fun stuff (Milwaukee: leasing, house, camping)

[karfar]

Noticed again that alot of threads up here have the same topic. Anyone else up for a chat about anything else fun?.....anything?

[EnjoyEP]

I am.

Here are some random, many just not-trendily advertised, fun things that I have been enjoying about Milwaukee:

1. Hot dog cart/vendors - Downtown Milwaukee

I work Downtown and I have actually taken to just loving these guys!! My favorite guy sets up shop around Wisconsin Ave. and Water St. ... a highly professional / efficient operation (he has 1 or 2 other guys helping him grab chips/sodas, take money, etc.) and draws really long lines.

Man, to me, my old hometown of Albuquerque NM is well defined by a couple of lunch work-hour tacos under a bright, hot NM sky. Transversely, my current hometown of Milwaukee, WI is defined to me well by a *grilled* jumbo dog with spicy brown mustard, onions, and cheese; with the smells coming off of the big cart's grill (while you eat it) and taking in the breezes off of the Milwaukee River while boats pass through. Good stuff, good stuff.

2. Fires/burning in evenings in spring/summer/fall

After this long, hellish winter and very poor spring, when we have gotten some nice days (I am thinking last weekend), it is always fun to walk out and about in residential areas in the evenings and smell all of the fire pits that have been fired up with people congregating around, talking, etc. Something very cool about that - the smell, the crackles and sounds of the fire and conversation, under the low Midwestern sky amongst the thick green trees that is really neat.

3. Grill outs / listening to Brewers baseball in spring/summer

Back to surviving that fantastically long and horrible winter and much of "spring". Again, along with point #2, when the weather has gotten nice, it is so cool to just be out and about and see people here (who really appreciate the nice, warm weather when it comes so much) sitting out around their grills, soaking up some rays, tossing back a cold one or two, etc.

Seemingly every other home in the metro area has this openly occur on those first really nice days. But what is even neater to me, is always having Bob Uecker's voice on softly in the background, as seemingly everyone has the Brewers radio broadcast on as background noise. Heck, even non-baseball fans seem to be lulled well in the spring/summer by the sounds of Uek calling a ballgame.

A few others that are a little more "conventional" but terribly fun all the same:

-Frozen custard (the food of God)
-tailgating at Brewers games (tailgating happens in other cities/sports, but no one does it like Milwaukeeans)
-the Lakefront comes alive - Milwaukee's #1 treasure

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

What about Bradford Beach? I'm delighted that the beach is getting a much-needed revamp that will make it a more pleasant place to be. And the Bradford Beach House will finally be full of life again now that the owner of Hi Hat is leasing it as a cafe/bar. After a long, desperately cold winter, a reborn Bradford Beach could be the best thing to happen in Milwaukee in a long time.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Ronnie

And the Bradford Beach House will finally be full of life again now that the owner of Hi Hat is leasing it as a cafe/bar.

Wow, that is awesome! That'll be a huge, huge hit.

[karfar]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

I am.

Here are some random, many just not-trendily advertised, fun things that I have been enjoying about Milwaukee:

1. Hot dog cart/vendors - Downtown Milwaukee

I work Downtown and I have actually taken to just loving these guys!! My favorite guy sets up shop around Wisconsin Ave. and Water St. ... a highly professional / efficient operation (he has 1 or 2 other guys helping him grab chips/sodas, take money, etc.) and draws really long lines.

I love that stand too! Not to be a downer, but did you know the guy who ran that just passed away last year, from cancer? Man, I was shocked when I heard that, but he of course has guys taking over for him. There's also a cart usually seen on North & Farwell at bartime, I've always called him the "hot dog guy", but he's got burgers too. You know, when I went to Malaysia I LOVED all the street vendors there, they call them hawkers, you could get anything to eat or drink for sooo cheap. I wish we had that here, it'd be awesome to just walk outside for lunch & pick up whatever you want. I think those vendors you see by El Rey should get downtown in the summer. I for one would go get a taco or whatever every day. Ditto to the smell of campfire, nothing better. I can't wait to start going camping, rent some kayaks, hit some festivals. Riversplash starts today, anyone going? And it's actually nice out, too!

[meetslyfox]

On the south side, On Historic mitchell st. There is this guy that goes around selling like creamed corn stuff, and fruit, its really weird.

reminded me of all the vendors I met in Mexico

[bikes_booze_boys]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

Man, to me, my old hometown of Albuquerque NM is well defined by a couple of lunch work-hour tacos under a bright, hot NM sky.

Word! I subsisted almost entirely on taco trucks when I lived in Austin, TX. 99 cents for eggs and nopales (cactus yall!) on a homemade tort, extra quarter for cheese.

I was wondering about the cheap food a non-domestically-inclined young lady could find on the streets of Milwaukee. A dog with sauerkraut....mmm....

Can't wait to come back to the Midwest. I miss pierogies, especially.