Some may say this is the bridge to nowhere, but I personally think this is the bridge that connects…read morethe Eastside to Riverwest or vice versa. It does all that in style as it was built right below the Holton Street Bridge making it a part of that structure. Not only is this spans' eye appealing but it allows you to see the area in a way you normally could not. Perched well above, or below take your pick, the Milwaukee River and running next to the Mighty Lakefront Brewery this bridge makes pedestrian traffic across the river a breeze. We walk from our Riverwest home down and across the Viaduct regularly. It connects the two sides and are known to some as part of the Oak Leaf Trail or by others as the Marsupial Bridge or to even those as simply the bike path under Holton. Either way this project helped connect two dissociated neighborhoods into an accessible thoroughfare that is used by so many. This is the essence of taking full advantage of the urban landscape and turning it into something so useful.

All I know is Lake Front Brewery is on one side and I felt very animal like as I took the short cut…read moreand scampered up the side of the bridge landing versus taking the long way down east and back up to cross the bridge. If i were more into fitness I would have enjoyed the cardiac value of being chased by street thugs. Be careful at night I don't talk to strangers, so sorry if I seem curt and impolite. As I make my way back home. I have bad memories of billy goats gruff and trolls under the bridge. Not internet trolls the real living breathing diseased, TB flea infested trolls that carry all kinds of hepatitis, STD's and whatnots. I recommend lawful carry for personal safety.

The Riverwalk was completed 20 years ago along the third ward following the Milwaukee River. The…read moreironwood walkway is a mile of river views and outdoor dining. We followed the boardwalk along the river, passing boats, restaurant, and dog walkers. There were colorful flowers along the way and benches to sit & relax.

We were so lucky to stay within walking distance of the riverwalk and enjoyed the crisp cool fall…read moreweather when visiting here from TN. Taking a stroll is def worthy of your time.

Come in for the delicious popcorn. Stay to watch a great film! The Oriental Theatre is a unique…read moreMilwaukee movie theater making an impact with independent films, the film fests it hosts, events, and more. I have enjoyed coming here and being a film member since Milwaukee Film took over. The theater building is unique and creative with the main theater holding some very unique architecture and decor. They have a second floor but for some reason it is very rarely open. That is a disappointment. The theater has snacks and drinks for purchase, with some pretty good popcorn and the brewer's/nutritional yeast makes it great! There is no parking onsite; street parking only. For events, it is best to come early.

Once a good activity on a cold New Year's day? Going to see a movie at the O. The O is such an…read moreamazing historical landmark. Even though they have split it into 3 separate theaters, it still retains its charm. Some people love the new dream lounger setups at some other local theater chains, but I find the regular seats very comfortable. And besides you don't have to deal with people eating a 4 course meal, with all the lip smacking. People come here to actually watch the movie. Today we saw the new release of "Song Sung Blue". If you are going, bring a big box of tissue. It is a beautifully made movie, great screenplay, acting, and directing. So, so, good!

A life-size bronze sculpture of the happy days legend Henry Winkler. I was curious why he's here…read moresince he's from New York City and understand. I read the "Bronze Fonz" statue is in Milwaukee because the popular TV sitcom Happy Days, which starred Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, was set in 1950s Milwaukee. The statue, located on the city's RiverWalk, was erected in 2008 by Visit Milwaukee to honor the iconic character and boost tourism, becoming a popular landmark and selfie spot. However, we walked and walked and walked, and I never found him. We saw another strange set of Riverwalk statues. I'm glad we came back in the morning and found the Fonz. He was surrounded by tourist and sad people talking to them themselves passed out on the bench. My GPS said there's a safe house around the corner.

The Fonz: "AYYY!" [Milwaukee WI]…read more It was a bit challenging finding parking here since there was construction going on at E Wells Street. We circled the area for a while trying to find a spot and couldn't find one nearby. We eventually found street parking at the Milwaukee City Hall and walked across towards the Pabst Theater on E Wells Street and there by the Milwaukee River... is the Bronze Fonz! "Whoa" LoL! Flashback!! there he was, a life-size statue of Fonzie doing the double thumbs up while saying his iconic catchphrase "AYYYYYY!" ahhh! These Days Are Ours... Happy Days! For the younger generation, Happy Days was one of the most iconic TV shows of all time, featuring Ron Howard as Richie, Anson Williams as Potsie, and Donnie Most as Ralph Malph, but the star of the show was Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli. The show aired from January 15, 1974 to July 19, 1984 "Ayyyyyy!" Review #3835

I was walking around frozen lake looking for dirty the duck and I finally found him and they had…read moreall kinds of stuff for him. There's about 67 different ducks surrounding the area and it was freezing outside so I caught a couple quick pics and got out.

Kindergarten in Ottowa, I began to learn French with a Gertie the Duck book. I still have it. 16…read moreyears ago, I moved to Milwaukee for an academic job and learned about the original Gertie inspiring and warming the hearts of the war weary downtown from Professor Gurda's excellent "The Making of Milwaukee." Check it out on MPTV. Visit this wonderful sculpture honoring a brave duck, the strength of community, and the heartfelt quality of motherhood.

This beautiful Art Deco building was constructed by the Milwaukee Gas Light Company in late 1929…read moreand opened in 1930. It was constructed in a remarkable nine months! The building designed by a premier Milwaukee architectural firm, Eschweiler & Eschweiler. The design of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company building includes different materials to enhance the appearance. The first two floors are clad with Coldstone granite from Minnesota, starting with the third floor, bricks are progressively lighter in color toward the top of the building. The cornices of the setbacks and the upper floors use Milwaukee's famous Cream City brick to make the Art Deco styled building seem taller and sunnier. Beautiful copper sculptured panels adorned the spandrels and large bronze doors served the main entrance. All the artful works proclaimed the building to be the headquarters of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company. In 1966, with the era of gas lights lost for decades, the company changed its name to Wisconsin Gas Company. All the identifying marks of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company were removed at that time, and sadly, were lost. In 2001, the Wisconsin Gas Company was acquired by WICOR, the holding company that also owned Wisconsin Electric Company. The two firms that had been bitter rivals for so many decades were now under the same ownership. Employees of the old gas company, today known as WE Energies, were moved out of the building and merged into the WE Energies facilities. The Wisconsin Gas Company building was sold to a private developer, who found and restored the copper sculptures as well as the bronze entrance doors. The building is partially occupied and space is available for lease. In 1956, a large sign was added to the peak of the roof top. The sign is in the shape of a gas flame and was added primarily to promote the use of gas for cooking and heating. It was also lit at night to make weather forecasts. The flame is lit with neon and will show red, blue or gold, either solid or flashing. Several mnemonics were published over the years to help viewers remember the key to interpreting the forecast, such as this one: When the flame is red, it's warm weather ahead! When the flame is gold, watch out for cold! When the flame is blue, there's no change in view! When there's a flickering flame, expect snow or rain! For many years, Wisconsin Gas Company sponsored weather forecasts on a local television station. At the end of the forecast, a slide of the lit flame was shown on screen with the personality stating the flame on top of the Gas Company Building was blue, red or gold and explain what that meant. Since it was a slide, with no animation, if the flame was flashing to indicate precipitation in the forecast, the station simply flashed the entire slide off and on, so the entire building went dark, too! The flame was visible for miles and was even used as a navigational aid by ships on Lake Michigan. As taller buildings began to surround the Wisconsin Gas Company Building and weather forecasts became readily available from radio and television, the flame lost its significance as a weather forecasting tool. In 1973, at the peak of the energy crisis, the light was extinguished. It returned to use in 1985. The current owner of the building maintains the tradition, and the gas flame shines from sundown to midnight every night. (Author's note, a similar sign predicts weather on the roof of the American Trust and Savings Bank in Dubuque, Iowa. It is a tower, not a gas flame!) http://www.yelp.com/review_share/_7gSgdhiP7RfGNrmRHR04w/review/zNnPhqVfmefdFMFKTdokyA?fsid=NOOmFnQ1N3iUWwhdtsFpyg

The Wisconsin Gas Building is under new management and they are working hard to spruce things up…read more The exterior planters have fresh and beautiful flowers. New security cameras are being installed. Some new seating and flowers have been placed in the lobby. The coolest thing however has been the polishing of all the brass trimmings and fixtures. This always beautiful building is really shining with all the face lifting!

This is a truly hidden (like, literally) gem in Milwaukee. Entrance is so hidden away in a dark,…read morecreamy street, that I wonder hours I found it in the first place. Don't expect anything. Just go if you're wanting a fun experience with puzzles and games and card games... and experience the life of a spy. I have been at different times of the week, but do find it most fun on the weekends when there are more people. It's more a fun experience than a dinner place. Food is ok, but not for the foodie. It's for the inner spy in you. Mission impossible Burger with potato chips Burger was nicely flavored, nothing crazy to rave about but still yummy. Furtive Fish fry Bit salty, and breading completely detached from the fish. But still a good crunch and the fish was very well seasoned. Broccolini salad good, nice complement to the fish fry SpyPA Told this was an IPA from Lakefront, but didn't really have the kick of an IPA. Would not get it again. So food, pretty safe. Experience - something you won't find anywhere else.

My sister loves SafeHouse, so I was excited to finally check it out with her. The staff do a great…read morejob staying in character, which makes the experience fun, and the cave-like atmosphere and decor are really unique. The fries were great and the thunderballs were simple but tasty. The tacos were okay, just a bit heavy on the guacamole for my taste. Overall, it's a place to go more for the experience.

Won a ticket from good ole Yelp! First thing wife says "we aren't doing the tomato fight are we?"…read moreWell as a matter of fact, hell no we aren't. I'm a bit to old to get in a caged ring with a bunch of youngsters chucking rotten tomatoes at each other. It does make for a good watch though and that we did. First this 2017 11th Eastside Annual Tomato Romp couldn't have dreamt up better weather. It was sunny and crisp out and so it began, the jaunt around to hit up 8 different pubs and enjoy a 5 oz. sample at each location. That's 40 oz of the goods! If you didn't walk away full or buzzed... well that's your problem. As expected some bloodies weren't nearly as good a s others and thus why they call it a contest. Still trying to figure out who won the damn event. Voting was as easy as 1, 2, 3 so that was a plus. All the places to try the juice were centrally located except Buddha Lounge which was a little further walk away. No matter I crowned one of favorite local spots Vintage as the Bloody Mary Champ. We'll see if it holds true. After that Vitucci's, Hooligan's and Landmark Lanes all had tasty bloodies, in that order. Fun event, good weather and lot's of people roaming around MKE make for a great day!

The Eastside Tomato Romp enters it's 7th year as an awesome fundraiser for the North Avenue BID…read more And it's a pretty cool one at that! For years my friends and I have been marking this September event date on our calendars when it's announced in early spring. And as with any annual event, it's great to see improvements made each year. The two largest draws are the Tomato Fight and the Bloody Mary Crawl. The Tomato Fight takes place at 4pm($10 entry fee goes to a local food pantry). A chain link cage (less the roof) is assembled in the parking lot between Farwell and Murray just north of North Avenue. The cage is filled with donated tomatoes and eagerly awaits the throngs of most costumed tomato fighters. Even spectators getting unwittingly pulled into the act when errant tomatoes fly past the 15 foot sidewalls. As fun as watching this spectacle is the many rookie fighters that are ill-prepared for life after the fight. Tomatoes are juicy, and therefore wet. And wet means cold, especially when the high temp this year barely crossed 64 degrees. But these gladiators of produce are unfazed. Some set out to the nearby sponsoring credit union that offers a "hose off" station. And some begin what is likely to be a very long walk home, no matter how close they live. New in 2012 and every since it the Tomato Plate Crawl. For $2-$8 for a tasting plate the 12 participating restaurants will regale your tastebuds with all things tomato. The other major draw is the Bloody Mary Tasting Crawl. Pay $20, get a wristband and scorecard, and embark on a self guided tour of some of the divey-est, hipster-esque, popular, and trendy places on and around North Ave. The participating bars must follow three rules: Use the sponsor vodka (SKYY in 2014), use the sponsor chaser beer (Milwaukee Brewing Company Outboard in 2014) and garnish with only a lemon and or lime wedge if at all. From the start there seem to be issues with the chaser beer and we estimate we received the official beer at about half of the 14 stops. But this was about the bloodies and they ranged from solid (Divino, embracing basil) to over-spiced (Rascals) to culinary (Hooligans cumin based bloody tasted like a great chili starter), to one dimensional and overdone (BBC- black pepper, Replay - teriyaki) to downright undrinkable (note to School Yard, please balance your overly infused with pickle juice bloody with a little tomato flavor next year). Yield Bar took home the double crown as the Choice of both the People and the Judges even though no one in our group would choose to order it again. Go figure. But the point was fun and the Tomato Romp packs that year after year. So mark your calendar early and get it on it.