Historical and Tasty Wisconsin

Once upon a time all you needed was $32 to rent a 4-bedroom townhouse for a month. All you needed was $2.65 to buy 30 days worth of electricity and a few pennies for the water bill. Once upon a time the federal government experimented with a "New Deal" idea to combat the effects of the 1930's Depression. The program, begun by the Resettlement Administration under President Roosevelt, rejuvenated farming communities by building up suburbs like Greenbelt, Maryland, Greenhills, Ohio and Greendale, Wisconsin. The program worked, stimulating the economy with new jobs, affordable housing and creating an example of suburban living.

Dad is to blame for my unbridled enthusiasm for exploration so when we're together no stone is left unturned. After absorbing decades worth of facts on the "Jewel of Milwaukee's suburbs", we learned about publishing mogul Roy Reiman, Trimborn Farm and finally Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Dad is usually reluctant to drive through big cities but with me he navigates the largest city in the state with ease. There's still plenty of brewing and manufacturing warehouses (Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller) but Milwaukee has reinvented it's image with skyscrapers, condos, lofts, a riverwalk, museums, auditoriums and arenas.

Lake-effect weather and sprawling geography put a damper on our walking tour so we circled the block in the car. Places like the Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, Basilica of St. Josaphat and Riverside Theater were tempting but we needed our cheese curd before the stores closed. It's Dad's favorite - if only I could stow some in my luggage...