Milwaukee is the New Chicago Part Deux

Very bright day very dark inscription, so I have no idea who this is.

Hello from beautiful Milwaukee! I am here at my hotel, the Knickerbocker on the Lake. It is a beautiful and historic hotel. (side note: I hate it when people say AN historic) The check-in process was smooth once I realized parking in the loading zone in front of the hotel was okay. They give you a card and a tag for your window shield, and you can park right next store and have in-and-out privileges for $20 a night. They say it's limited, but there were plenty of spaces, just something to keep in mind if you come at a busy time.

One of the reasons I am here is that sometimes, as a work-from-home person, I have to get the heck out of my home. Especially if there are jobs requiring some out-of-the-box thinking or problems to solve. Not that my job is that important, but it was time. All I need is a good desk, which is one reason I choose this room and an internet connection.

My room has a little kitchen; next to it was a small glass dining table with two chairs and right off was a windowless 5x5 room with a desk. Nothing particularly wrong with that but I wanted to be near a window since I knew there would many hours logged. So I asked the front desk if the furniture could be moved.

The front desk guy came up and took out the little glass table, and then we realized that the hotel must have been built around this desk (sarcasm) because it was just a bit too big to get out of this room. So he had to take two legs off the table to get it out, which he did! Now that is service! I never would have asked had I known it would be a hassle. I tipped big and apologized profusely.

I find it a little amusing that this property uses "On the Lake" in the title. Because although it is near Lake Michigan, it is not on the lake, even saying it is close to the lake is pushing it. It is 1/2 block from a park that is next to a pretty busy street that runs along next to the Lake.

Anyway, the room has a perfect-sized kitchen, with some dishes and pots—however no coffee pot. You can buy some crappy coffee on the first floor. However, I brought a little coffee press so it worked out perfectly. As I was making dinner yesterday, I was getting a little cold so I looked for the heat. No individual heat in this room; there is a radiator that heats the whole building, and the front desk guy seemed honestly bemused that this surprised me. He said yeah, this building was built in the 1920s.

So I would say if you get cold easily, I would not stay in the spring and fall when we have large temperature changes. He said the heat was automatic and would not turn on until 45 degrees (WHAT !) outside. I very slowly cooked my bratwurst on top of the oven, which solved the problem, but I know that is not a smart thing to do.

Yesterday I also found the free HOP on free electric streetcar. This hotel is right at the end of the line, which is handy. I took it all the way to the other side of town to go to the Milwaukee Public Market, an entertaining area with shops and restaurants. The M line is what you are looking for, which is confusing because the other line is called the Lakefront line. I would have gotten on thinking that's where I was going if I hadn't asked a nice lady at the stop.

May be an image of van, barn door and text that says 'A A "1' — You are either on or off the VW fancy jelly marketing bus

The area near the market is very different, busier, and crowded. It's not bad, but it has a different vibe from the lakefront. I got delicious French bread, fancy cheese, apple balsamic, strawberry jelly, and a coffee-flavored rice crispy treat. So I'm set for a while.

So, will I be giving up my Chicago stays for Milwaukee? The good thing is that it is much cheaper, along with the hotel, parking, food, and drinks. I like the trolly. The downside at this hotel is the heat, which is a big deal to me since I am logging a lot of work hours. The coffeepot thing would have been a big deal if I hadn't been ready because they advertise a fully stocked kitchen. I don't know enough about the hospitality industry to know if a coffeepotless kitchen can be defined as fully stocked, but NOT in Lora world.

So yeah, I'm not done with Chicago yet, but I will definitely add this to the list, especially in the summer to take advantage of the much lower rates and beautiful weather.

More to come!