24 hours in Brew City.

The train trip to Milwaukee passed through fields, farms and little tributaries that would eventually become the mighty Mississippi. Here, however, they were merely trickles.

Milwaukee’s train station is not an elegant structure. And it’s called the “Intermodal Station.” But it is spacious and easy to navigate.

I had chosen my hotel based on its proximity to the station…it looked to be about a half mile and I thought my legs could use a stretch. However, the map did not indicate that this was mostly uphill. It was windy and chilly and I was glad I had leggings on under my skirt, which was blowing every which way. I was happy to see the hotel appear…the Doubletree Downtown.

The Doubletree is part of the Hilton chain and I had booked with my membership card. I was thanked for my loyalty, given a warm chocolate chip cookie and an upgrade…which meant my room had a couch, apparently. All good! I got myself sorted and decided to have dinner in the hotel restaurant…a real meal for a change. With wine. It was delicious.

After sleeping in a hostel and then a train, I was happy to have an actual bed. I slept soundly and long. The game the next day was at 12 noon. I bundled up against the predicted cold and after a decent breakfast (again at the hotel!) grabbed an Uber. (There is apparently public transportation to the stadium, but it is a bit convoluted and involves a change. So I went the easier route.)

My driver seemed a bit confused about where the drop-off was, so I ended up on the back side of the stadium. But I figured it out. I didn’t realize that American Family Field has a dome! It was a little weird, seeing baseball inside. But I was happy not to be freezing.

This is the “home run slide” and the mascot takes a ride down it and waves a team flag if there is a home run…which happened twice! I was told that first-time visitors to the park could go down it during the 7th inning stretch. I decided to pass.

They honored a 105-year-old veteran of Pearl Harbor. He stood and saluted during the National Anthem, which was played quite nicely by a local high school band.

It was a fun game and the Brewers won, 5-1 against the Tigers. (I’ll be in Detroit in a couple of days and rooting for the Tigers in their home field.)

On the way back, I grabbed one of the free shuttles from the local pubs. I walked back to my hotel and was able to see a bit of downtown Milwaukee. And I got some excellent Pho at a local place on the way.

Rather than hang around my hotel, I was able to change my train to an earlier time. This is the new Amtrak route called “The Borealis.” It was crowded and a bit chaotic, but it put me in Chicago before 7:30pm. And then the White Sox the next day!

Well, I’m a gonna get on that ol’ turnpike and I’m gonna ride
I’m a gonna leave this town till you decide
Which one you want the most them Opry stars or me
Milwaukee here I come from Nashville, Tennessee.