Leg Four: Michigan

O driving, how I love thee....

I must say that I am extremely proud of Todd, we have made it over 1,000 miles in less than five days and I have yet to come across a motor-vehicle problem. There was a short period just outside of Detroit last night when I thought I heard some noises coming from the front of the car, but luckily everything was back to normal this morning. : )

So yesterday I got to hit up two totally cool places in Milwaukee. While I was waiting for Meghan to finish up her very exciting, and sometimes drama filled, PA shift at the clinic, I got a chance to drive over to the East side of Milwaukee and see Lake Michigan, which I can honestly say I have never done on any of my trips to the city. It was soo pretty, and if I was a native Milwaukeean (not sure if that is the correct pronoun ;) I would definitely look at the lakeside for a wedding/event location. I checked it out and the city has a couple of avenues for renting out park space along the lake, everything from botanical gardens, a terrace, and a bunch of different plaza options. If you are planning an event in the Milwaukee area, let me know, we all know by know how much I love a good roadtrip ; )

Anyway, while I was down by the lake and I stopped by Alterra, a very cool and funky coffee house, located right next to the lake. Meghan had told me that this place was a big deal in Milwaukee, but the big draw for me was when I drove by, the first thing to catch my eye was the Wisconsin Union starburst chairs! I was so excited, it was like I never left Madison that morning!! The great thing about Alterra (besides the awesome chairs) is although they currently have a bunch of locations across downtown Milwaukee, they started as three entrepreneurial minded friends in 1993, just looking for a place to get some quality coffee. If I hadnt have had a HUGE caramel latte before I wandered down to Alterra, I would have definitely tried out their master brews; however I settled for a personal favorite, lemon mint iced tea. The tea was heavenly, and the atmosphere around the whole place was just really cool. Hopefully the company will expand soon, and if they make it to the Twin Cities area I might have a new favorite coffee shop! O and they do these really cool leaf designs in their coffees which are just totally cool : )

After soaking the good tea and atmosphere of Alterra, I met up with Meghan for some good conversation and great food at Comet's Cafe. We were able to sit outside because the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and Meghan and I were able to appreciate the made-from scratch comfort food (like the overflowing Buddafucco sandwich I had) and custom brews (see Bravo Beverage for today ;) that this small cafe is famous for. Overall, a great late September dining experience.

It was a good thing the food at Comet's was so amazing, because I spent the next 6 and 1/2 hours, nonstop, driving to Grosse Ile, Michigan, where my Uncle Chris and Aunt Brenda live. I love coming to visit my Michigan family, and I really appreciate being able to stay at my aunt and uncle's place. Not only are they super fun to talk and hang out with, but they also have the cutest dog, Turk! This morning I was able to go on my first run EVER with a dog, and let me tell you, it was a very interesting, yet fun, experience. Let's just say it was really great to have a running companion, however, if I ever got lost and the GPS on my phone died, Turk would be able to lead us back to the house because he stopped almost every five feet to "mark his territory". Although we did have some minor delays, the run (and eventually run/walk) was very pleasant; I got to see a lot of the island that the Garner's live on, and the views along the river bank were very pretty.

Song of the day: Going with the fourth leg theme of "The Great Midwest Roadtrip", the song of the day is "Especially in Michigan" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Like I said before, I just love being here, I cant wait to see the rest of my family in the next couple days that I'm here!

"Life is my friend, Rake it up to take it in, Wrap me in your cinnamon, Especially in Michigan...well I could be your friend"

Bravo Beverage: As promised before, the Bravo Beverage for today comes from Comet's Cafe. The cafe had a huge list of custom beers, and although I had to take some time deciding what to try, I ending up choosing this charming brew, Bitch Creek. I am a very big fan of pale ales, and this beer had a delightfully hoppy, yet crisp taste, that made me appreciate the beer's name, cause this brew was definitely bitchin' ; )