Milwaukee Vacation: The Third Ward

Everyone told us, "If you go to Milwaukee, you have to see the third ward." So we did. I have to say I liked this part of Milwaukee best. It's located along the river, and has lots of interesting stores and restaurants.

 

The Milwaukee Public Market was amazing. I really wish there was something similar in the Chicago Suburbs. Basically it's a huge open building with food related vendors.

There was a spice shop, a wine shop, a fancy cheese place, a candy shop, a bakery, and a fresh flower shop.

We decided to try the seafood vendor for lunch, and they had an awesome lobster lunch.

Nothing like lobster dipped in melted butter to make an afternoon special.

I think I would go to the public market everyday if there was one around my house. I loved the chocolate shop. I think my favorite thing were the dark chocolate sea salt caramels. (Yum!)

After lunch, we went on a boat tour of the Milwaukee River and part of Lake Michigan. Though it was a cloudy day, we still got great views of the city, and learned about the architecture and history as well.

See the bridge in the picture above? Some of the bridges in Milwaukee actually raise up like that, almost like they are on stilts. That's how the boats can fit underneath.

The boat tour was really interesting, and also relaxing. We had a few drinks and sat up on the deck, watching the city and enjoying our freedom.

Milwaukee really reminded me of Chicago in many ways. It was, however, much smaller and easier to navigate. I recently got a new smartphone, an HTC Merge, and it has a GPS as well as Internet access. So we were able to look up any place in Milwaukee, figure out which places were closest, and choose that way. For example, Greg wanted to find a bookstore, so I found him one, complete with resident kitties.

Nick's Trip to Navy Pier

Last Sunday, Greg and his mom took Nick downtown to Navy Pier for the day. Because of the heat and the extensive travel involved (they took the train and a bus), I stayed home with Henry.

I was kind of sorry to miss this event. Nick got to go to the Chicago Children's Museum and on a tall ship pirate cruise. But it's good that he got to go and have some fun. When I was pregnant with Henry, I worried that Nick would suffer from not getting enough attention once the baby was born. I shouldn't have worried. Instead, Nick has become more demanding--he gets plenty of attention, thank you very much.

How many little boys have two people following them with cameras, planning special events purely for their enjoyment? Nick gets plenty of attention.  Evidence is present below.  :)

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I think the pirate cruise was probably Nick's favorite. He keeps talking about it. "We go on the boat today?" he asked me this morning. "No, Nick, not today." Then Nick gave a long-suffering sigh. Poor child.



Rainy Day Festival, Part One

Last Saturday, I decided to take Nick to the GR2011 Sustainability Festival in Joliet. Nick's Grandma Toni had heard about it during a library trip, and it sounded like fun. Also, Greg desperately needed time to get stuff done around the house, and Nick is a terrible distraction. So, despite the threat of rain, Nick and I decided to have a day to ourselves.

It started out pouring on us as soon as I got Nick strapped into the stroller. We got completely soaked. We ran to the library and dried off for a bit. Then, when the rain stopped, we went to the petting zoo.

Nick loved the animals, but he had a hard time staying still long enough to pet them. He got so excited, he'd run around in circles and scream with joy. "Sheep!" he shouted as he ran, full-force towards the animal. I don't blame them for running in the other direction.






Nick had the funniest reaction to the animals. He would scrunch up his nose and screech hysterically. I wonder if it was their earthy odor?

Either way, he had fun. The animals didn't seem too perturbed, though I kinda felt bad for them. It must really be no fun to be a petting zoo animal.

Nick did not know what to think of this patchwork cow. He was intimidated by it and kept looking at it sideways. It was at a table taking donations towards giving families in third world countries livestock. (Yes, we donated before messing with the cow statue.) My son is seldom intimidated by anything, but this cow bugged him for some reason.

He got over it when he saw the kayak. "Boat!" he declared loudly. I corrected him, and then let him take his turn sitting in the kayak and holding the paddle. "I go on the water," he insisted. That, however, was not an option. So he tried to paddle his way to the river. No luck with that one.

More to come tomorrow.

Tall Ships, or as Nick says, "Boats!"

Last weekend we took a trip downtown to see the Tall Ships Festival at Navy Pier. My mother and stepfather came with us, and we had a great time. Thanks to Groupon, we go our tickets for only $10 per person. That helped to counteract the joys of the $25 parking fee. Even though it was extremely hot, the ships were really neat and Nick loved seeing them. He kept pointing and repeating, "Boat!" "Water!" "Birdie!"

We all look a little overheated from waiting in line, but the boats we toured were worth the wait. I would've loved to be able to go sailing on one of these. Maybe next year.

Nick loved having the chance to see his grandparents. In fact, the day after our downtown trip, Nick kept asking for "Papa?!" That's his name for Grandpa Ray. Nick even got to ride on Grandpa's shoulders.

The views downtown were absolutely gorgeous, and even though it was hot, it was cooler at the end of the pier and we got some nice breeze. It was neat to see Navy Pier all filled with these old fashioned boats. I'm kind of a history buff (my undergraduate minor was history), and I enjoyed walking by all of the boats. I still wouldn't have liked climbing up the rigging, though. I'm afraid of heights.

After we were done with the boats, Nick got to ride the carousel with his daddy. He really liked that--so much so that when we saw another carousel this week (as we drove past in the car), he started screaming, "Horsie Fun!" over and over again.

Nick loved the fountains in the inside area of Navy Pier. He was just fascinated by the water, and his Grandma Linda let him get very close. I believe Nick was trying to figure out how the fountain worked. I was just glad his cast was off so he didn't have to worry about getting it wet. He can now play with water anytime he wants.  :)

We also stopped for ice cream, which Nick also loved, of course. We should all take as much joy in simple things as little kids do. It makes me smile to see his face when he gets a special treat.

We loved the Tall Ships festival, and Greg is already saying he wants to go again next year. Oh, and Nick? He just says, "Boats!"