1. Visit Fitzy’s Cafe
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Fitzgerald Pharmacy (a.k.a., Fitzy’s; 424 E. Silver Spring Dr.) got a new lease on life in 2022. It had closed in 2019 after 65 years in business. An extensive remodel included adding an ice cream fountain, and more recently, a café called Fitzy’s. And is it ever cute! It’s got Whitefish Bay folks talking. (That, and the new Stone Creek Coffee across the street.) You can get your basic latte (or fancy coffee drink) here, or a scoop of Purple Door Ice Cream or a light meal. You’ve got your pick of seating too – at tables, a lounge area and a counter that faces the windows on Silver Spring. I picked up a grain bowl (quinoa, arugula, sweet potato, tomatoes, goat cheese, avocado, hummus) that turned out to be exactly what I needed to finish up our deadline week. Open daily 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
2. Go to Valentine Coffee
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
When I need my daily dose of caffeine and a quiet place to work, I stroll down to Valentine Coffee in Washington Heights. The Bering Sea Blend is a cozy favorite, but when I’m feeling espresso, their chai latte with a shot is splendid. The cafe isn’t spacious, but it’s quite snug (and they recently added more seating). It’s a picturesque neighborhood spot with quality roasts – made right in the same building.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. See The Wolves
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
This Friday, I’m seeing Renaissance Theaterworks’ production of The Wolves. It’s about the experiences of a high school girls soccer team throughout the season, told through their conversations during warmups. I had the pleasure of interviewing the director a while back – and I wrote this story – and it was so cool to hear about the process of casting this show. Renaissance Theaterworks partnered with First Stage’s Young Company to cast the show with teenagers. I’m really looking forward to it – and I’ve already heard it’s amazing!
4. Watch a Movie at the Oriental and Have a Beer at Good City
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
A while back, I made it a point to watch every Best Picture nominee for each year’s Oscar Awards. They’re not always the best movies of the year – in fact, there are usually at least two or three stinkers in the batch of 10, and there is always an outrageous snub or two – but I take an obsessive joy in cataloguing them all and ranking them. So now, in the wake of the nominations, I’m catching up on the Oscar flicks I haven’t seen yet. The best spot in town for a movie, the Oriental Theatre, is showing American Fiction and Poor Things right now. After a showing, my go-to spot is just down the street – Good City Brewing on Farwell, where you can grab an after-film refreshment in the rustic taproom. It’s a perfect pairing for a cold winter night in Milwaukee.
5. Gorge Yourself on Girl Scouts Cookies
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
An odd and amusing confluence of events has left me in possession of an absurd number of Girl Scout cookies and no one with whom to share them. (To be clear, I didn’t steal them from a pack of scouts or anything like that – they were sent to the MilMag offices and everyone except me is working from home due to construction this week). Long story short, I’ve gained about five pounds in the past couple days. Seriously, there are so many cookies of every variety just sitting a few feet away from me right now as I type this, and it’s taking every ounce of my self-control to not finish off the few that have survived my rampage. Man, Girl Scout cookies are dangerously good. They’re selling them through March – you gotta get some. Hot damn.
