Miller High Life

Ahhhh. Beer. Welcome to Milwaukee. Drove right on into Miller Brewing Company. I took the 1-hour tour and tasting. Things I learned: Prohibition began in 1920. Pilsner is made in (from?) Czech Republic. The Miller-related restaurant opened up in the beer caves and stayed open only 14 days due to the reluctance of consumers to sit in a dark, dank cave and dine. What I drank (....for free): Miller High Life, Miller Lite. The best part? The opening movie. It skipped any pretense of taking beer (too) seriously. Flashy graphics and noisy beer pouring sounds reminded me of - exactly what they intended - a glorified beer commercial. Silly, fun, shiny condensation on the bottle. It reminded me to take it easy and enjoy summer. Thanks, Milwaukee.

Oh...and apparently WI has a little cheese in its history. Who knew. Big signs to remind you, just in case.






Lakeside Milwaukee highlights included the Milwaukee Art Museum. Orangy goodness outside, a wide-range of art history tidbits and collection inside. Here you can see this curious orange sculpture. In the background, that whale tale is the new wing of the museum. The rooms of the main collection were unassuming. Each segment covered an important movement in art history, from European Renaissance, to German Expressionism to American Pop Art. I was able to cover most of the collections in about an hour and half, although more time would have been good.

In case you were worried about not getting any creepy photos, here's one of the sculpture mixed-media pieces I found in the museum. Called A Store Window, American artist George Segal crafted this eerie figure. I think it's the empty, dark eyes that get me every time in statues. I need retinas and pupils before I believe that it's benignly human. [Cliche alert] I guess the eyes really are the window to the soul. !?














The other surprise in the museum was this collection of furniture pieces, both German art. The couch intrigued me (due to my fascination for the color orange, perhaps). It looked so mod, as though it would fit right in with avocado colored tupperware. Then I looked at the date of creation: Circa 1820. Yes, early 19th century. Crazy, no? I was a big fan. I'd take that clock too.



Today's Stats:
approach miles traveled so far: 800.
Gas Price: $3.16 outside of Milwaukee.
Music played from iPod on shuffle during drive: The Faint, The Smiths.
Favorite sight: Yellow lab traveling in a Yukon, snout hanging out the window, jowls flapping in the wind. He looked like the happiest dog in the world, with all the smells at 75mph. It reminded me to appreciate the simple things, if just for a moment.