55 Reasons Why I Love Wisconsin

Driving home from work the other day, I started thinking about all of the things I love about living in Wisconsin. I decided to compile a list, not in any specific order, of those things, from restaurants and shops, to events, qualities, and places. I've added descriptions for most, and I would like to add pictures as well, if I can get the time to do it. As most of you know, my job during the week makes it pretty hard to post much, so I'm going to try to post more on the weekends. Especially now that the holidays are over, Arlo and I have more free time on the weekends, so hopefully I will be able to post more in the future. With the temperature dipping back down below zero soon, there will be very little reason to go out.

Without further ado, the list:

1. Kringle- that awesomely delicious pastry made pretty much only in Racine, Wisconsin, Arlo and I particularly love the cranberry, apple, and apricot variety. It's flat and round, like a sweet dessert wreath.

2. Triskele's- yummy restaurant that Arlo and I have been to twice and would like to hit more often, they have all you can eat mussels and awesome seafood.

3. Cheesecurds- Basically really fresh cheese that hasn't been pressed into blocks yet, so it's like small, unformed hunks of cheese. They're sold in sandwich bags and squeak when you bite it if it's really fresh.

4. South Shore Farmer's Market- As much as I loved the farmer's market in Baltimore, this one kicks ass! It takes place in a big park on the lakefront and with much more space, there's less bottlenecking. The prices are decent, you can sample a lot of the food, and they sell Sven's coffee, eggs on ciabatta bread, and tamales. Oh, and did I mention it takes place on the lakefront?

5. Changes/Robert's- A restaurant right up the street, this was called Roberts, but they've changed their name, though now it has both names on the outside. Inside it is all dark wood and a fireplace, with frequent karaoke and our favorite bartender who gives you a hard time when you don't know what to order. They also have really good fish and broasted chicken.

6. Fish Fries, in general- Pretty much every place has a Friday Fish Fry, inexpensive meal of (sometimes) all you can eat cod or other variety of fish, fried obviously, plus coleslaw, rye bread, and potato pancakes (if it's done well). My favorite fish fry is Cliff's Boathouse in Racine, WI.

7. Milwaukee Art Museum- Only been there once, but it was really cool and I want to go again.

8. Bradford Beach- A beach like 15 minutes away, who wouldn't love that?!?!? And with the lake being so big, it feels like you're at the ocean. Wouldn't go there anytime soon, but it's something to look forward to.

9. Trocadero- Fancy restaurant that has an awesome cheese and fruit plate and weekly wine specials.

10. Fasten Collective- A FANTASTIC clothing and accessories store that has free craft sessions monthly. This month we are making roses out of duct tape. Shout out to Wendy!

11. Bayview, Kinnickinnic Avenue- A lot like Hampden, but without the racism and drug problem. It's filled with kitschy shops, coffee shops, and second-hand stores, along with Fasten.

12. Sven's- Located on the above Kinnickinnic Avenue, a cool coffeeshop about 10 minutes away. Sven's also has fantastic rootbeer floats and homemade soups.

13. Tippecanoe Public Library- Within walking distance, a tiny library that manages to still have what you need, and the people there are really nice.

14. Tippecanoe True Value- I discovered this early on and have loved it ever since. It's tiny, and has everything you need, like the library, and the guys who work there helped me take apart my table base when the screws were rusted shut.

15. The Nomad- Really cool bar with live trivia, and much better atmosphere than the Charred Rib!

16. The Pabst- Beautiful theater that has cool concerts, some for only $10!

17. Turner Hall- Another live music venue (No, Kevin, I am not typing this from a music festival), neat old ballroom turned concert hall with cocktail tables and chairs (I love sitting for music!)

18. The numerous parks all around, within bicycling distance, some with public pools.

19. South Shore YMCA... WHAT UP, Y!?!

20. The Dells- Kind of like Ocean City, only on a series of lakes, not the ocean, with indoor water parks for the winter.

21. Koz's- a bar with "minibowling," 8-foot lanes, wooden pins hand-set each round, and I hit strikes the first 8 rounds!

22. American Players Theater/Spring Green- An outdoor theater in the middle of nowhere, so you can watch Shakespeare under the stars.

23. Outpost- a co-op, where, among many good things, one can find Bayview Brew, the coffee that Arlo brought home on Thanksgiving.

24. Jalapeno Loco- Awesome Mexican food in the mid-west...who knew?!?

25. Amelia's- site of the All-you-can-eat crab legs or fried chicken. Perfect for Arlo and me.

26. The Lakefront- So beautiful, and we have one section of it about 10 minutes away!

27. Kohlrabi- This yummy root vegetable that Arlo turned me on to, it is great with salt and pepper.

28. Woodman's- This ginormous grocery store that has pretty much anything you could want.

29. Festivals!- Milwaukee is like the festival capital of America...at this huge year-round venue, they have Summerfest, 11 days of hundreds of bands and thousands of people, plus every ethnicity's festival, and other random festivals.

30. Waves- Restaurant down in Racine that has all of these wacky combination dishes that remind you of the food made on Top Chef.

31. Ma Fisher's- 24-hour diner that Arlo and I went to on Halloween.

32. Landmark Bowl- Bowling, darts, and alcohol.

33. Beans and Barley- Healthfood store and awesome restaurant connected. Pretty much the best chili I've had.

34. Oriental theater- Like the Charles, only more gilded and less dark and dingy. Not that I don't love the Charles!

35. New Glarus Spotted Cow- So, yes, you can get this beer at Beltway, but it's made here!

36. Gays Mills Apple Festival- Funny name, but it's a lot of fun! A festival that celebrates the deliciousness of a perfect fruit.

37. Milwaukee Public Market- Kinda like Lexington, only cleaner and less crowded.

38. El Rey Chips- Some of you have had these miraculous tortilla chips, made here in Milwaukee

39. Yardarm- Arlo's current employer, it's a boating-inspired bar and restaurant.

40. Being close to Chicago- only 2 hours away!

41. The big clock- I think it's the largest 4-sided clock in the U.S. and it's a good landmark to figure out where you are, kind of like the Domino's Sugar sign!

42. Walleye- delicious fish that is caught in Lake Michigan.

43. EE Sane- a Thai-Laotian restaurant with fantastic pad thai, in the midwest!

44. Brandy Oldfashions- You can't really get these on the East coast, a mix of brandy, bitters, sprite, cherries and oranges, with a dash of sugar.

45. The accents!- How can you not LOVE them!!??!?!

46. Honeycrisp apples- Okay, so you can get these on the East coast, but they are grown here!

47. Kopp's frozen custard- Like soft-serve icecream, only twice the fat and twice the calories. Delicious! Oh, and they have butterburgers, burgers with a pat of butter cooked into the center.

48. World Market- I think these are elsewhere, but mostly in the midwest...they are sort of like Pier One, but they also sell food and wine!

49. Helpful Service People- Sounds like an oxymoron, but here it isn't....people will thank you for complaining here....and fix it without an issue! Not only that, but people will ask, "So, whattcha workin on?" if you buy wood, glue, and paint.

50. Deb and John's Plainfield Pub- The half-house/half-bar in our neighborhood, it's plastered with Packer's stuff and they had free snacks for the Packer's games. Free snacks!

51. Waking up each morning to Arlo.

52. Our house- it's perfect. Enough space, toasty warm, and filled with our stuff...oh, and color on the walls!

53. Our backyard- huge, space for Marley to run and a ginormous tree. Oh, and we have a fire pit!

54. The general lack of judgment here- You can wear a sweatshirt anywhere from the grocery store to a restaurant, and no one will look at you funny. Love it!

55. Being close to Arlo's family- We get to see his grand-parents and father pretty often and we are only 3 hours from his mother, sister, niece, and nephew.

There you go! 55 things that I love. I could also do a list like this for Maryland, and friends and family would be first on the list. What would be on your list?