Campaign Kickoff

Bailey is bundled up for the day!

Last night we went to the Campaign Kickoff for Mayor Tom Barrett. He is running for a second term and at this point it seems like there is not much opposition. The event was held at Lakefront Brewery's Palm Garden. While it is an awesome venue, they just don't have the parking space to handle a large gathering like this. It was a nice event, however I was very disappointed in the bad manners of the people who attended. They talked incessantly through the speeches, even the Mayor's. One man even had the balls to not stop yakking and he was in the front row! When everyone would applaud, all of a sudden he would...what a complete jerk.

I like the Mayor - he has a tough job, I hope with experience he gets tougher on some of the bs that goes on in City Hall.

After the shindig and a couple of good Lakefront Beers, we decided to join some friends to check out the new Irish Pub across the river. It looks very cool, however it was not open. I didn't catch the name, looks very much like the pubs we saw in Ireland. So within the Irish Pub theme, we hit the next Irish Pub that came to mind in the Third Ward - The Irish Pub. We had a couple of pints and shared some Nachos (Irish?) and Reuben Quesdilla's (Okay, somewhat Irish) Had a nice time with some old and new friends.

It's supposed to snow again today - perhaps up to 5" - but is supposed to be fluffy white stuff. We'll see. I don't mind as it will cover up the ugly slushy stuff that fell over the weekend.

The Real post-Thanksgiving

I realize now that I made an error on my previous post - it was actually PRE-Thanksgiving at that point. Oh well, once in a while I'm not that smart... Yesterday was deemed Cyber Monday due to the number of people shopping online for Christmas. I did my part with a couple of cute gifts for our new little nephew Mosley. Other than that it was a "back to work" day and I had been catching up on some of the new things in town that I haven't checked out yet - ie Palermos Pizza - I didn't know they gave tours. I will have to go on a Friday for their public tour. They built a new facility in the Menomonee Valley. I'll report back with my findings and how good the 'za is! Also I found out about The Dancing Horses in Delavan - the website makes it look like a pretty professional show. Unfortunately due to my allergies to horses I am going to have to go on others recommendations on this one. I went to the Arabian Nights show in Orlando when I was at a convention and couldn't make it through the introductions - horses and my lungs don't mix!

Thanksgiving went well. My dinner turned out really delicious. Menu consisted of: Herbed Turkey with Roasted Shallot Gravy; Sage Dressing with 3 Sausages, Apples and Parsnips; Yukon Gold Potatoes with Black Truffle Oil; Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Carrot, Apple & Horseradish Salad; Mixed Greens with Orange Vinaigrette, Cranberries and Pecans; and Leek & Asparagus Tart. Dessert was provided by Mike's sisters and mom. They did a good job too on the pies. The Packers made everything sweeter with a nice win over Detroit!

Friday after Thanksgiving was fun. Mike and I did a bit of shopping (actually looking, no buying - no $ contributions for Black Friday unless you count liquor!) at Best Buy and Mayfair. It was mid-afternoon and wasn't crazy busy. I'll never understand the need to sleep outside a store for a day in order to get a good deal on a TV. I don't know if I would even do that for a free TV! We decided to relax and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine instead at Maggiano's and then planned to met Mike's mom & sis at La Merenda - but upon arrival we found it closed for a private party. We love that place and will try again some other time. So we headed to Cuvee, a great new Champagne bar in The Third Ward. They were fairly busy in the early evening - looks like they found a niche with groups of women enjoying some bubbly after a group spa treatment. I really like Cuvee and hope they do well. The adjoining room they have for special events and parties is really pretty - I want to create an event just so I can use that room. From Cuvee we went to the Milwaukee Public Market. Such a great addition to the city. I really enjoy walking through the market and picking out interesting things to try. We enjoyed sitting at the Oyster Bar at the St. Paul Fish market sampling Point Beer, Chowder, Gumbo and Smoked Salmon on a stick - mmm! It is fun to take people from outside of Milwaukee to the market. It is still a bit disappointing due to the size as I am more accustomed to Seattle and San Francisco's public markets - but I'll take it and be happy with it!
We had to check out the new sports bar in town, Fanatics. If you didn't know this place existed from seeing it on the web or being told to go there, I don't think you would ever find it on your own. It is nestled within some office buildings with a very unassuming entrance. But once you do find it - what a great place to watch sports. They have a sports pit just like Vegas. A good time was had by all. For a night cap we stopped at The Irish Pub for a Black & Tan and a bit of live Irish music. For Milwaukeeans who haven't been out in a while, this is the old M&M Club which sits on the corner of Erie and Water Street in what used to be a Pabst Tavern back in the days when the breweries paid owners of corner bars to pour only their beer. If the walls could talk in that building, we would be entertained for weeks...