Thursday, May 16, 2019

Milwaukee Weekend


Image result for satyr and nymphs
Nymphs and Satyr

Image result for return of spring painting
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  


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.  

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.

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.

"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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