“Well, why don’t we just go to the Garbage show in Milwaukee?”

And that’s how we came up with or weekend getaway to Wisconsin. Milwaukee, as it turned out, was the only Midwest tour date Garbage was playing that was both with a comfortable day’s drive and on a weekend. That pretty much clinched the decision to go, but I was also looking forward to previewing what this city has to offer

Shelling out Jenna’s $9.70 in toll fare to pass through Chicagoland was totally worth it, and I’m not just saying that because it wasn’t my $9.70. Last time we drove to Wisconsin, we spent 2 exhaust-filled hours winding our way through the city. Never again.

Even through the considerable highway construction, we easily found our off ramp to Wisconsin Avenue. After a brief  jog through Marquette University, we arrived at the famously art deco Ambassador Hotel. The hotel lobby alone transported us back to a more sophisticated time. We ourselves might have felt more sophisticated had we thought to open the door to the elevator. Soooo, it took us a few extra minutes to make it up to the room.

The Pabst Mansion gets a blue ribbon. Looking for something to do in the intervening hours before the concert, we walked three blocks from the hotel to the grand house. The only way to see the home of the former beer baron is by guided tour, which starts every hour on the hour. Our docent, Dan Luedtke, had volumes of family and property history at his command. It was like walking into the turn-of-the-19th-century Midwest. His descriptions of various family activities and their connection to the community painted a colorful picture. I almost felt guilty for not asking questions, which he solicited continually. The home itself was gorgeous, with opulent details in every space. The $9 per person admission was a tiny bit pricy, but by the end we felt we got our money’s worth.

We took in a leisurely pre-show dinner at the Ambassador’s Envoy Lounge. I sampled their take on grilled cheese with pesto, tomato, bacon, Swiss & goat cheese. Yum-wow.