Page 110 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER SPRING 2022

Cultural Immersion

My room at Saint Kate The Arts Hotel boasted a
turntable, a Xavier Cougat album and moody pho-
tographs, hinting at the city's creative side. The
Bronze Fonz standing on the Riverwalk around the
corner from my hotel was my intro to Milwaukee's
vibrant public art scene. The life-sized statue of
Arthur Fonzarelli pays tribute to Happy Days, the
50s Milwaukee sitcom that dominated the airways
from 1974 to 1984. The Fonz was also known to
pop in on the set of Laverne & Shirley, a Happy
Days spinoff featuring the fictional Shotz Brewery
in Milwaukee.
The city's public art definitely has a quirky bent,
as demonstrated by the giant red plastic cup out-
side the Public Market and the Three Stooges
fronting Lakefront Brewery. Amusing and
thought-provoking murals abound. In Black Cat
Alley, 24 murals by 21 artists from Milwaukee to
Berlin cover brick walls along the narrow passage-
way. Sip & Purr, the cat cafe on the corner, is abso-
lutely enchanting.
During a welcoming speech at the convention
Mayor Tom Barrett called Milwaukee a "kaleido-
scope of cultures." That abundance shines through
in the city's theater and music scenes. The entire
summer is devoted to enjoying the city's cultural
diversity—and its food and beer.
Summerfest, billed as the world's largest music
festival, presents over 1,000 performances and at-
tracts an international audience. Pridetoberfest
and gatherings celebrating Polish, Irish, German,
Italian, Mexican and other cultures and cuisine
bookend Summerfest
I had hoped to see more of Milwaukee's architec-
ture—after all, this is Frank Lloyd Wright country. I
caught a bit of an overview during my city tour with
Untapped Tours and loved the juxtaposition of
sleek glass and steel towers with ornate limestone
and cream brick (colored by the earth's calcium and
limestone) breweries and theaters from the late
1800s. Mike Awve, the tour company's ebullient
owner, drove us through neighborhoods lined with
handsome historic homes in the pouring rain. Chalk
up a must-do for my next visit.

110 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER/SPRING 2022