Instead of scrolling through Instagram for another hour…
Visit Black Cat Alley

Consume a smorgasbord of street art (enter from Kenilworth Place near Axe MKE), then toss back a secretive spirit at adjacent Shanghai speakeasy.

Instead of blocking out the world with a pair of headphones…
Take a music break

Every Wednesday, Hudson Business + Lounge (310 E. Buffalo St.) presents free “Jazz at Noon” concerts. On Thursdays, it’s Peck Pavilion (929 N. Water St.), with its lunchtime concert. And bring your PB&J to Steinway Piano Gallery of Milwaukee (11550 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa) on select Wednesdays at noon for its “Sandwich & a Steinway” shows.

Instead of playing Candy Crush…
Test your skills at a board game-friendly bar

At Oak & Shield Pub (600 E. Ogden Ave.) and Binary (9105 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis), beer and burgers come with a side of gaming. For more relaxed gameplay, try to remember the rules of cribbage at Good City Brewing near Fiserv Forum (333 W. Juneau Ave.) or The Newport (939 E. Conway St., Bay View).

Instead of reading another Wiki article…
Tour MKE’s historic statues

Try this three-mile beginners’ tour: Start with Honest Abe by the Milwaukee Art Museum, then walk or bike to East Kilbourn Avenue and North Cass Street and perch under the Birds of Knowledge of Good and Evil before waddling over to the mallard Gertie by the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge. See Gandhi in MacArthur Square and close with 1898’s Victorious Charge Civil War Memorial in Westown.

Instead of staying in with your Kindle…
Visit the Central Branch of the Public Library

Lose yourself in a book underneath the library’s 33,000-square-foot green roof. Or attend one of the twice-weekly tours of this vegetative space, rich with succulent plants.

Instead of stressing…
Start floating

The sensory deprivation chambers at Float Milwaukee (211 W. Freshwater Way) let you decompress (and de-stress) for up to 90 minutes in water treated with Epsom salts.

Instead of re-downloading Pokemon Go…
Embark on a treasure hunt

Look up a geocache online (ahead of time!), create a map of your own and go on the hunt with your phone turned off. Extra credit for using X to mark the spot and measuring the distance in paces.

“Say Hello to Summer!” appeared in the June 2019 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.

Buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.

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