Pfister Hotel: An Evening in Historic Elegance

Years ago we strolled through the lobby of Milwaukee’s historic Pfister Hotel. I remember being awed by its opulence. That was before extensive renovations were completed. We recently had an opportunity to spend a night at the Pfister and once again were awestruck by the lavish décor of the century-old hotel. Read more

Muffler Men: Still Standing Tall on Route 66

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For years I worked just down the street from the Gemini Giant that stands on the edge of the Launching Pad parking lot. I frequently ate lunch at the Launching Pad, a now-closed fast-food diner on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois, but I never thought about the history of the oversize figure. It turns out he’s one of many Muffler Men, 14- to 25-foot tall fiberglass advertising icons produced by International Fiberglass in Venice, California, from 1962 to 1972. The Gemini Giant was repainted to fit the Launching Pad space theme, the space helmet was added and a rocket placed in his hands.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option. Read more

2015 Midwest Wanderer Year in Review

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Road Trips, Wisconsin December 30, 2015March 15, 2024Beloit International Film Festival, channel islands national park, Colon Michigan, Du Quoin, Fantastic Caverns, Hurts Donuts, IFLY Chicago, Illinois State Fair, John Dillinger Museum, JT Shrimp, Lincoln funeral reenactment, mammoth lakes, Midwest Wanderer, milwaukee art museum, Pabst Brewery, relics antique mall, Snake Alley, Wigwam Motel 2 Comments

2015 has been another great year of firsts for us. We’ve visited new destinations, enjoyed new experiences, and had several “who knew?” moments.

Here are some of our favorite 2015 experiences: Read more

Blue Swallow Motel: Route 66 Classic

Connie New Mexico December 29, 2015April 2, 2018blue swallow, blue swallow motel, blue swallow motel tucumcari, hotels in tucumcari new mexico, motels in Tucumcari, motels in Tucumcari New Mexico, motels in Tucumcari NM, route 66 hotel, Route 66 motels, rt 66, the blue swallow motel, tucumcari motels, tucumcari new mexico hotels 0 Comment

“Welcome to 1939,” announced proprietor Nancy Mueller as she swung open the door to Room 6. We really could have been stepping back in time at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, judging by the vintage furniture, a chenille bedspread and a real, working 1939 black rotary dial phone on the desk. A smoke detector and a television were the only visible hints that we were in the 21^st century. This would be our home for the night, the fourth and last of the vintage Route 66 motels we stayed at during our road trip to Phoenix.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in U.S. Long Cuts. We are merging U.S. Long Cuts with Midwest Wanderer, adding a “Beyond the Midwest” menu option. Read more

Forest Home Cemetery: Paying Respects to Milwaukee Beer Barons

Connie Attractions & Events, Wisconsin December 28, 2015August 9, 2016cemeteries in milwaukee wi, forest home cemetery, forest home cemetery milwaukee, forest home cemetery milwaukee wisconsin, forest home milwaukee, historic cemetery, milwaukee cemeteries 3 Comments

The more we get into the historic aspects of places we visit, the more interesting local cemeteries become to us. Ornate monuments alone are fascinating to see, but what we also find intriguing are family plots where we can piece together a family’s lineage. One cemetery we recently toured was Forest Home Cemetery, where most of Milwaukee’s early beer barons are interred.

Editor’s note: This is the last in a series of four articles about Milwaukee’s Pabst family and the historic Pabst Brewery, at one time the nation’s largest brewery. Read more

Best Place Beer History Tour, Historic Pabst Brewery

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Pabst Brewery, once the world’s largest beer producer, had been shuttered and fenced off for almost two decades. The buildings, all 28 of them, would have been torn down had the city not gotten the brewery on the National Register of Historic Places. We learned this story and a lot more about Milwaukee’s beer history during the Beer History Tour at Best Place, located at the historic Pabst Brewery.

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of four articles about Milwaukee’s Pabst family and the historic Pabst Brewery, at one time the nation’s largest brewery. Read more