Walking around Milwaukee

The Milwaukee River merges with the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers at the Port of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan. This fun fact is the reason a booming water trade settlement grew into a lovely city.

Walking through many of the neighborhoods, we have seen all kinds of great street art, beautiful architecture and green spaces. The Public Market in the historic Third Ward is similar to a European mercado with communal seating and loads of fresh food choices. While in Wisconsin, we did expect to see cheese; how could we resist these cheese orphans?Ten of the Wisconsin Avenue utility boxes have been painted to reflect the history of the Avenue. They definitely make crossing the street more lively. Other sculptures are scattered around town and include a bronze Fonzie and Gertie the duck, a local favorite.Instead of the usual zebra stripe street crossing lines, we noted the piano key crossing.Jazz in the Park has a very clever design this year.The Milwaukee Art Museum is an architectural landmark. It is comprised of three buildings by three very famous architects: Eero Saarinen, David Kahler and most recently (2001) Santiago Calatrava. This most recent addition, the Quadracci Pavilion, dramatically changed Milwaukee’s skyline. This structure has wings that gracefully open and close to music when the museum opens and closes. It also flaps open and closed at noon. It is remarkable to watch. This was his first structure in the United States. He has also designed the Oculus in New York City.The collection inside is wonderful. It is easy to wander between the galleries and enjoy a day of great art.We walked along the lake, through parks and then back through the city neighborhoods.Walking in Milwaukee is a pleasure.