When you don’t know when your next vacation will come, you’ll take what you can get. So this weekend my husband and I escaped for 40 hours to the closest city from our home: Milwaukee. I’ve passed through Milwaukee over the years, but haven’t stayed there in 30 years.
We chose the 120-year-old Pfister Hotel.
The lobby was lovely and a throw back to the late 19th century.
While the rooms have been updated, they’ve kept that old world ambience.
We arrived in the dark and ate dinner at a bistro connected to the hotel. Nothing like not having to bundle up in the frigid temperatures. The next morning we did the same, breakfasting in this glass atrium.
That morning we cabbed it to the renowned Milwaukee Art Museum. This is something new since I stayed there in the early 1980s. The building looks like ship sails. While we couldn’t take photos of the art, I snapped this one of the lobby windows facing Lake Michigan, the same lake that Chicago sits on.
And the lobby ceiling.
That afternoon we headed to the top floor of the Pfister for afternoon tea. More nice lake views.
This is what we found when we sat down.
The waiter came by a bit later with this trolley of tea. They call it butler service and allowed us to smell each of the teas. I chose a berry rooibos and Tom an earl grey.
Here’s the table just before we dug in. The tea pots rested on these racks and we simply had to tip them to pour them, never taking them down from the racks.
That evening we headed out to a nice restaurant called Bacchus. I had told Tom that we didn’t need to bring nice clothes on this trip. It’s Milwaukee, it’s the Midwest. People surely wouldn’t dress up. But I was wrong. Luckily we had brought one change of decent clothes.
The menu at Bacchus featured a Wisconsin cheese platter. We ordered that as a starter, even though in Europe it would be served as dessert.
It was delicious.
The next morning we visited my friend and mentor at her family’s loft for a home-cooked breakfast before heading south back to the kids in Chicago. The perfect end to a relaxing weekend away.
Rosalie Zhao says
I’m loving your blog Susan. I’m glad to have stumpled on it via Speaking of China.
I’m originally from Milwaukee but have been living in China for the past several years. I met my (Chinese) husband here. It’s so interesting to hear about your experiences and reflections. Your posts are written with such sensitivity and insight. I look forward to reading your book!
Anyways, I’m glad you managed to have a nice mini-break in Milwaukee. It’s got more to offer then people realize and you can never really go wrong with the cheese!
Susan Blumberg-Kason says
Thank you so much, Rosalie!! That’s wonderful you’re from Milwaukee. My husband and I really enjoyed it. We were so impressed with the restaurants. It had been a few decades since I’d spent more than a few hours there in passing. How great that you live in China now with your husband. I’m sure that coming from the Midwest has prepared you somewhat for the cold winters if you happen to live in central or northern China!
Susan Blumberg-Kason says
The cheese was wonderful! So much better than most of the stuff I find in the groceries here, which is weird because Chicago is so close to Wisconsin.
Stuart Beaton says
Looks good! Cheese is always welcome, and a nice cuppa!