1. Enjoy Springtime in Milwaukee
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
I’ve said it before on this site, and I’ll say it again: spring is the best season. Green grass, blooming trees, 70 degrees? Say less. So I’m spending this Saturday in the fresh air. Where will the (estimated 12 mph) wind take me? Perhaps to a local makers market. A walk in Lake Park sounds nice. Or maybe I’ll just sit outside and sip on coffee from a cafe I haven’t tried, like Likewise. No matter what, you’ll find me outside.
2. Enjoy the Movie Music of John Williams with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
This series of MSO performances is close to selling out – so you have to get moving immediately if you want to catch it. Friday through Sunday, the orchestra will be performing the music of the composer behind Harry Potter, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws and many more beloved scores. The performance will include a taped discussion between MSO music director Ken-David Masur and John Williams himself.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Have a Bier (or a Cocktail) at Biersal
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
It’s been about two months since Biersal Tavern opened in the former Wonder Bar, and you are missing out if you haven’t stopped by. The longtime dive had a decent reputation among its Washington Heights neighbors, but service industry veteran Eric Gutbrod has transformed the place into a beautiful public house – the first of his own. Interesting art work (all for sale) lines the walls, the beer list is excellent and has a point of view, and the craft cocktails are tasty and value-priced ($10-$11). I’ll be giving the shady patio – essentially a screen porch – a workout this summer. (And the bathrooms, finally, are not just tolerable but wonderful.)
4. Listen to The Wellermen
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
For many years, I thought I was a folk music fan. Then I was a hip-hop head for a while. I even briefly dabbled in the wacky world of death metal. But recently I discovered the genre that truly speaks to my sad, salty soul – sea shanties. Hot damn, do I love sea shanties. Just guys being dudes, you know? Slapping fists on tables and chanting about shooting cannons or climbing up the topsails or being abandoned by the woman they love and falling into drunken despair and dying in a gutter. It gets the blood pumping. And one album of sea shanties I’ve enjoyed quite a bit recently is the self-titled debut of The Wellermen, a group who cover shanties both old and new, from “Old Maui” to “Hoist the Colours” to Pirates of the Caribbean. A personal favorite of mine is “One More Pull.” I’ve pretty much been listening nonstop for three weeks now.
5. Take the Long Way Home
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
After a couple of months of drab landscapes, we’re back to the (long) time of the year when Wisconsin looks beautiful again. This weekend if you’re out in the countryside for whatever reason, take the long way home. I recently found myself in Hartford for the first time in a long time and, instead of doing an out-and-back on I-41, decided to meander south through the gorgeous Kettle Moraine and Lake Country to get home. An investment of 25 minutes converted a routine drive into a memorable, leisurely trip.
