Category: Milwaukee

One more ballpark day #2 “28 Down and Two To Go”

by reissmd, posted in Milwaukee

Today we made it to MLB ballpark #28 when we saw the Atlanta Braves play the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.  Isn’t that a great name for a baseball stadium? It was especially fun today because I had a chance to reconnect with one of my best friends from college, Larry. 

The seats were spectacular except that the retractable roof did not quite block the sun so it was incredibly hot.  We sat in the shade in some other people’s seats until game time.  By then we had protection from the sun and all was perfect.  The field, the seats, and the fans were perfect. 

The ceremonial first pitch was performed by a fan (sorry I didn’t get his name). He is now 100 years old.

Think the Dodgers would like me to do this when I am 100?

During the game, Patrice was sitting next to the mother of Braves relief pitcher, Brent Suter.  Mama was very proud of her baby (who is a father of 3 boys and he is soon to turn 37).  She was very excited when he came into the game.  When the first batter got a hit I was worried we might have a problem with her but fortunately for everyone he pitched 3 scoreless innings and mama was very happy.  

The big game moment we had been waiting for was the sausage race. Our friends Zara and Chuck are big sausage race fans and they told us to make sure we were in our seats during the 6th inning so we didn’t miss it. You can Google Milwaukee Braves Sausage Race and see what I am talking about but take my advice  and don’t waste your time. 

Our friend Chuck, posing with the sausage boys. Yes, I am worried about Chuck.

After the game we headed to the Pfister Hotel [1424 E. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202.  Phone: 414-273-8722] at the recommendation of my friend, Jeremiah.  This iconic structure was built in 1893.  Upon entering the building you are confronted with an architectural wonderment. We wandered around enjoying the sights. At the recommendation of the bellman we headed to the bar on the 23rd from where we enjoyed a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan. 

Pfister Hotel entry. This picture doesn’t come close to capturing its magnificence.
This is the menu from October 10, 1942. I am interested in the 25 cent shrimp cocktail.

We then walked next door to the Mason Street Grill and had a meal that will make me feel guilty for weeks if not for years to come 

Crab cake appetizer
Interesting take on a wedge salad (it was delicious).

No picture of the filet mignon. I am feeling guilty about ordering it (I don’t want Peta to bomb our home) and eating it (I don’t want my cardiologist to see me eating red meat).

We then had the 90 mile drive back to Chicago where we said goodbye to Larry and were soon off to bed (after first writing the blog)

Friend for close to 60 years. Damn, doesn’t he have great hair. I don’t have great hair but I do have a great hat.

Ciao

One More Ballpark Day #1 “Jeremiah the Savior”

by reissmd, posted in Chicago, Milwaukee

Today we are on our way to Milwaukee via Chicago to visit our 28th of the 30 MLB parks.  But it was a trip that almost had us traveling to Milwaukee for naught. Yes, in my brilliance I had planned to travel to Milwaukee on Saturday, attend the game on Sunday, tour the city on Monday, and fly home on Tuesday.  Lucky for us (well actually lucky for me, because I don’t think Patrice in her wildest dreams would have ever cared if she saw a game at one MLB park let alone all 30) we had a visit from our friend Jeremiah.  The most important thing to realize about Jeremiah is he is a loyal follower of the blog.  Of secondary importance is that he is very savvy when it comes to Major League Baseball. During Jeremiah’s visit we discussed Patrice and my upcoming trip to Milwaukee. Jeremiah informed me that the Sunday game will not be played in Milwaukee but rather in Williamsport, Pennsylvania the home of the Little League World Series.  Upon hearing this I immediately went into panic mode.  I would not be able to make it to Milwaukee on Friday without taking the day off from work.  Not that missing work would be horrible but I have missed a lot of work due to our Spain trip so there’s a huge number of my patients who need to be seen. Once more Jeremiah came to the rescue. He suggested we take a direct flight to Chicago and just drive to Milwaukee for the game. He felt Chicago would be much more fun than Milwaukee so here we are in Chi-town ready to drive to American Family Field (yes, that is the name of the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark) tomorrow. 

The flight here was pretty smooth but it started off with something I’d never seen on a flight.  The pilot came out and talked to the passengers about a variety of topics. He apologized and explained the reason for the delay. He talked about our route and how he planned to go in a curved rather than straight pattern to avoid bad weather. He also told us that we were flying on a new plane and mentioned some of its advantages. It was really interesting.  I’m not sure if this is something this pilot does or if it is the policy of United Airlines.  I guess we will find out on the way home. 

Our pilot giving us the low down of what to expect on our way to Chicago.

Thanks for following us to Illinois and see you in Wisconsin tomorrow. 

Ciao,

Robert