11:00 September 06, 2005
"Milwaukee was a revelation." -- Chicago Tribune 9/4/05

"Milwaukee was a revelation...Is this heaven? No. But it's a Milwaukee we didn't expect."

Chicago Tribune reporter Alan Solomon stated those words to summarize his Milwaukee experience in a story that appeared in the Tribune on Sunday, September 4. The story recapped Mr. Solomon's "13-week exploration of Classic Midwest Weekends." Not only did Mr. Solomon described the Milwaukee Art Museum as an "architectural dazzler" and claimed it as the "best building" in the Midwest. He also leaped a load of praise for the new Milwaukee calling it his "happiest surprise" stating "it's not dead breweries and a dead downtown. It's alive and getting livelier."

Solomon called Milwaukee's Sanford as his favorite upscale restaurant during his travel and described it as "serious dining in comfortable elegance." Overall Mr. Solomon stated that Milwaukee was the best for dining "a veritable culinary explosion for every taste."

Just down the road from the city of Milwaukee, Mr. Solomon also spoke highly of our regional asset Lake Geneva describing it as best for younger families with its "calm beaches and lodgings with pools."

Clearly, there is no question that Milwaukee is a big hit in Mr. Solomon's mind. Now be sure to tell someone and let's not keep this place the "best kept secret."

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CHICAGO TRIBUNE

A summer from the heart

Our 'back to school' report on 13 weekends in the Midwest

By Alan Solomon

Tribune staff reporter

September 4, 2005

This thought came on a two-lane Indiana country road late on an August

afternoon.

It was the time of day when the sun is low and the air is clear and

colors turn deep and especially vivid. There was tall corn on the left

side of the road, knee-high soybeans on the other, and the fields had

never seemed more rich and green, nor the farm houses so white . . .

It had been this way, too, in the Amana Colonies in Iowa, and on the

rustic Wisconsin roads that surround Lake Geneva, and in Michigan, and

in so much of Illinois.

So beautiful.

And I wondered: Would someone who grew up in the magnificence of

southern Utah, with its red-rock canyons and spires and impossibly

blue skies, see this for the first time and be dazzled the way

Midwesterners are awed by the grandeur of Monument Valley or Bryce or

Zion?

Answer: Nah.

Look, the Midwest is fine, but Michigan's Saugatuck isn't

Massachusetts' Nantucket, Missouri's Branson isn't Nevada's Vegas, and

no part of the Lake Michigan shoreline is California's Big Sur. Steven

Spielberg didn't land his close encounter on Starved Rock.

On the other hand:

"Is this heaven?"

"No, it's Iowa."

Our region is what it is. Fortunately, enough of it lends itself

nicely to escapes from routine urban and suburban humdrum that we

don't have to feel sorry for ourselves.

Best of all, in an age when a full-service car wash costs less than a

gallon of gas: It's close.

This was great fun, this 13-week exploration of Classic Midwest

Weekends. That, we expected. We'd been to all 13 destinations before.

We knew we'd be entertained by Branson, fattened by Milwaukee,

mellowed by Saugatuck and transported by Galena, Ill.

What we didn't expect were the surprises. In seeking out reasons to

visit beyond the obvious, every weekend brought discovery.

Like, what happened to Springfield? A few years ago, and for decades

before that, the capital of Illinois was ragged, dowdy, dying,

borderline embarrassing. Not anymore. Energized by the coming of the

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (and supported by an

infusion of public and private cash), the city, which always had all

that cool Lincoln stuff, is suddenly a showcase. It's not a boomtown--

storefronts are available--but at least we don't have to apologize to

all those Dutch tourists anymore.

This was our third visit to the Amana Colonies. The first one was for

a few hours 10 years ago on an Iowa drive; the second, a couple of

years later, was for a few hours during a search for "The Best Little

Town in the Midwest." To us, it was a place to buy sausage and scented

candles, but it wasn't the best little anything.

That all changed on this three-day stay, when we walked through all

the colonies, talked with people, attended a German-language church

service and got a sense of what the place, even though no longer the

pure commune it was, is still all about.

Milwaukee was a revelation. We'd been to and through Milwaukee

literally dozens of times, and this visit was like seeing it for the

first. Beaches? There are beaches in Milwaukee? Fine dining--not just

brats and sauerbraten? Theater companies? Nightlife?

Is this heaven? No. But it's a Milwaukee we didn't expect. And nothing

prepares anyone for the architectural dazzler that is the Milwaukee

Art Museum.

Places we'd written off--Cleveland and Detroit--made us wish we'd had

more time. We'd set aside an hour to zoom through Cleveland's Rock and

Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, took three hours and needed five.

Detroit's Motown Historical Museum made us smile as tourists--

including a lanky guy from Austria--made like Temptations in a

hilarious approximation of "My Girl."

Cedar Point, Ohio. Top Thrill Dragster. The stomach still somersaults

at the mere mention of the name . . .

Branson, again, was a hoot. Experiencing a Cubs-Cardinals baseball

weekend in St. Louis without worrying about deadlines and the

competition (Was our last time in that press box as a ballwriter

really in 1993?) was a joy. Experiencing the revival of downtown

Minneapolis was an unexpected pleasure.

And that's how it went, from Weekend 1 in historic Galena to Weekend

13 among the covered bridges of Parke County.

Would we rather have taken a long, leisurely drive across the Great

Plains to the Rockies and down the California coast?

Sure. Ten days in Spain and Portugal? In a heartbeat. Haven't been to

Morocco in 20 years, and it's time.

But this is an age in which both parents (if there are two parents)

work and kids (if there are kids) have soccer camp, gymnastics camp

and computer camp, and school starts in August.

In another age, maybe mom and the kids spent a month at the cottage

and Dad came out on weekends, or folks loaded up the station wagon

with kids and gear and headed off to Wyoming.

It's still that way in some families.

Probably not yours.

Then there's money.

Sometimes weekends away are all we can do. Sometimes, weekends away

are all we need.

A weekend isn't enough to do Fez anyway--but a weekend is just right

for doing Saugatuck.

Classic.

- - -

THE BEST OF OUR CLASSIC MIDWEST WEEKENDS

Discoveries and delights--and other things--experienced in our

exploration of Classic Midwest Weekends.

Best for romance: Saugatuck (Mich.), Galena (Ill.). Sweet B&Bs and, if

you pick your spots, quiet walks.

Best for families with teens: Cleveland/Cedar Point. Rock 'n' roll and

roller coasters.

Best for younger families: Lake Geneva (Wis.). Calm beaches and

lodgings with pools.

Best for seniors: Branson (Mo.). Good shows, good value and, for those

who need it, accessibility.

Best for dining: Milwaukee. A veritable culinary explosion for every

taste.

Best for golf: Lake Geneva. Grand Geneva and Geneva National, to start.

Best for history buffs: Detroit/Dearborn. The Henry Ford and a once-

great city that hasn't lost the battle.

Best for culture buffs: Minneapolis. Theater, art and music of the

first rank.

Best adjustment: Springfield. Inspired by the coming of the Abraham

Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the capital rose to the

challenge. Leadership and vision: What a concept.

Best for original art for sale: Saugatuck. A true connoisseur's

destination. Bring a checkbook. Or credit cards. Or cash.

Best for baseball buffs: St. Louis. Just a great baseball town, even

when the Cubs are in San Diego.

Best low-key escape: Parke County (Ind.). Covered bridges, two-lane

country roads and zero intensity--though a touch of sadness for the

burned bridge at Bridgeton (on our cover).

Best for country crafts and foods: Amana Colonies (Iowa), Shipshewana

(Ind.). But shop carefully and check the labels.

Best main street: Galena. Architecturally and atmospherically

(especially in the quiet hours), nothing comes close.

Worst traffic: Branson. The price of popularity. Solution: Get an

early start and relax.

Best beach: Oval Beach, Saugatuck.

Biggest teases: The power yachts docked in Saugatuck. They're just

expensive toys, they make no sense, they really belong in Florida, and

I want one.

Most subtle destination: Amana Colonies. The real magic is away from

main Amana.

Happiest surprise: Milwaukee. It's not dead breweries and a dead

downtown. It's alive and getting livelier.

Most intriguing question: If Shipshewana continues to reinvent itself

as a convention destination, will the Amish take their buggies

elsewhere?

Most puzzling destination: Mall of America. All right, I confess: I

just don't get it. Maybe if I lived in Bismarck . . .

Best museum: The Henry Ford, Dearborn. The Ford Museum and adjacent

Greenfield Village, core of the complex, are a national treasure.

Most unforgettable museum exhibit: The life-size hold of a slave ship,

with likenesses and sounds; Charles H. Wright Museum of African

American History, Detroit.

Most surprising museum tour: Mill City Museum, Minneapolis. Who knew a

flour mill could be fascinating?

Most addictive museum: Rock and Roll Museum, Cleveland. You tell

yourself, "OK, just one more song," press a button, listen through the

headphones, smile, then tell yourself, "OK, just one more song . . . "

Best museum sign: At the gift store of Detroit's Motown Historical

Museum: "Shop around."

Best antidote for boredom on a long drive: Baseball on the radio. Had

almost forgotten how hilarious Sox broadcaster Ed Farmer can be. And

John Rooney sets him up like the pro he is.

Best building: The Milwaukee Art Museum. Inside and out. The art

collection is just a bonus.

Best structure that isn't quite a building: The Gateway Arch, St.

Louis. To drivers what Chimney Rock was to wagon trains.

Best ballpark: Comerica Park, Detroit. For now.

Favorite hotel: Radisson Plaza, Minneapolis. Room, staff, location,

everything.

Favorite small hotel: Queen Anne Guest House, Galena. Nothing fancy,

really, but amiable hosts and extraordinary breakfasts will bring me

back.

Favorite restaurant, upscale: Sanford, Milwaukee. Serious dining in

comfortable elegance.

Favorite restaurant, moderate: Cannova's Pizzeria, Galena. State of

the art. Even Brooklyn would applaud.

Favorite local specialty: The horseshoe, Springfield. Burger patties,

fries and cheese sauce on toast. You know. Health food.

Nicest people: This is the Midwest. They're everywhere.

-- Alan Solomon

SOME CLASSICS WE MISSED...

When this series on Classic Midwest Weekends began back on Memorial

Day weekend with a visit to Galena, Ill., we told readers we were

limited to 13 destinations and 13 weeks.

We also told readers this wasn't a ranking of the best--just 13

Classic Midwest Weekends we selected mainly because we wanted to take

a fresh look at them.

The 13, in the order in which they appeared:

Galena, Branson (Mo.), Milwaukee, the Amana Colonies (Iowa),

Springfield, Cleveland/Cedar Point, Saugatuck (Mich.),

Minneapolis/Mall of America, Shipshewana (Ind.), St. Louis/Cubs-

Cardinals, Lake Geneva (Wis.), Detroit/Dearborn and Parke County

(Ind.).

Obviously, we left out a few of your favorites--and ours. So just for

the fun of it, and as a reminder of how blessed we are in the Midwest,

here are more Classic Weekend destinations close to our homes and our

hearts.

ILLINOIS: Chicago, Garden of the Gods Wilderness/Shawnee National

Forest, the Great River Road, Starved Rock State Park.

INDIANA: Brown County, Indiana Dunes, Indianapolis, Madison/Ohio River

towns.

IOWA: Decorah/Spillville, Dubuque/Dyersville, Okoboji/Iowa Great

Lakes, Winterset/Madison County.

MICHIGAN: Copper Harbor/Keweenaw Peninsula, Leland/Leelanau Peninsula,

Mackinac Island, Petoskey/Harbor Springs.

MINNESOTA: Boundary Waters, Brainerd Lakes area, St. Paul, Stillwater.

MISSOURI: Hannibal, Independence, Lake of the Ozarks, Onondaga/Meramec

caves.

OHIO: Cincinnati, Fairfield County covered bridges/Hocking Hills,

Holmes County Amish communities, Put-in-Bay/Kelleys Island.

WISCONSIN: Bayfield/Apostle Islands, Door County, the North Woods,

Wisconsin Dells.

Feel free to add your own.

-- A.S.

For all 13 stories--plus additional photos and interviews:

www.chicagotribune.com/midwestweekends

Comments on this series and these--or any other--Midwest places we

missed are welcome. E-mail us at: ctc-travel@tribune.com. Or write:

Classic Midwest Weekends, Travel section, Chicago Tribune, 435 N.

Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.

asolomon@tribune.com

Copyright ? 2005, Chicago Tribune

(The information contained in this email with respect to international

and national news about greater Milwaukee is provided by the Spirit of

Milwaukee through www.MetroMilwaukee.org.)

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