THE COCKTAIL HOUR: The Milwauke Pub Crawl

Luckily, we got a ride to and from today’s adventure. Good thing…there was no way we were going to end this one sober…

Milwaukee is the city that beer made famous, so how does it stack up to the self-described “Napa Valley of beer” that we visited last year (Denver)? Very well, thank you.

Watch the Video!

We start off with a standalone visit to Benelux in the Historic Third Ward. Yes, you need to capitalize each word.

With a thick bible of beers to choose from, Tim and I have a palette of strong Belgian beers while Letty goes with a bottled sour.  It’s hard to pick from our palette but Letty says the sour, Ichtegem Flemish Red, could have more bite.

Next, it’s on to the actual crawl. We start at the north end of town where the really cool Milwaukee Riverwalk starts. First up is the American absinthe made right here in Milwaukee by Great Lakes Distillery and served at Trocadero. It’s the first time we’ve had it and it tastes like anisette and looks like cloudy water. Not bad but not really my cup of tea either.  I enjoyed the shot of Cazadores Reposado I had better.

Across the adjacent Hudson Street bridge, which has a really cool, wheelchair accessible, pedestrian bridge hanging under the main bridge, we go to Lakefront Brewery to take the tour.  This tour is so fun that it is rated as the number 4 best thing to do in Milwaukee on Tripadvisor. It should be number 1.

Our tour guide is hungover and drunk, but he’s funny, knowledgeable, and keeps our glasses full of our choice of Lakefront brews. I’m partial to their flagship variety, the Stein.

Seven dollars gets you on the tour and four tokens for beer. Answering trivia questions or helping the tour guide gets you more tokens, plus the generous policy of free frequent top-offs means there is much more beer available that most people can handle. I ended up giving my last four tokens away.

Walking along the river, we eventually end up in another historic neighborhood, Third Street…also known as Historic Old World Third Street.  Yes, with the capitals.

Mader’s has been here over a century, serving good but expensive German Cuisine. They also have a happy hour so we go inside to enjoy a $5 ceramic stein of Spaten Oktoberfest and a glass of Pinot Noir.

Afterward, it’s a couple of doors down to get some more Lakefront beer (two mugs for $3) and some Franziskaner Weissbier at Milwaukee Brat House along with some of their namesake fatty sausages and deep fried cheese curds.

With that, we cannot crawl another foot and call for the hotel shuttle to take us back. It’s all in the video above, so come along and watch as we take in as much Milwaukee as we can handle.

Cheers!

-Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Game Day in Beer City - Milwaukee, Part 2

We've been eating a drinking in Milwaukee for a little while now. Let’s turn to something else the city does very well…sports!

Baseball is our sport. One of our travel goals is to see each Major League stadium. There are 30 of them altogether.  Our main reason…but not the only one…to visit Milwaukee is to notch our 22^nd stadium, Miller Park.

Watch the Video!

Before that, we spend a little time seeing the city along the fantastic Riverwalk that winds through downtown. We do a bit of pub crawling…which you can see in more detail in this week’s Cocktail Hour, TheMilwaukee Pub Crawl.  Go ahead, click on that link and check it out.  We’ll be here when you get back…

One of our rules for stadium trips is that Tim makes all the arrangements for tickets. At Miller Park, there is no good public transit, so Tim also buys a parking pass which you can buy in advance for $9 if you’re handicapped…normally $15 on weekend games at the gate.

Turns out we could have gone on our hotel’s shuttle for free but that’s one to grow on.  Maybe next time.

Being an idiot, I had left our handicapped parking placard back on our car’s rearview mirror which was now sitting in the parking lot of the airport in Ontario, California.  Luckily, at the gate, I was able to show the parking attendant the wheelchair in the back and explain what a moron I was and he let us in.

We were directed to park in the tailgating area.  Here in Milwaukee, that means something.  Approximately 6 – 7,000 people surrounded us, barbecuing, drinking, playing games, and generally having a good time.  It’s said to be the largest tailgate party anywhere in baseball.  I believe it.

We spend a little time exploring the stadium and visiting the gift shop where Tim and I buy t-shirts to wear for the game.  You might notice that my shirt does not say “Brewers” on it. Instead, it says “Cerveceros.” More on that in a bit.

Come game time, we find our seats up above third base in the upper deck. We’re up pretty high but the views are still fantastic. A friend of mine from high school meets us at the game and we spend the next three hours catching up on the thirty plus years since we’ve seen each other.  It was a great time.

As far as the game went, tonight was Cerveceros Night where the team celebrates Hispanic heritage by changing the team name for a day (the visitors were the Piratas from Pittsburgh), playing mariachi and Latin music, and bringing out a special jalapaño mascot for the evening.

The Brewers…er, Cerveceros…handily beat the Piratas 5-1 during this evening’s game, putting a win in the middle of a losing streak. 

You can see more of our thoughts on the stadium at our Field of Dreams report on Miller Park (click on either of those links).

The next morning, after another delicious breakfast at the wonderful Ambassador Hotel, we jump on the freeway and head north a little more than 100 miles.

In a spot where I see nothing but endless trees and very little evidence of civilization, there’s a sign that says “Lambeau Field Next Exit.” We have ended up in the pretty town of Green Bay.

Not very well signed from the exit, nevertheless we finally do see the stadium lights (it’s pretty much the highest point in town) and make our way over.

Home of the Green Bay Packers, there are stadium tours given almost everyday. In the Atrium connected to the side of the stadium, there is also an extensive gift shop and a restaurant.

We’re here for the tour and to meet my friend afterward for lunch.  We find out the history of the team, founder Curly Lambeau, and legendary coach Vince Lombardi. The team has won more championships than any other in the NFL. The gift shop sells more items than any other gift shop, in any sport, in the world.

The guide then tells us that NFL rules prohibit us from videotaping in the stadium itself, so we must rely on our still camera to tell the rest of the story.

The grass is embedded with plastic strands to keep it from getting worn out and having to be constantly replaced. 90% of the seats are just plain flat bleachers. After the current renovation is complete, it will have the second highest capacity after Dallas.

It’s a fun tour and lunch at Curly’s Pub is delicious.  Now, it’s time to pack it up, head back to Milwaukee, and move on to our next destination.

Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick

Copyright 2012 – Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved

Milwaukee - The City That Beer Made Famous

It’s the city beer made famous, breweries and bars dot the landscape. Our latest escapades return us to the shores of Lake Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After flying all day on Southwest and picking up a Ford Escape from Thrifty Rent-a-car at the airport, we eventually find our hotel, The Ambassador Hotel - Milwaukee, on Wisconsin Avenue adjacent to Marquette University.

Watch the Video!

The third floor room features a king size bed, a queen size sofabed, flat screen TV, wifi and wired free internet, basic wet bar, robes, ironing board and iron, accessible restroom featuring a barred bathtub with seat or roll in shower.

Letty says it’s the most comfortable hotel bed she’s ever seen.

Upon check-in, we’re offered a deal…$7.95 for breakfast vouchers. Seeing their site beforehand, and knowing that breakfast here went for twice as much, we snapped some up. We’re glad we did because breakfast is in their beautiful restaurant with entrees such as spinach omelets, pancakes, bacon and eggs, and delicious waffles covered with fruit served to your table by actual waiters. No warmed up breakfast bar entrees here.

Our main reason for being here is to notch another point for our seemingly never-ending quest to see every Major League Baseball stadium. We have tickets for tomorrow’s game but today is for exploring the city. First up…as all our friends who have experience here have been telling us…we have to go to the Third Ward.

This is an old area, burned down in a big fire long ago and rebuilt into an Italian neighborhood, that is being gentrified. While some buildings are still waiting for their time in the redevelopment spotlight, most of the area has been spiffed up and is home to nice little boutiques, restaurants, bars, and anchored by the Milwaukee Public Market.

It’s also the south end of the Milwaukee Riverwalk, a three mile long accessible walk along the Milwaukee River that takes you through the highlights of downtown.

We start filming (see the video above) and soon run into another crew doing the same thing on the river side of the Milwaukee Ale House. It’s a great walk that we’ll take full advantage of later. Tonight, we’ll have dinner at Benelux, a restaurant and bar dedicated to all the good food and drink of the European lowlands.

And what food it is…Tim and I have their very good burger served with Belgian frittes and a beer palette (four beers served on a wooden palette) made up of Belgian strong ales. Letty has the Friday fish fry with Ichtagem’s sour red Flemish ale.  That’s after a very tasty starter of tater tots filled with brie and accompanied by a Sriracha garlic mayo dipping sauce. It is very good and we vow to come back again before we leave and dig a little deeper into the menu.

An aimless trip south of town takes us to St. Francis, home of a big monastery, a bunch of bars, and a nice beach. It’s a nice place to stretch our legs a little, take some pictures, and just relax before heading back into town.

All in all, it’s a fun but short overview of the town we’ll be spending the next four days in. Stay tuned for more fun, drinking, eating, baseball, and cheeseheads here in what will turn out to be one of the best destinations we’ve been to.

-Darryl

Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick

Copyright 2012 - Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved

FIELDS OF DREAMS - Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Originally playing in Seattle as the Pilots, the team was bought by used car salesman Allan Selig. Moved to Milwaukee, Selig...better known by his nickname, "Bud"...changed the name to the Brewers due to the city's fame in the beer brewing industry. Bud Selig went on to become the Comissioner of Major League Baseball, a post he holds to this day.

The team was originally in the American League where they Won the pennant in 1982 but lost in the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals.  In 1998, the team moved to the National League to make way for expansion teams.  Since then, the team has made it into the postseason as a wild card in 2008 and as the Central Division Champions in 2011 but have yet to make another World Series appearance.

They're not a team filled with big superstars but their left fielder, Ryan Braun, won the 2011 MVP award...under cloudy circumstances.

The stadium is a retractable roof park that is unique in baseball in that the roof folds out from each side like a circular fan instead of just a flat, sectioned roof.  Here are the stats:

Opened: 2001

Surface: Grass

Construction cost: $400 million

Capacity: 41,900

Field dimensions: Left field - 344 ft; Left center - 371 ft; center field - 400 ft; right center - 374 ft; right field - 345 ft.

Home team: Milwaukee Brewers (National League - MLB) 2001 - present

Events attended: 1 game

Once you're there, it's easy access at any entrance for wheelchairs.  There are plenty of elevators, and ramps too, for access to the upper levels. Unlike many stadiums, we did not experience a long wait for an elevator.

Wheelchair locations are dispersed throughout every level but there are only a couple in the front row...in the very expensive seats right behind home plate.  Tickets were very easy to get by calling the ticket office at (414) 902-4000. Ticket prices run $11 to $195 and have three tiers of pricing.

Closed captioning is available on the ribbon displays on the front of the second deck. There is also a web-enabled app for smart phones, laptops, and tablets. Go to fancaptions.com/mil for more information on this service.

Sightlines are exceptional here from anywhere in the stadium.  Food is very good, especially sausages as Milwaukee is known for having great tube steaks. In fact, sausages are so revered here that every game features a race between five mascots dressed as the most popular sausages sold in the stadium...bratwurst, hot dog, Italian sausage, Polish sausage, and chorizo.

Mascot Bernie Brewer sits in his treehouse and slides down the slide 

when the home teams hits a home run or wins the game.

Beer selection is average to good and prices are somewhat reasonable.

Tailgating is encouraged and vast swaths of parking lots are populated with thousands of fans celebrating up to game time. There's also a small baseball field in the parking lot where kids can play a pickup game.

Public transit to the park is poor...just a few buses and taxis. If you buy ahead of time, you can save a few dollars in purchasing a handicapped parking space.

There are plenty of lodging options in nearby Milwaukee. We like the Ambassador Hotel which also features free shuttles to and from the game.

While I still have some stadiums I think are better, my wife says this is her new favorite. I do agree you'll have a very good time here.

-Darryl

Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick

Copyright 2012 - Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved

Updated for 2013

Dancing with the Green Fairy in Milwaukee

Today, I'm going to sent you over to Bootsnall.com for my latest published article, Up from the River...Seeing Milwaukee from Its Waterfront Pubs.

 

Here's the intro...

"The Trocadero sits on a quiet corner facing the river on the east bank. It’s a sunny day, so their flowery patio is completely full. We make our way into the uncrowded bar, where my wife will try her first absinthe.

Distilled south of downtown at the Great Lakes Distillery, this all-American version is a strong, licorice flavored kickstart to the day. I have my standby of Cazadores reposado tequila while my son stays sober with a Coke.

It’s the city that beer made famous, so it’s not surprising that Milwaukee has 101 ways to keep sobriety away..."

See the rest here... Up from the River...Seeing Milwaukee from Its Waterfront Pubs .

-Darryl

ACCESSIBLE ATTRACTIONS: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Our ratings are...

Fully Accessible - You can access all of the attraction, with no problem, in any type of wheelchair.

Mostly Accessible - You can access most of the attraction, and all of the important parts of it, with your wheelchair.

Partially Accessible - You can access a good deal of the attraction but some parts are inaccessible and some important parts you'll miss.

Inaccessible - Kind of speaks for itself, avoid if you're in a wheelchair.

Here's Milwaukee, Wisconsin...

Lakefront Brewery - Fully Accessible. Why a brewery? It'sa highly rated attraction in this beer-drinking city and after you take the tour, you'll know why (adults only due to alcohol consumption).

Milwaukee Riverwalk - Mostly Accessible. Riverfront trail going from the Lakefront Brewery all the way down to the Third Ward takes in most of the great dining spots, pubs, and a few really cool neighborhoods along the way.

Historic Third Ward - Mostly Accessible. Newly reburbished neighborhood used to be the Italian neighborhood and is anchored by the fully-accessible Public Market. Lot's a great restaurants, shops, and bars here.

Old World 3rd Street - Mostly Accessible. This one-block, old German neighborhood is the real deal as far as an authentic, old, ethnic neighborhood. Home of Usinger's Sausage factory and store as well as the more than a century old Mader's German restaurant. Some of the older restaurants and bars may not have accessible restrooms but this is not to miss when in Milwaukee.

Lambeau Field Tour, Green Bay - Fully Accessible. It's a 100 mile drive north of Milwaukee but makes a great day trip to see where America's most successful football team calls home. The Atrium is also home to the largest sports souvenir shop in the world, a decent restaurant, and...this being Wisconsin and all...another bar.

Darryl
Copyright 2014 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Best of 2012 - Accessible Destination

Bleeding over into the New Year a bit here to bring you our final "Best of 2012" award. Today, it's the best destination.

The three of us here at The World on Wheels debated this one for quite awhile before coming up with the winner. Although Minneapolis has superior accessible transit, Milwaukee is just a ton more fun so we're going with Milwaukee, Wisconsin as this year's best accessible destination.

No light rail or subway here (although a trolley is in the works) but the bus system goes everywhere and is wheelchair accessible.The very nice Riverwalk along the Milwaukee River downtown takes you to most of the destinations you'd like to see and is completely accessible.

We never had a bar or restaurant we went to where the chair wouldn't fit and an accessible restroom was always nearby.

You can see our reports on Milwaukee here.

It helps that the people here are very nice and accommodating. It's a friendly town and you'll quickly make some new ones.

Congratulations, Milwaukee...you're our pick for the best wheelchair accessible destination for 2012.

Darryl
Copyright 2013 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Best of 2012 - Tourist Attraction

Mike would probably blow three times the limit if he were to be pulled over. Staggering, bleary eyed, pint of beer in his hand, somehow he gets it out...

"You know who has the best job in the WORLD? YEAST!! All they do is eat, poop, and have sex..over and over and over and over..." - all done with tons of body language.

Yes, it's not for the kids but it is the funnest tour you'll soon take. It's the great, funny, educational, and fun brewery tour at Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery.

At the north end of the Milwaukee Riverwalk, the modest brick building awaits. It's $7 for the tour, which includes tokens for 4 beers.

After paying, you'll be told to go to the adjacent beer hall (or garden, depending on the day and weather), and cash in your first token on your choice of brews.

Lightly lubed, your tour guide will come and collect you and have you top off your glass before you start. Your filled pint will be your constant companion.

As the tour progresses, you'll learn the process of beer making from your inebriated guide.  You'll soon be in the same state, so gloss over that point.  The history of this small brewery will be explained. Answer a trivia question or help the guide with a task and you'll earn another token.

A bar halfway through the tour makes sure your glass stays full and you'll recreate the opening scene of "Laverne and Shirley" at the bottling line.

You'll laugh until you cry...then you'll stumble over to the bar to cash in the rest of your trips. 

Don't drive...walk, take a taxi, or public transportation...but make sure you take the Lakefront Brewery tour.  You will thank me, trust me.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Best of 2012 - Food

Since Los Tacos de Huicho in Bakersfield is still the best place we know of, we're going to make them ineligible for the "Best of" honors here at The World on Wheels and let them become the first member of our Hall of Fame.  Yes. They are that good. Make it a point to stop there whenever you're in Bakersfield.

Moving on, we had plenty of other food highlights this year.  Best overall restaurant we went to would have to be the wonderful restaurant my friend Peter Francis Battaglia recommended to me, Cafe Benelux in the great city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Anchoring the Third Ward, across the street from the Milwaukee Public Market, this meshing of European low-country inspired dishes, served with a literal bible of great beers, made us want to come back again and again.  Just not enough time in this world to fully explore their menus and deli but we'll certainly try. Favorite dish...the Pannenkoeken.

I love a good burger and the best burger I've ever had is right here at home. It's not cheap at $16, with $1 extra for bacon or cheese, but it is supremely delicious and comes with multi-million dollar views.

The Nelson's Burger, named after the restaurant that serves it, is a big 1/3 pound patty topped with arugula, red onions, black bean mayo, and sweet pickle chips. It's all served with fries.  I also like to add bacon and bleu cheese, which brings the price up to $18 but it's such a good burger and I'm eating it outdoors, next to a warm firepit, on top of a cliff looking out over the Pacific Ocean. Doesn't get any better than this.

Almost as good but at just a little over half the price are the burgers at Eureka! with around a half dozen locations around California. Our local location is in Claremont and the burgers are nothing short of fantastic. My favorite is the one pictured above, the Cowboy Burger served with onion straws, bacon, and an in-house made beer barbecue sauce - priced at $10.95. They also have an extensive selection of locally sourced microbrews on tap.

The best pizza continues to be Joey's Red Devil in La Verne, California. It's so good, we put it on the cover of our book, Golden State Eating: Nine Tales of California Food Destinations. Come on by and let the Monaco family show you how good it can be...don't forget to ask for the secret Roland's Sauce too.

Let's finish up with dessert...also in Claremont is Crepes de Paris, next door to the previously mentioned Eureka!, which makes the best crepes I've had. My favorite is the Dulce de Leche beauty, pictured above, soaked with warm caramel with some Chantilly cream on the side.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

2012...The Year in Review.

It didn’t seem as busy here in 2012 as it was in 2011 but we actually hit more destinations this year than last, though most found us staying with our state’s borders. Be sure to click the links in each paragraph to see the stories.

The beginning of the year found us experimenting with some speedy videos. First, a high-speed bike ride along the San Gabriel Riverbed near Azusa. Bike Ride Along the San Gabriel River.

Next, while on the road near the Central Coast, we found the perfect California driving road. Thrill Ride on Highway 41.

That drive over highway 41 put is in our next destination, the heart and soul of the Central Coast, San Luis Obispo.

Just a few miles away, it was Bug Bunny’s favorite destination and one of ours too. Pismo and Avila Beach.

Next it was the start of a long, long road trip up the backside of California. Highway 395 Road Trip.

One of my favorite parts of the state is our historic Gold Rush Country. We started off with a trip to see some old friends at the fantastic Restful Nest Inn in Mariposa. California Gold Rush Towns: Mariposa.

You know what very popular and exciting destination is close to Mariposa? Yosemite National Park.

While we’re in the area, we would be remiss if we didn’t visit the fading gold mining town just over those hills. California Ghost Town:Hornitos.

People still can’t get over what I consider to be the great, undiscovered, and budget friendly weekend getaway town just over the mountains from L.A.  Here are some more great finds there…The Great Bakersfield Food Tour.

This year’s baseball trip took us to the funnest destination we would encounter this year, unexpectedly too. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After Milwaukee, it’s a day’s drive to our next baseball stop which also includes great scenery and a river cruise. Minneapolis,Minnesota.

Our next few adventures don’t take us very far at all from our home base near Los Angeles. In fact, a half hour train ride will put you in the heart of the West Coast Ivy League…Claremont.

The last trip we took was just a few minutes farther away, the historic citrus farming city where we got to see a great concert, climb a mountain, and fend off zombies. Riverside, California.

We also published our first guide in the fall, an e-book available at Amazon.com, highlighting some of the best food and drink destinations in California. It’s called Golden State Eating: Nine Tales ofCalifornia Food Destinations. You can download a copy at that link, have a great California travel guide, and help support this blog’s mission…all in one fell swoop!

Each year, we also produce a big foodie video. This year, it was more of a drink video where we found our favorite margaritas and convinced their creators to come on camera and give away their secrets. It was incorporated into the first chapter of our book but I’ll let you watch it here too. It’s Southern California’s Top Three Margaritas.

Back on the baseball front, we added 3 new stadiums…2 Major League venues and our first college park…which brings up our total to 23 out of 30.  We also updated all of our stadium reviews to incorporate changes made from the previous season. Remember, no one has more wheelchair accessible baseball stadium information than The World on Wheels. Check out these new additions…

Mazmanian Field – Walnut, California

Target Field – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Miller Park – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We’ve also shared with you 52 Cocktail Hours (our weekly Happy Hour videos, aired each Sunday), several useful Travel Tips columns, and some new Transit Reports. 

We already have two trips planned for 2013 but beyond that, who knows what or where the new year will bring us. Wherever that may be, we hope you stick around to see what adventures await around the next corner.

Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved