Summertime Fun in MKE

Hello readers!  I hope your summer is going well, whether you’re staying busy or are able to relax a bit!  Me, for the most part I’m staying around Milwaukee due to work, but that doesn’t mean I’m not able to spend a little down time in my hometown.  So here are a few of my favorite things to do in Milwaukee in the summertime.

Summerfest: For those of you who haven’t heard of Summerfest, it’s an 11 day music festival hosted on the lakefront here in Milwaukee.  According to the Summerfest website, they host over 800 (yes, you read that right) bands, and tickets to get in are only $17 unless you see a band in the amphitheater.  I’ve seen some pretty awesome concerts over the past few years, including Imagine Dragons, The Neighbourhood, and GroupLove, all on free stages.  This year I did splurge and I saw Linkin Park at the amphitheater, but it was well worth it!

The Domes: Now, I will admit it took me 19 years to get around to going to the Domes, but better late than never right?  The Domes are, you guessed it, three dome shaped buildings that are full of flowers and plants.  Michele’ and I spent probably a little over an hour exploring the three different themed areas, and since we had college ID’s, it was only $5 to get in.

Milwaukee Art Museum: If you were a grade school/middle school/high school art class at any school within a 20 mile radius from Milwaukee, you took a field trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum.  But that doesn’t mean that it still isn’t worth a visit for non-school related purposes.  There have been some pretty cool exhibits there, and a few of their permanent exhibits are fun no matter how many times you’ve been there.  My personal favorite: the chair exhibit which features a myriad of different styles of chairs which yes, you can sit on.

State Fair: Well technically this is in West Allis, this is one my most looked forward to activities every summer.  And how can it not?  The food alone is reason to spend a day here.  There’s chocolate covered bacon, cookie dough on a stick, and not to mention the famous Wisconsin Cream Puffs.  There’s also looking at the very cute farm animals, which even though is a little smelly, they’re just so cute!  For people who like rides, the Midway offers ride for all ages.  Me, I just like walking around and going where my eyes take me, whether it be into the horticultural building or into the Expo Center to see what vendors are here this year.

Milwaukee has a lot to offer.  There are so many different neighborhoods and so many different things to do, that sometimes just exploring is the way to go.  I hope if anyone comes to Milwaukee in the summertime you take a look into some of these things to do and maybe explore a little for yourself too.  Enjoy your summer in your hometown readers!

On to the Next One

I’m going to be completely honest here. I have no idea how to summarize my 1^st year at Dartmouth College. But I guess I have to start somewhere (considering my post is already late). Depending on how you get there, Hanover, NH is 1000 miles form my front door, give or take a few. I didn’t know what to expect from this college in, very literally, the middle of nowhere. But when people ask me if I have second-thoughts about being so far from home, I can say with certainty that I’ve never had a doubt in my mind.

As a sort of orientation, I went on a camping trip, as I’ve mentioned before. On my trip, we had to write a letter to our older, wiser, end of 1^st year selves, which I completely forgot about until I checked my mailbox. I’ve gleaned two bits of college wisdom from my letter, which I’ll share with you all now.

First, your messy handwriting, or lack thereof, will not improve just because you’re in college. Embrace the scribbles in the same way that you should embrace everything about who you are as a person. You are you; it’s an amazing thing. Second, “Do the new things that you want to do, and don’t feel like you need to stay the same.” If I hadn’t listened to my own advice, I wouldn’t have made the amazing decision to join the Dartmouth Women’s Rugby team in the spring. Without that, I know my first year experience would have been much different.

I took so many interesting classes this year and some that were not so fun, met so many new people, tried out as many things as I possibly could. More importantly, I made a home for myself up in New Hampshire. I know not everyone gets that from their college, but I’m so glad that I did. There’s not a minute of it that I regret: from staying out until a ridiculous hour to staying in to study until a ridiculous hour. Every minute I spent studying in my favorite spot in Sanborn library was worth just as much as every minute I spent with friends. My dorm room was very literally the size of a closet, my roommate continues to be rad, and she and our “honorary roommate” are all living together next year. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience; there’s not a thing I would change.

In my move in post, I said that there were so many things, that I didn’t know what I was most excited for. Now that I’ve seen a years worth of Dartmouth, I’m still excited about everything. I can’t get back there soon enough.