Milwaukee

We went for a last-minute trip to Milwaukee this weekend just for funsies. I have to tell you, one of the lamest things about living in/near Chicago is that the coolest place for miles and miles around is, well, Chicago. So, if you want to go away for the weekend, you go to Wisconsin. And you like it.

Anyway, Milwaukee is kind of fun, if you like eating cheese and drinking, which I do. We like staying at the Pfister Hotel, a lovely old place with a really nice little pool on the top floor. Great views of the city, in this case, under blizzardy-conditions.

We also discovered this fantastic bookstore called Downtown Books. It's one of those bookstores were every inch is covered in books, and it has all kinds of nooks and crannies and you get lost wandering around. Very fun bookstore - almost like a Powell's (Portland) experience. Also, there were cats. I bought like 7 books and M filled in some of the holes in his comic book collection.

Today before we returned home, we went to this AMAZING deli called Benji's. I found it on this website called Road Food by Jan and Michael Stern who (used to) write for Gourmet and guest talk on the Splendid Table radio show. They LOVE Milwaukee.
I ordered chicken soup. Just! Look! At! That!

and potato pancakes. Mmmm...