Photo Friday Challenge: Inner City

This week's Photo Friday challenge is all about life in the city.  I took this picture a couple of summers ago outside Milwaukee's Public Market in the Third Ward and it's always been one of my favorites.

To see more "Inner City" entries in Photo Friday, please visit the website at http://www.photofriday.com/.

Photo Friday Challenge: Let's Eat



This week's Photo Friday challenge is "Eat!", and this picture was taken when I brought home the most decadent dessert I think I will ever have from a local restaurant.  For more of that story, see the post about dining in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin below.

As always, I'm very impressed with what has been posted so far on the Photo Friday site, and can't wait to see what others come up with.  Hmmm, I may be very hungry this week.

If you want to see some amazing photography and post a challenge entry of your own, check out: http://www.photofriday.com/.  But maybe not on an empty stomach.

Dining Day Trip in Wauwatosa

Cafe Hollander

I took yesterday and today off from work, and I decided to spend today in one of my favorite parts of Milwaukee, the suburb of Wauwatosa.  I spend a lot of time there, shopping at Mayfair mall, going to festivals and the farmer's market in the "village" and dining.  

Wauwatosa has a lot of great restaurants and eateries to choose from.  Whether you want a casual lunch, fun happy hour or a great dinner, you can find it here.  I always think of this area as funky but relaxed, family-friendly but great for a single person such as myself.  And, one of the reasons I, like some of my friends, do not like to go to downtown Milwaukee after work is the parking hassles.  Wauwatosa has very little of that.  It's just a nice place to spend the day and evening.  

Anyway, back to my day.  I started out by having breakfast at one of my favorite places, Cranky Al's on 69th and North Ave (http://crankyals.com/).  In the evening, they make amazing single-serve pizza (as well as pizza for a group), and in the mornings, they make the best donuts.  They also have what they term "Shrink N Drink" the 3rd Thursday of every month where a professional therapist comes in and answers questions from the audience.  I've been to a few of these, and the questions can range from funny to quite serious.  You never know what the evening will be like.

Cranky Al's isn't the only place to get great breakfast in Tosa though.  You can get great food like omelets, french toast and pancakes at John's Sandwich Shop, La Reve and Cafe Hollander.  All three also have weekend brunch.

After spending time at the mall, I wandered down to what's known as the Village of Wauwatosa for lunch.  When I'm down there, I love going to a small restaurant called One-Way Cafe (http://one-waycafe.com/Default.htm).  They serve a wonderful chicken salad sandwich, but they have much more for lunch and are open for breakfast as well. They also feature a revolving display of local artists, so there's always something new to see when you go.

You can also find casual dining in the "village" at Hector's (http://hectors.com/wauwatosa/specials.html), Colonel Hart's (http://www.colonelharts.com/), and Pizzeria Piccola (http://pizzeriapiccola.com/), as well as chain restaurants Noodles & Company, Cousins Subs, George Webb's and Little Caeser's.  

Then it was time for dessert, which I took home with me from La Reve Patiserrie & Cafe (http://lerevecafe.com/).  This restaurant, which also has a happy hour, sells the most beautiful desserts I've ever seen.  I've been there for breakfast and dinner, but this was the first time I've ordered one of their decadent creations.  From what I hear, they taste better than they look.  I can't wait!  

Now, I admit I'm having dinner at home (leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, if you're wondering), but if I did decide to have dinner in Tosa, I would probably hit one of the city's many happy hours beforehand.  Firefly Urban Bar & Grill has one of the best (http://www.firefly-grill.com/).  They have great drink specials, a wide and truly delicious selection of food, and the atmosphere is cool and moody, yet relaxed.  If you have a group, see if you can get a table in one of their, what I like to call, wigwam rooms.  It's like being in a wigwam, except with cushy banquettes and a fireplace.  Very cozy.

You can also find great happy hour drink specials at The Chancery (http://www.thechancery.com/), McCormick and Schmick's (http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/) (near Mayfair mall), and Leff's Lucky Town (http://www.leffs.com/), which has been voted as having the best happy hour in Milwaukee.  Or, if you just want to relax with a glass of wine with your friends, go to Vino 100 in the village (http://www.vino100tosa.com/), or Juniper 61 on North Avenue (http://juniper61.com/).

There are many, many great places to get a good dinner in Tosa.  My favorite place has to be Cafe Hollander (http://www.cafehollander.com/tosavillage/) which has a great European vibe and spectacular food from burgers to salads to fish.  They also have nightly specials with such a distinctive Belgian flair.  And they have one of the largest beer selections in Milwaukee, and that's saying a lot here.

I'm sure I've only scratched the surface on great places to eat in this suburban/urban oasis.  Did I miss any?  Please feel free to post them below.  I'm always looking for great and unique places to eat, and none of Milwaukee's distinct neighborhoods disappoint.  Happy eating!

Happy Valentine's Day/Singles Awareness Day

Yes, it's that time of year again where either you're either celebrating being in a relationship or crying in your beer because you're not.  Either way, there is art out there just for you.  Yes, even us singletons.  I call this day Singles Awareness Day, but my friend Carolyn is more optimistic, calling it Singles Appreciation Day, which, quite frankly, I like better.

This month's theme for the Milwaukee Artist Trading Card Live Trade is Valentine's Day/Anti-Valentine's Day, and being both a romantic and a cynic, this is right up my alley.  So, to celebrate, I did a little of both using images off the internet (Google Images is awesome for this) and stickers I found at Michael's. 

First, the romantic ones:

Now, the, um, SAD ones:

And, I have to admit, this is one of my favorites:

If you live in the Milwaukee area and want to see what other artists have come up with regarding Valentine’s Day (or even better, Anti-Valentine’s Day), go to http://www.carolynbrady.com/liveATC.html to see when and where we will be meeting next.  And if you’ve ever wondered if making ATC’s is for you, stop by and introduce yourself.  Everyone is very nice and would love to show you what they’ve made.

Have a wonderful V-Day (or whatever you’d like to call it).  Just remember, singletons, St. Patty’s Day is right around the corner (and Cinco de Mayo, Spring Break - I think I need a cocktail).

Photo Friday Challenge: Tall

This was taken when I visited Racine, Wisconsin last October.  While trying to get to the Racine Zoo, I drove along the lakefront and came upon this lighthouse situated next to one of the beaches.  I thought this would be the perfect picture to enter into my first Photo Friday challenge, which this week is "Tall".

A Trip to the MAM

I love going to the Milwaukee Art Museum.  There is always new exhibits to see and there's even new things to notice in the historic paintings and mixed media that make up the permanent collections.  Also, it has the coolest look by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. 

I usually go to an event once every three months at the MAM.  On one of these trips, I took some pictures.  Scroll down to see some of the exhibits on display:

I hope to visit the Milwaukee Art Museum soon, and I will post more pictures when I do.

Artist Trading Cards: Great Creativity on a Small Scale

This weekend marks my 1 year anniversary as a member of the Milwaukee ATC (Artist Trading Card) Group.  And even though I can’t make this week’s meeting/swap due to a prior commitment, I wanted to post some things I’ve learned about ATC’s this past year. 

If you’ve never heard of Artist Trading Cards, you’re not alone.  It’s a very fun way to produce art on a small scale (3 ½ in x 2 ½ in to be exact) and the point is to trade your cards with other amazing artists.  Every month we members get together at a location in the Milwaukee area, usually a library or craft shop that has a private room for trading, and trade our creations with each other.  And every month, I’m in awe of the talented artists we have. 

If you’ve ever thought about getting started as an artist or finding a way to express your creativity, Artist Trading Cards are a great place to start.  Here are some basics about creating and trading ATC’s:

1.    Size Matters – All Artist Trading Cards must be 3 ½ in x 2 ½ in and be able to fit in a plastic sleeve that most people use to house baseball cards.  If you are participating in a swap via the mail, obviously you can make them thicker if you’d like.  You basically start with an ATC template, and you can get these at art supply stores or make them yourself.  From there, you let your imagination go.

2.   Pick a Theme to Jumpstart Creativity – In the Milwaukee ATC Group, every month we have a theme chosen by votes from the group members.  In our case only 1 card has to be in that theme and you can make your other cards any way you like, but most members just continue with the chosen theme for their whole collection.  In the past year, we’ve done Song Lyrics, “Mad Men”, Easily Distracted by Shiny Things, and Halloween as some of our themes. 

3.   Pick Your Pallet – Since I can’t draw or paint, I usually stick with collage to make my ATC’s.  I use stickers, scrapbook paper, magazines, cards I get in the mail, anything that fits the theme of the month.  I’ve also seen some amazing watercolor paintings, pencil drawings, graphic art, and even industrial art on ATC’s.  Whatever you’re in to can work for you.

4.   No Material is Off Limits – In this case I don’t mean using offensive material in your ATC’s (it’s up to the particular group you trade with to determine that).  I’m talking about what you use to make your ATC’s.  I’ve seen ATC’s made using fabric, paper, pictures, broken up mirror, price tags, stickers, pieces of metal, fun pins.  Anything is fair game.  I used vintage postcards of California to make my favorite set of ATC’s, and doctored them up with scrapbook stickers and paper umbrellas.

5.   Start Trading – Live or Mail – To be honest, I’m not sure how common Artist Trading Card Groups are in North America.  If you key in “Artist Trading Card Groups” in any search engine, you’ll  be able to get listings of any live swaps in your area.  Or go to www.atcquarterly.com/groups to find one in your state.  There are also many online groups that participate in swaps.  Yahoo!, Flickr and Facebook all have groups where you can trade with other members via the mail.

Down below are some more of the Artist Trading Cards I’ve made and swapped.  You can find the rest of my cards at http://www.flickr.com/photos/amateurjewelry/sets/72157622503963910/

My Milwaukee Walking Tour

Pabst Theater and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Milwaukee has beautiful architecture, especially in it's "downtown" area.  Last weekend, before I met my friend in the Third Ward for their quarterly "Gallery Night and Day", I took my own walking tour of downtown and got some great shots. 



Old World Third Street



Mader's German Restaurant

 It helped that it was a gorgeous fall day with a sunny, cloudless sky.



Turner Hall Ballroom

This building was used in the movie "Public Enemies":


Milwaukee County Historial Society

And anyone who's watched "Laverne & Shirley" will recognize this:

Hope you enjoy!