My MKE Staycation is an ongoing series on Milwaukeemag.com. We ask writers and contributors to describe their ideal day off in Milwaukee. Catch up on the entire series here.
My full-time gig doesn’t give me many days off to linger and fully enjoy life, so I decided to take a recent Saturday off from freelance work and take in all that Milwaukee has to offer. Here’s the itinerary of my exhausting and exhilarating day.
8 a.m.
Even though it’s my staycation, I still have to get a run in. I wake up early, slightly hungover from a night at Lost Valley Cider Co., to jog from my East Side apartment to the Lakefront Colectivo to meet my running group, Milwaukee Running Group – OMG. Even though it’s a miserable, rainy day, the great company makes our five-mile loop along the Lake Michigan shoreline and through the Third Ward enjoyable.
8:45 a.m.
We’re done running and are waiting in line at Colectivo to replenish the calories we burned. I order a large coffee and their baked oatmeal, which is the best option on the menu for a cold winter’s day. The cinnamon flavor is comforting and the oatmeal itself is warm and gooey.
10 a.m.
After chatting with my running group friends for a while, I’m finally back at my apartment, where I feed and water my five-month-old kittens, Arthur and Gwen. I recently adopted them from the shelter I volunteer at, Happy Endings: No Kill Cat Shelter, and they’re absolutely adorable.
11 a.m.
My boyfriend and I are both cat lovers, and we’ve been dying to check out the new cat café, Sip & Purr. We shell out a few dollars to spend an hour with the cats, who are so, so sweet. I sip coffee because it’s way too early for the wine on the menu.
2 p.m.
After heading back to my apartment and cuddling the kittens, I’m feeling a bit stir crazy, so I head to the nearby Rochambo Coffee & Tea House to grab a coffee and read The Perfect Nanny by Leila Silmani. The cafe’s rich blend is a perfect accompaniment to the gripping psychological thriller. In some of the more messed-up chapters, I almost wish I had ordered their Irish coffee.
5:30 p.m.
My boyfriend and I arrive at Conejito’s, a delicious and cheap Mexican joint in Walker’s Point. We both order strawberry margaritas while waiting for our food, enjoying people-watching the eclectic mix of 20-somethings and families that populate the restaurant. I order their cheese and onion enchiladas, which is served on a paper plate, somehow making it even more delicious.
7:30 p.m.
We head to the nearby Urban Harvest Brewing Company to meet up with a few friends to see the comedy group Big Hot Robot perform. I order their delicious Espresso Amber beer and settle in to watch the troupe completely improvise a musical. They are truly hilarious, and all of my friends and I nearly spit out our beers at some points.
9:30 p.m.
Not ready to part ways, my friends and I walk through the rain to Drink Wisconsinbly. I have their Old School Old Fashioned, which comes straight out of a bubbler. (It’s sanitary, I swear.) The bar is satisfyingly packed, and we all have fun recounting our favorite parts of Big Hot Robot’s show.
11 p.m.
After such a long day, I don’t have the energy for a late night, so we take off relatively early. I arrive back to my apartment and collapse in bed to snuggle with the kittens.
