1. Enjoy the Great Fall Weather With a Hike
CHRIS DROSNER | EXECUTIVE EDITOR
First, off: Baseball! Wow! Yesssss! I can’t wait to watch the Brewers on Friday and Saturday (in good company but not at AmFam Field; my salary does not allow it), but … wait we must. In the meantime, the next couple of days will continue the majestic fall weather we’ve had since the Brewers became National League champions. I spent this weekend tromping around nature, and … folks, I hate to be the reminder of bad news, but we don’t have many more days like these left. So get out to your preferred outdoor slice of nature before dusk and take advantage of it. Don’t have a favorite spot? Our October cover story on fall hikes suggests a few, including an overlooked one, the Forest Exploration Center, just a short drive away in Tosa. The fall colors this year didn’t cooperate, but it still feels great to be out there amongst greens and browns as amongst golds and crimsons.
2. Hear Some “Movement & Melody” From the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
EVAN MUSIL | ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Classical music doesn’t occupy a huge portion of my Apple Music Replay, but I dabble. It makes great unobtrusive accompaniment to my daily scribbling of stories and way-too-lengthy emails. But, occasionally, a piece pulls me out of the task at hand and sucker punches me with beauty. Ravel’s Daphnis Et Chloe, particularly Suite No. 2, did that to me with an outright gorgeous flurry of flutes and strings. When the build of “Lever du Jour” releases about five minutes in, and rolling timpani gives way to brass, bells, harp and cymbals radiating in every direction, I stopped typing and sat stunned. I could only imagine hearing something this glorious live. A few months after that first listen, wouldn’t you know, our own Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is playing it this weekend, along with a few other pieces. It’s worth making plans, even if you’ve never been to a symphony before. You don’t need to know squat about classical music to get swept away.
Celebrate this year’s winners of the Betty Awards!
3. Eat Amaretti Cookies
ANN CHRISTENSON | DINING EDITOR
To me, assortment boxes of Italian cookies are like Whitman’s Samplers. There’s one or two flavors I am mad for – the others I leave for other people to enjoy. One variety that I will fight anyone for is the amaretti, made with ground almonds (almond flour and/or almond paste) and almond extract. I’ve loved them for years (they’re very chewy, and have intense almond flavor) almost , but only recently was I exposed to a new dimension of deliciousness with the amaretti half-dipped in milk chocolate. Wowsa! A naming note: Amaretti comes from the Italian word, amaro, which means bitter.
4. Catch Sylvan Esso on Tour
JONATHAN JOSEPH | DIGITAL EDITOR
North Carolina based electropop duo, Sylvan Esso are coming to the Riverside Theater this Wednesday Oct. 21, off of their Ow ∞ tour. The new album has been four years in the making and offers a distinctly rich insight into modern electronica music that’s both hip shaking and enriching. It is a record that is equal parts messy and liberating, making for a live listening experience filled with dancing. Opening the night will be post-rock guitarist Chris Rosenau of Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir (with Justin Vernon) fame. The show starts at 8 p.m. with doors open at 7 p.m.
5. Watch (or Re-Watch) Heat
ARCHER PARQUETTE | MANAGING EDITOR
Last week, I made the fateful decision to rewatch one of cinema’s greatest thrillers: 1995’s Heat. As a result, I have been unable to stop screaming Al Pacino’s lines at inopportune moments for the past two days. (Would not recommend this on a first date, but hey, you live and you learn.) Man, Heat is a great movie. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time, my friend. Pacino delivers a bonkers performance that combines wild and theatrical intensity with quiet moments of moving depth in his portrayal of a dogged detective, and De Niro is perhaps at the peak of his coolness as the master thief Pacino is hunting. And of course, Michael Mann’s direction is suitably masterful.
