Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

Adventure

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Lazy Saturday: Milwaukee Public Library

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Lisa, what would be your ideal Saturday morning? So happy you asked. It would totally be visiting somewhere historic, somewhere quiet and beautiful – and if books are around that would be a bonus. Well, I got that ideal Saturday morning today when Michael and I visited the Milwaukee Central Library to get our new city library cards.

Lazy Saturday: Milwaukee Public Library

Look at this place. It’s like a cathedral for books. Total heaven.

Lazy Saturday: Milwaukee Public Library

Because I love history, I’m going to give you a few facts about this stunning space. The Milwaukee Public Library was founded in 1878 and shortly thereafter, the foundation decided that it needed a larger and more central location in Milwaukee. After a nationwide call for design submissions, the Milwaukee-based firm Ferry & Clas were chosen to create the new library. Ferry & Clas is the firm responsible for building the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Tripoli Temple and the State Historical Society. After nearly four years of construction, the library opened its doors in 1898. If you’re like me that’s all super interesting.

Lazy Saturday: Milwaukee Public Library

Cool stuff.

Lazy Saturday: Milwaukee Public Library

What I love most about this place – outside of the obvious architectural beauty – are all the hidden gems inside. If you maze through the media section a little, you’ll find a giant room full of old records of all kinds. And if you go upstairs, there’s a rare books collection which looks incredible. Although I’ve never been inside (can you go inside?), I can tell you it’s just about the best place ever. In cases outside, librarians display some killer art and books, and if you look inside you can see the shelves and shelves of dusty tomes. Drool.

Lazy Saturday: Milwaukee Public Library

These photos show you only about .05% of how spectacular this place is, so I suggest you check it out. And if you have some nooks and crannies in the library that you love, tell me all about them.

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Lazy Saturday: Halloween Legends and Lore

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Like most couples in their mid-twenties, Michael and I spent our Saturday night wandering around Old World Wisconsin. Oh wait – no one else does that? For shame because Old World Wisconsin’s Halloween Legends and Lore was awesome.

For you Wisconsin kids that didn’t end up there on a field trip as a child, let me give you the gist: it’s a giant outdoor museum with dozens of historic buildings you can check out with reenactors to show you the ropes. But let me tell you, their Halloween event is crazy cool – at least to history nerds like me.

Lazy Saturday: Old World Wisconsin Legends and Lore

Now let me geek out at you for a few paragraphs. Michael and I got there and we jumped right into the action, visiting each building where there’d be actors telling a story, playing a game or acting out a spooky tale. We started out learning about the legend of the Ban Sidhe (or banshee) and that woman could scream. She was so cool and I totally regret not taking a photo with her and her spot-on costume. On the plus side, I did get to hang out with this vampire. Terrifying.

Lazy Saturday: Old World Wisconsin Legends and Lore

Things got spooky when the sun went down. We checked out this haunted house. Ooooh spooky bride! It was totally my favorite vignette of the evening. Michael and I walked in, and we were greeted by a woman in mourning and she proceeded to tell us how her son-in-law just passed away and that Michael reminded her of him “only much less attractive,” and I had a good little giggle. And of course there was a good corpse bride scare.

Lazy Saturday: Old World Wisconsin Legends and Lore

We ended our evening with the tale of Baba Yaga and Vasalisa. The only thing I remembered of the folk tale was that Baba Yaga rides on a mortar and pestle, and if that’s not enough to send you into a Wikipedia wormhole, then you have higher standards than I do (but still check it out).

Lazy Saturday: Old World Wisconsin Halloween Legends and Lore

This is probably on the more obscure end of Halloween activities, but it was totally my favorite yet. If you’re intrigued, check it out! You’re last chance is October 31!

 

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Lazy Saturday: Apple Picking

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Every year my boyfriend fiancé Michael and I make a list of all the fun things we want to do in fall. This year we’ve got a Spoon show crossed off, watching American Horror Story in the works, and of course a few fall standards like apple picking and pumpkin carving. This year, like last year and the year before (I like my traditions), we went picking at Nieman Markets in Cedarburg.

Lazy Saturday: Apple Picking

Like every year, we had a great time running around the orchard snapping pictures and picking all sorts of apples. I climbed a particularly gnarly tree too thinking it would make for fun pictures, but I got stuck like a cat. Let’s pretend that didn’t happen and you can just look at this rustic old barn instead. Oooh!

Lazy Saturday: Apple Picking

After getting stuck, losing a lens cap, and lugging two bags of apple out of the orchard, we snagged a gallon of fresh-pressed apple cider and picked a few pumpkins to make it an exceptionally seasonal outing. And before we left, I convinced Michael to do my favorite thing: pose with Garfield. Success!

Lazy Saturday: Apple Picking

Hope your weekend was as fun (and Garfield-filled)!

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Lazy Saturday: Menomonee River Parkway

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I’m not a very good biker. I’m also not a very prepared blogger. Saturday I woke up early to bike to my local farmers market knowing perfectly well that the parkway was gorgeous this time of year, but I neglected to bring my camera. So humor me and my iPhone snaps.

Menomonee River ParkwayFor me, there’s no beating the Menomonee River Parkway for a lazy Saturday bike ride: it takes me exactly where I want to go and it looks great doing it. You’ve got almost five miles of pristine bike paths, the beautiful scenery of Hart Park, and the river weaving through the whole thing. And to make it better, you’ve got awesome architectural details like this drawbridge (not an actual drawbridge) that lead to the Hoyt Park beer garden.

Menomonee River

And for good measure, here’s one of my trusty Townie bike. I’ve never been big into biking (or any exercise for that matter), but this baby makes taking a ride oh so easy, meaning: it’s beautiful and, most importantly, it’s comfortable. Let me tell you that totally sold me.

Townie bikeThis is my favorite, but I could be swayed. What are you favorite Milwaukee trails?

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Milwaukee Film Festival: “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry”

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It’s Milwaukee Film Festival season, you guys and gals! That’s right – the best two weeks of the year are upon us.

Milwaukee Film Fest

This is my fourth year I’ve attended, and it seriously keeps getting better and better. Last year I hit up a record (for me) three films in a day, and I thought I had the peak with Band of Sisters – a documentary about American nuns working for change and social justice – and Signpainters.

But this year, oh this year, I found a new favorite. A favorite for all time I’m sure: She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry. This documentary about the feminist movement in the 1960s and 1970s was stellar. Beyond stellar. This film was packed with incredible photography and film footage from the era accompanied by interviews with a handful of important activists. Their stories and their opinions on feminism brought me to tears.

She's Beautiful When She's AngryWhat was even more incredible was that after the film, the director and two of the activists featured, Fran Beal and Mary Jean Collins, answered a few questions after the screening, and they were amazing! They were such a strong reminder that everyday people can have a huge impact on society – granted Beal and Collins said that no victory is permanent, which is why it’s imperative that women continue to fight for equal pay, access to birth control, the right to choose, and more.

I can’t do these women’s stories justice, which is why I recommend you watch the trailer here. And keep a lookout! She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry will be hitting theaters in New York and Los Angeles in December and hopefully more theaters nationwide after that.

Five stars!
Audience members are encouraged to rate the film after the screening. I’d give this a ten, but the scale only goes to five. Bummer.

Did anyone else have a chance to check the festival out? What were your favorites?

 

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Lazy Saturday: Dane County Farmers’ Market

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It took me all spring, summer and the first few days of fall, but I finally did it, you guys: I made it to the Dane County Farmers’ Market in Madison.

Market sunflowers

While I was in college, there was hardly a Saturday between April and November that I missed the market. Most mornings I’d wake up, ready or not, with one thing on my mind: cookies. So I’d be off getting a giant M&M cookie and back before my friends had even lurched from their beds.

Today my singleminded search has shifted to Stella’s blueberry scones and Summer Kitchen’s jams. This place has hands down the best jam I’ve ever had. If you’re new to the stand, I’m going to throw out that the Hedgerow (strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry) is the best. Along with all the other varieties.

Summer Kitchen's jam

After a lap around the square and a short walk up State Street, I came home with this little haul: two new jams, some baby bellas from Palm’s Mushroom Cellar, mini sweet peppers, and a few Cortland apples. I admittedly also had two scones, some apple cider, and a few pieces of candy, but that’s all gone now – can you blame me?

Farmers Market Haul
My haul. Forgive the wrinkled tablecloth.

If you lucky Wisconsinites haven’t been yet this year, you have until November 8th!

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Stone Creek Factory

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Is walking six blocks from your work considered an adventure? No, but I’ll file this in the adventure category because I was out and about.

Now I don’t normally take coffee shop pictures (not even a #nofilter Instagram of my cold brew because OMG I love it) but this was a very informal photo shoot for work. And by that I mean I was charged with blogging about National Coffee Day and I took that as permission to chill out at the Stone Creek Coffee factory while occasionally snapping pictures, and in this case being extremely conspicuous and standing on a bench to get an aerial shot because eye level wasn’t enough.

Stone Creek Coffee

Anyways, thank you, Stone Creek baristas, for not glaring at me too much and for not rolling your eyes when my friends and I asked for mugs so they’d look better in photos. You’re awesome. Also, if you’re in the area and have an afternoon to kill, I recommend kicking your feet up by the fire here. It’s pretty damn cozy.