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| Nymphs and Satyr |
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| Return of Spring |
The decision had to be made quickly as the art exhibit had less than two
weeks to run. “Milwaukee?” Stone was not enthusiastic. But the flight was only
about two hours long. And Jake really wanted to see these paintings. Besides, Milwaukee
has its own off-the-radar allure, and it was hoped that this Wisconsin city, sitting
hard by mighty Lake Michigan, would prove to have other pleasures as well. It
did.
Milwaukee’s motivating pleasure for Jake was an admittedly guilty one, for Jake always felt a little bit uneasy about his appreciating the paintings of William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Bouguereau’s works are highly polished, his subjects ridiculously ideal, his classical/mythological themes are often tired to the point of weariness, and finally, his works too often have a hyper focus on the female body.
His works have been generally shunned by art critics since the rise of Impressionism/Cubism/Modern
Art. In fact, it could be said that Bouguereau was the epitome of everything
the moderns hated about 19th century art. Besides which, he was the
most popular, successful painter of the late 19th century. His paintings
exacted enormous prices as they decorated the mansions of the American
plutocrats who defined the Gilded Age. Art critics often look askance at
commercial or popular success. Too often in art criticism, nothing fails like
success. In a nutshell, Bouguereau has gone from being revered to being
reviled.
Still, Jake has always found this Frenchman’s paintings to be mysteriously
attractive and has long considered many of them (such as "Nymphs and Satyr, above) to be
heroically outrageous. Seeing many of these works in the flesh (as it were) was
a real thrill for Jake, and by the end of their 90-minute walk through the
45-painting exhibit, even Stone came to appreciate Bouguereau’s talents.
Saturday,
May 11, 2019. The striking Milwaukee Art Museum is worth a visit
itself. Its lakeside setting is approached by a long, suspended walkway with wonderful
views. A wing-like structure hovers over the museum main entrance. On the
Saturday our duo was there, the museum’s impressive, light-filled central vestibule
was being readied for a black-tie wedding and looked exceedingly glamorous.
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| Walkway to the Milwaukee Art Museum |
As Jake and Stone exited the museum at its 5 PM closing, scores of dressed-to-the-nines
young people were stopping for group pictures on the museum’s steps and walkway.
Several of the gowns were almost haute couture and the young guys sported colorful
tuxedoes and impactful bow ties. Stone’s intuition proved correct: it was
pre-prom picture time for one of Milwaukee’s high schools.
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| Getting Ready for a Wedding |
It’s but a 15-minute walk on Wisconsin Avenue from the museum to the
Pfister Hotel, This historic hotel is not unlike a museum itself, for it houses
over 80 pieces of art from the 19th and early 20th
century. (The collection is interesting to browse and includes several
paintings by students of Bouguereau.) The hotel itself is magnificent. Built in
1893, it was one of the first all-electric hotels, was completely fireproof,
and was the first hotel in the world to have individually controlled thermostats.
The Pfister has genuine bellhops in proper livery, a truly professional concierge
desk, a bar that drips elegance, and a large fireplace that Teddy Roosevelt reportedly
adored. This is must-walk-through hotel.
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| Pfister Hotel Lobby |
Walking out the north exit of the Pfister, Jake and Stone discovered the Mason
Grill, a stylish bar and restaurant. The bar included Chopin among its vodkas.
Martinis ensued. Then a jazz trio (piano, bass, drums) showed up. Things were
so good our couple had to hustle their walk to dinner at the Harbor House down
by Lake Michigan.
The dinner this Saturday night was as memorable as any they could
remember. The Harbor House is a large, lively seafood place that is not only
splashed by the lake but provides panoramic city views. Suffice it to say, the
sunset was a perfect coda to a night of Robert Mondavi fume blanc, scallops, shellfish
bisque, rainbow trout, Caesar salad, and key lime pie. Perfect, friendly
service. The Harbor House is highly recommended.
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| At the Harbor House in Milwaukee |
The chosen hostelry for this spur-of-the-moment Midwest adventure was the
Hotel Metro, which is a block from the Pfister in downtown Milwaukee. The hotel
is most notable for its overall design, which hints of Art Deco. Jake and Stone’s
room was big and pleasantly stylish. But it hit a homerun with Jake when he saw
the two-person bathtub. Just right for his person-and-a-half.
Sunday
May 12, 2019. Café Benelux is likely crowded on any Sunday
morning, but on this Mother’s Day the crowd included several family groups. Luckily
Jake and Stone were quickly offered “a small, high top” which worked fine. The
vibe here is all Belgium and the Netherlands, in both the offered food and
brews, except perhaps for the Milwaukee Bloody Mary.
This drink, which is apparently an iconic brunch beverage in this neck of
the Northwoods, seemed to have a variety of gastronomic accoutrements: is that not
only celery, but a pickle, an olive, and bacon? Yes. Another jar went past our duo’s table
that sported a pickle, a lemon slice, and a skewered single shrimp. One patron
was apparently a minimalist, just celery. But the stalk was big enough to be
used as a cudgel should such necessity arise.
The described Belgian waffle (“using bread dough” said the waitress) was
too good to pass up and proved to live up to its billing. Jake had a mimosa. It
was served in a large, fluted glass and was without any accessories.
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| City Market in Milwaukee |
Across the street from the Café Benelux is Milwaukee’s City Market. The nearly
20 food vendors’ offerings range from pita sandwiches to olive oils, but the
stars of the show are the West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe and the St.
Paul Fish Company. The array of offered fish is fun just to look at, and the offerings
of cheese is truly astounding. Stone noted a 4 oz piece of 12-year-aged cheddar
priced at a cool $36.
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| On the River Cruise Out onto Lake Michigan |
Jake and Stone walked the Milwaukee River Walk path toward the riverside
dock for the Milwaukee Boat Line where they took a cruise down the Milwaukee
River and out a bit into Lake Michigan. The weather all weekend was cold and
usually windy, and our duo made up a good percentage of the few passengers on
board this clear but windy Sunday afternoon. The cruise was hardly spectacular,
but it was interesting to hear of Milwaukee’s history and see this truly
American city from out on the lake. Surely the cruise is crowded on a summer’s
day.
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| On the RiverWalk in Milwaukee |
Sunday night dinner in Milwaukee is apparently not a tradition, as Jake
and Stone could not immediately find a place to eat. They did finally locate a
gastro pub named the Rumpus Room. The night was cold with an increasing wind so
they took Lyft down to North Water Street. The Rumpus Room proved to be better
than its name. European in atmosphere, it was quite busy, and Jake and Stone each
pulled up a stool at the large and well-stocked bar. Stone went local, with a
Buffalo Trace Manhattan (Buffalo Trace Single Barrel Bourbon as a base) while Jake
stayed true to Poland and had another Chopin martini. Both were eminently good.
(In fact, the cherry in Stone’s Manhattan was so notable she asked the bartender
to give her the name. Rather than write an old-fashioned note, Stone took a
picture of the jar.)
The food menu was surprisingly diverse. Jake had a Cuban sandwich (OK,
but nothing to write Fidel Castro about) while Stone had a tasty plate of
Korean short ribs. Jake and stone have always appreciated a walk after dinner.
The wind had lessened. They walked back to the hotel and the night was done.
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| "Happy Days" in Milwaukee |
Monday,
May 13, 2019. With a flight not leaving till early afternoon,
our couple walked to breakfast at a place called Brunch. The room was big and
bright, blue and yellow, and without a lot of customers. However, the coffee
was hot and good, Stone’s yogurt parfait was plentiful, and Jake had no
complaints about his French Toast Stix. A quick and cheap ($15.75) Lyft ride to
the Milwaukee Airport ended the weekend.
Both Jake and Stone were surprised at how much they enjoyed Milwaukee, besides
the art. It was nice to be able to walk nearly everywhere. It seems likely that
somewhere down the road they will visit again, perhaps to take in Brewers’
ballgame, and certainly bicycle some of the 14-mile Hank Aaron Trail. And it’s
only about 90 minutes to Chicago… maybe explore more of Wisconsin… maybe drop down
the lake to see the Cubs… maybe have some homemade dinners featuring the fish
and cheese offerings at the Milwaukee Public Market. Oh, and next time get a
bloody Mary with some bacon in it!
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