Beer Made Milwaukee Famous & Mader's Makes It A Great Place to Enjoy It

Famous folks of all stripes have visited Mader's in Milwaukee including this humble traveler.

Although my photo will not likely reside alongside such glitterati as JFK, Liberace and Bono (a gallery lines the hallway en route to the restroom), I believe that I enjoyed a selection of beers from Munich to local microbreweries as much as any guest past or future.

Indeed, this was the first time I have been served authentic German beer from a stein commemorating an American institution's founding.

The Crowning Glory of Christmas Cheer

Christmas at my sister's is always filled with fits of laughter, spectacular food and gingerbread creations.

When the kids were little we had raucous competitions in gingerbread house building and decorating. These days, two are out of the house and one is looking forward to departing soon. That means my sister and niece undertake their design/build plans with no restrictive time limits (and creative, detail-oriented glee).

This year's project was truly a team effort. Niece Emily constructed the beautifully detailed 'nilla roof, wafer by wafer, while her mother brought the structure to life with painstakingly applied bits of candy flair.

The crowning glory was the sweetly swifted "snow" covered roof.

Manhattan in Chicago

Every few years, I like to drive (rather than fly) to my sister's place in Ohio for Christmas. While I have driven straight through before (about 10 hours) I wisely planned a stop in Chicago on the way there and another in Milwaukee on the return trip.

My adventure began with a fit, then a start – I dropped my keys in the snow while shoveling a path to my garage. A search through the fluffy stuff proved futile. No worries, I dug out my back-up set of keys and hit the road.

The remainder of the day's travel was pleasant, at least it was for me. Other drivers were not as skilled in navigating the icy I-94 through Wisconsin. I can't recall seeing more cars rolled onto their roofs in the ditch; slid in, sure, but rolled? I proceeded with caution and blew into the Windy City unscathed (this time).

I generally stay along Michigan Avenue, but this time explored the more diverse neighborhood of the Loop. My favorite stop was Fleming's where I enjoyed an exquisite Manhattan in the heart of Chicago.