On Wednesday afternoon, I called Taylor cause I thought someone was using our bank account. He said, “Ummm.. nope, that was me. You’ll see.” I knew we were going to Milwaukee for the Buck’s game (he got his brother Bucks tickets for Christmas) that Friday, but apparently he also had other plans and I slightly ruined the surprise – as usual!
He found an amazing last minute booking deal at the Hilton Milwaukee. It was breathtaking! Chandeliers everywhere, cucumber water, someone playing a grand piano, and in walking distance of the heart of Milwaukee. Take a tip from Taylor, and plan for things last minute… you might save some money. 😉
*I brought my camera along, but the convenience of my iPhone overruled as usual. Excuse some of the iPhone photography in this blog post. 😉
Our first stop was Bayshore Town Center. This is where we went right after Tay asked me to be his girlfriend a few years back! Such a sweet spot for us, where I cried because I was so overjoyed on our first day of dating. Haha! No pictures, but it was great to be back!
That night, we walked to the Third Ward District. It was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. We went to the Milwaukee Public Market, looking for something for dinner. We decided on the St. Paul Fish Company, thinking it had to be good for how packed they were on a Thursday night, and that they had ONE table available, for us! Sold.
We’re huge Yelp users (the other day Taylor said, “I wish more of my friends used Yelp. It should be the new social media.” Haha! Spoken like a true foodie.), and people on Yelp were raving about their lobster roll. I took a trip to the East Coast a couple years ago, and fell in love with lobster rolls, so I wanted to see how it compared. It stood to the hype! It actually may have beat the real thing on the East Coast! You’ll have to take my word for it since the picture I got doesn’t make it look very good. 😐
We went back to Miller Time Pub & Grill (connected to our hotel) to watch the Badger game. Our waitor talked with us pretty much the whole time we were there, sooo we made a new friend?! Taylor can talk about anything with anyone, so we seem to make friends wherever we go lol.
The next morning, we got breakfast at BB’s Buildabreakfast right up the street from our hotel. It was diner style, playing Maroon Five and Coldplay. They had chicken and waffles, which I’ve always wanted to try. I wasn’t feeling it that day, but our waitress told me I had to. So, I did! And the sweet/savory taste was so great! On a different SUPER hungry day, I’d order it again if I have the chance! If I could order differently, however, I would order the build-a-burrito that Tay got – hands down one of the best burritos I’ve ever had! My stomach just wasn’t ready for the richness of chicken and waffles that day haha.
It was SUCH a beautiful day for exploring. 50 degrees so, no coats!), but sooo incredibly windy. I wore a hat that day, and quickly regretted it. 😐 A street sign even blew over while we were walking! Other parts of WI had trees down from the wind. It gave us a little extra workout, though! We walked the same walk we’d done the night before – along the riverfront to see the architecture and Third Ward in daylight. All of the buildings are so intricately designed with so much history. So much beauty! We went to Collectivo Coffee – one of Wisconsin’s favorites, and weaved in and out of different shops in the district. One of Taylor’s favorites was West Elm… haha! My man. <3 We walked along the riverfront (dreaming of how wonderful it’d be in the summertime), and stopped back in the Public Market. It was packed with the lunch hour rush. We stood in line for a juice, but quickly left the line with impatience.
From here, we didn’t feel like walking back to our hotel after walking so much already that day. We’ve always wanted to try Uber, and this seemed like the perfect chance!! I figured it’d take 10 minutes minimum for the person to pick us up, but he was there within 5, and we could track exactly where he was! Technology!! LOVE it! We loved our first Uber experience and will definitely use it again! (keep reading ;))
That night, we met up with Taylor’s family for dinner and the Buck’s game. What an incredible game! 1 point difference with 18 seconds left in the game. Everyone was on edge and it was a blast! They ended up losing, but fun nonetheless. 🙂
The next morning, we drove to Madison to meet up with our friend, Ashya. Madison is my birthplace, where my family originated, the city that holds so many memories from my childhood, and where Taylor and I got married! It holds such a huge spot in my heart, and is one heck of a city on top of that! I sadly didn’t take many pictures in Madison.
We walked from Ashya’s house right by Lake Mendota to the capitol and State Street. We got lunch at Roast Public House, and continued to walk around UW Madison’s campus. Every time I’m in Madison, people are everywhere! Biking, longboarding, walking, playing music on State Street, everywhere! The community is unbeatable and the energy of Madison is something to experience.
Ashya raved about Babcock Dairy‘s ice cream on UW Madison’s campus. We were a bit unsure if it would stand up to the hype. 😉 The line was nearly out the door at 2pm on a Saturday, so she had that going for her! Conclusion: She was right. It was some of the best ice cream we’ve ever had. Imagine that, in the heart of the dairy state!
We wanted to catch a brewery tour by the end of the day, but had a 30 minute walk back to Ashya’s house, so we got an Uber again!! Another wonderful experience with it! I LOVE UBER! I can’t stop telling people about my love for it haha.
Wisconsin Brewing Company was the only brewery with tours left, so we caught their last one. I personally don’t like beer, so brewery tours are pretty b o r i n g to me, but we had a chance to sit and talk over a flight of samples with Ashya. We talked about her life + her preparation for the Peace Corps, that she’s leaving for in June. It was the perfect end to our trip. We headed back to Appleton, and got home just in time for movie night and cuddles with our girl, miss Luna. 🙂
This quick getaway was a burst of spring and exploration that will keep us going through the rest of winter. So fun to get a taste of Wisconsin, and I’m thankful for a man who will explore with me for the rest of our days! Now to work off the food we had all week… 🙂
With love,
Ali Leigh
