgerbers.com



Numerous other restaurants in the area, especially along Bluemound Road.





SIGHTSEEING IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE

Tours of Milwaukee: Go to www.milwaukeetours.net for an extensive list of tours, both by land and by water.



Numerous biking and hiking trails available in both Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.





FUN AND GAMES

Wisconsin Dells is about a two hour drive west of Brookfield on I-90/94. Lots of family entertainment. Boat cruises on the Wisconsin River take you through the Dells which are sandstone bluffs carved when the Wisconsin glacer melted some 25,000 years ago and released the waters of Lake Wisconsin down the river channel. Go to www.wisconsindells.com for more detail.

Wearing O' the Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, Orange (and Purple)

Got this delightful email from Janet's cousin, Tracy, who lives in Madison near the folks, and has become (along with her husband, Tom) one of "us" -- of course, she's only been exposed to us in relatively small doses, so she may rethink her position...
"Linda:
The blog is wonderful and I am ashamed to admit the very first I have visited. Work keeps me at the keyboard more hours a day than is human so sadly, e-mail, blogging, surfing etc. have all become torture. It's sad that such a fabulous tool has become far less than fun!

That said, I wanted you to know the blog looks great and I am enjoying learning a bit more about the Brown clan through not only the blog but your e-mail chains. Tom and I are truly looking forward to the reunion. It sounds like, thanks to your efforts, family is coming from far and wide:) I will proudly wear blue and hope you'll have name tags...I suspect I will only know about a dozen or so folks!!

For the record, I think the shirts are a fun idea and practical to boot! Tom's family has their reunions at Irish Fest every five years--it's really quite a hoot to see all those O'mallays sporting their green Lally Rally hats and visors. Yes, the reunions are called Lally Rallys (Lally is Tom's mother's maiden name) and each year we are sent green Lally Rally hats or visors--naturally it's hats for the men and visors for the ladies. Never let it be said that the Irish lack partying skills! We all make quite a spectacle roaming around Milwaukee's Summerfest grounds.

Hope your summer is off to a great start....see you in September!
Tracy"

Thanks, Tracy. Guess we'll have to see if the Scots can match the Irish in partying skills. Dad, you're gonna have to wear the kilt.

Sis Brown Turner family

This is my family. The far left is Derek and his wife, Michelle and son Andrew. On the right is Steve, his wife Nikki, daughters Lauren and Kirsten. Life is good, being a grandma!

The Many Shades of Brown

I know some folks have some trepidations about the matching color shirt idea. So, remember, no one is holding a gun to your head. But for those of you who do want to play along, here's a color wheel to help figure out how each one of us came to this party we're calling the Brown Family Reunion/Dub's Birthday Party. And, Merci, the color orange comes in many hues -- tangerine, apricot, pumpkin, peach frost (that one was Tim's contribution), as well as road cone.

The Start of It All

Having decided to post a picture of the birthday-to-be boy, I was stymied: so many options, over the years -- some innocent, some (mildly) incriminating -- which to use?

Sis Turner sent me this one, of baby Elmer and his niece Roberta. It seems fitting to start here, slightly faded, slightly out of focus, charming, nostalgic -- and holy cow! look at the forehead on that boy!

Dad, I love you. And this is just the beginning...

Linda

A Little Culture with Your Barbecue?

Tim and I love the Milwaukee Art Museum, and we make it a special point to visit it pretty much any time we visit the folks. Situated right on the lakefront, it has a wonderful modern collection, great sculpture, and a superb Flemish collection -- and those are just my favorites. They also have, of course, rotating or visiting collections. The museum was undergoing some renovation last time we were home, so we didn't get to see the full museum; we can't wait to visit it again to see what's changed. Group tours can be arranged, but need a little advance work, so let me know as soon as possible if you're interested.

Visit the museum website here: http://www.mam.org/visitorsguide/index.htm
For information on group tours, click here: http://www.mam.org/visitorsguide/grouptours.htm
But this is their blurb on the group tours:
With a new expansion and renovation that combines art, dramatic architecture and landscape design, the Milwaukee Art Museum is a must-see destination for group tours. Groups of 15 adults/seniors or more are eligible for group tours.
Tour our special exhibitions or our permanent collection. Stop for lunch in our lakefront restaurant, shop in our new expanded museum store and enjoy unique views of the city and lake from outdoor terraces and The Cudahy Gardens.
Fees:
Adults/Seniors/MAM Members_$8 per person, self-guided or guided tour group. An additional fee may be charged for some feature exhibitions.
Guided tours add $25 for guide per 20 people.
Reservations:
Reservations for guided tours need to be made at least eight weeks in advance. _Call 414-224-3842 or use the Adult Tour Request Form.

Gathering of the Clan

Don't you just love the electronic age? We now can have a "Gathering of the Clan" via the internet! Kudos, Linda.

Identify Yourself...

I thought I'd start adding pictures here and there, so people can see who's who. As Becky (Kathleen & Frank begat Kathy who married John, and then came Becky -- well, after Martin) did, so should y'all feel welcome to add photos to the blog (comments, too). So, here is a relatively recent picture of Tim and me in front of our house in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Cousin Liz (also a lovely product of Kathleen & Frank) in Missouri mentioned in a recent email the notion of family t-shirts. I'm toying with the idea of asking each branch of the family to wear a certain color. I'll try to come up with a clever pie chart or diagram of some sort for this blog. Blue for Dub's family, his offspring and their offspring; green for Kathleen's family and offspring, etc. If people create fabulous t-shirts, all the better; but, at least wear a shirt or top in that color. I figure if we're color-coded, it might make it a bit easier to track who belongs to whom. And I'm hoping one of the cousins (Kathy? Pat?) who's in to geneaology can be persuaded to make a poster-size version of the family tree for the reunion; we can color code that, too, so folks can match shirts to tree branches on the poster. Any volunteers to create the poster?