A great Place on a Great Lake

After several weather-related delays we made it to our final destination - Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The city where I was born and raised. A lot has changed over the past 20 years, from the traffic patterns on the expressway to the many renovated structures that used to be warehouses and now are condominium projects.

We started out our first day with a walk-about in Burlington, Wisconsin - sampling Hot Chocolate at each of a variety of stores. The best was at Itzin's Shoe Store where they added Bailey's Irish Cream and whipped cream to the concoction. Ummm!

You realize, of course, that a visit to Milwaukee can't be complete unless it includes Harley Davidson. It has a personal significance for me because my Grandfather started his trucking company in 1913 and built his first truck with used parts. Some of these, I believe, he got with the help of his brother-in-law who was an engineer at Harley. Anyway, here's the highlight of the day ....

We had the BEST-ever BBQ smoked Brisket with coleslaw, beans and cornbread. Great fun, Great food. An evening with family, a pretty good band and spent at the MOTOR bar and Restaurant as part of the Harley Davidson "experience". If you know anything about me, you know I love Food! And I've eaten a lot of Pulled Pork sandwiches and BBQ'd ribs in my day but this was truly the best tasting BBQ meat - it 's cooked for 14 hours, according to our server, and just melted in your mouth. If you ever go to the Harley Museum be sure to stop in their restaurant and give yourself a real treat!

Harley has come a long way from it's humble beginnings ... here's a photo of the replica of the original "manufacturing warehouse" - called "The Shed." The Shed sign reads: "The first home of Harley-Davidson was a 10 ft. x 15 ft. shed, located behind the Davidson family home at 38th St. and what is now Highland Boulevard in Milwaukee. It was built in 1903 with the help of the Davidson brothers' father, who was a cabinetmaker. In 1906, the company moved to a larger wooden building across the street, which is the site of the present-day company headquarters. This replica is based on historical photographs held in the Harley-Davidson Archieves. Respect the Shed." ...

This is just a glimpse of all the fun you can have if you're ever in the vicinity!