Beautiful Milwaukee

I have to admit: I've spent a lot of time lately mourning the loss of my beautiful St. John's College and the surrounding city of Cambridge. But these past few weeks back in my hometown of Milwaukee have shown me the stunning wonder of my own city. So this post is a dedication to the city of Milwaukee, an old friend, practically a family member, certainly a first love, as far as cities go.

Anaba Tea Room
Thankfully I got a little taste of England when a few friends and I went to Anaba Tea Room for high tea. I have to admit, I've had a few high teas in my life and this one really took the cake. Just look at those delicacies!

We got to enjoy our tea in the sunshine of Anaba's gorgeous rooftop dining area, and afterwards we explored the rooftop garden right next door to us. Take that, London!

Global Union

Cambridge and London were two of the most international cities I've had the pleasure of visiting. I loved all the different ethnic foods, hearing people speak multiple languages out on the streets. I loved having friends from Belgium, Australia, Germany, Wales, and France. So I was pretty excited about a free Milwaukee event happening in Humboldt Park near my house: Global Union! A few friends and I brought blankets and camped out on the big hill in front of the stage. We munched on homemade tacos, maple kettle corn, and some good ol' Milwaukee beer. We listened to Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers, a Pakistani band. After we listened to the Black Gospel quartet, Masonic Wonders. The air was crisp and cool, the sun was warm. We people watched, dog watched, caught up on the recent events in our lives, and generally enjoyed Milwaukee on the cusp of fall.

Doors Open Milwaukee

As an unemployed post-grad, I'm all about the free stuff. So on top of free Global Union, I was going to take advantage of FREE Doors Open Milwaukee, an event that allowed the public to visit museums, historical sites, and public buildings for free! Our first stop was the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, which I was able to get a glimpse of during a recent production of Hamlet performed there. I'm ashamed to say I've driven past the gorgeous tiered gardens a million times and never visited the museum. Look at what I was missing out on!

Next we went to Clock Shadow Creamery and Purple Door Ice Cream. We sampled a handful of delicious quarks and cheese curds while we waited in an extraordinarily long line for ice cream (clearly everyone was taking advantage of Doors Open and the warmish weather). In the end it was worth it for my dream-worthy salted carmel ice cream. I gobbled it down so fast I didn't even get a photo!

After enjoying our ice cream we trekked up five flights of stairs to another rooftop garden which gave us great views of the Fifth Ward and into Bay View. I think that when I'm rich and famous (notice the optimism of "when") I'm going to have a rooftop garden, complete with beehives, just like this one! 

So I must admit that being home is really lovely. The plus side of being an unemployed post-grad is that I have the privilege and time to romp around Milwaukee, enjoying all it has to offer. Though I may miss Cambridge a lot, I'm certainly blessed to be spending my time now in my wonderful home.

Hey, Milwaukeeans! What's your favorite part of the city? Any suggestions for my next tromp around town? Leave 'em in the comments below!