Dig that deco decor in Milwaukee
A popular sport, sitting in the bar at Milwaukee's historic art deco Ambassador Hotel, is checking out vintage cocktail prices, circa 1928. That was when the hotel opened and a sidecar, a blend of brandy, Cointreau and lemon juice, cost 35 cents. Now, it will set you back $8. A Pink Lady, blending gin, applejack, grenadine and lime juice, has escalated from 30 cents to $10.
Today, the hotel is a diamond in the rough, waiting for the area around it to gentrify. Once, it was one of Milwaukee's fashionable neighborhoods, home to this day of the Pabst Mansion. But, a long downhill slide for hotel and neighborhood left it languishing as a resident/transient hotel.
A $13 million renovation has restored the Ambassador to the art deco beauty it once was, peeling layers of paint off polished nickel sconces and removing drop ceilings and drywall to expose ornate plaster work and archways. Lifting green shag carpeting revealed handsome marble and terrazzo floors. Old-fashioned Lilliputian elevators have two sets of doors, with outer doors ornately bronze-clad.
Accommodations feature comfortable beds with feather pillows and down comforters, 32-inch flat-screen television, wet bar, refrigerator and coffee maker. Some rooms have PCs, microwaves and whirlpools. Free amenities include parking and a fitness center and massage room. Cafe Deco offers baked goods and salads.
On weekends, the bar draws a sophisticated crowd to listen to live jazz and sip on $12 martinis. Its Envoy restaurant offers edgy American cuisine that relies heavily on local products. A grilled double-cut pork chop is accompanied by baked mac and cheese; a gourmet burger features asparagus, mushrooms, crispy onion, white barbecue sauce and Swiss cheese.
Although the Ambassador is a touch west of downtown (virtually on the Marquette University campus), shuttle service is efficient and free. It will have you downtown inside of five minutes and pick you up on demand.
It also serves the Amtrak station, less than 10 minutes away. After a massive facelift, this terminal had a grand reopening right after Thanksgiving as the Milwaukee Intermodal Station (for trains and buses).
In warm weather, residents and visitors flock to Milwaukee's popular Riverwalk to dine alfresco and watch the passing parade of pedestrians and boats. Winter is the season to warm up to the performing arts with visits to Milwaukee's hottest theater districts. You'll discover opera companies, a world-class symphony, a nationally acclaimed ballet company and an array of professional dance and theater companies. You'll find headliners, too, with Vegas-style entertainment at the Northern Lights Theater at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino.
Milwaukee's premier destination theater is a $32 million makeover of the historic Milwaukee Auditorium. Teddy Roosevelt spoke at this location in 1912, pluckily delivering a planned address even though hit by a would-be assassin's bullet shortly before his scheduled appearance. The 4,087-seat Milwaukee Theater, which has a spectacular domed rotunda lobby, books many touring Broadway shows, such as "Lion King" (Feb. 3 through March 2), "Jesus Christ Superstar" (April 15 and 16) and "Evita" (May 30 and 31).
Epicenter for Milwaukee's flourishing performing arts is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. It is the premier location for live entertainment, from Broadway shows to the classic performing arts. Resident groups include the Milwaukee Symphony, Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera, First State Children's Theater, City Ballet Theater, Hansberry-Sands Theatre and Milwaukee Youth Symphony.
Check out scheduled performances at www.marcuscenter.org. Maybe you'll be drawn to the Florentine Opera Company's production of "Salome" (sung in German with English translations projected above the stage), a dark story of lust set to Strauss' evocative music (Feb. 15-17). Or perhaps you'll find appeal in the Milwaukee Ballet Company's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a humorous tale of two men competing for the affections of the same woman (Feb. 21-24).
In Historic Third Ward, a gentrified downtown district of converted lofts and warehouses, the Broadway Theater Center houses two unique theaters. The 358-seat Cabot Theatre is a replica of an ornate 18th-century Italian baroque-style theater. The opulent ceiling is a painted sky depicting the nine muses. In contrast, the 90-seat Studio Theatre is a versatile black box space.
Another interesting adaptive usage is the space occupied by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, now entering its 53rd season. Housed in a cleverly converted power plant, "The Rep" stages 16 productions on three unique stages: its main theater, a cabaret and the 1,300-plus-seat Pabst Theater next door.
Many theater buffs who attend the well-staged productions at The Rep head for Yaffa Restaurant and Lounge, a popular pre-theater dining spot just steps away across the river bridge. With ornate hanging lamps in red and yellow and intricate fretwork decorating the lower one-third of windows, this Moroccan/Mediterranean restaurant looks like it could be a neighbor of Rick's Cafe Americain in Casablanca.
Lamb dishes are featured entrees, as is bouillabaisse. Theater-goers may wish to make a meal out of shared appetizers that include Mediterranean flat bread, bacon-wrapped stuffed dates, imported Spanish cheese and mussels, spicy with chorizo and served with warm pita bread for dipping.
If you go
Information: Milwaukee Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 554-1448, www.visitmilwaukee.org; Wisconsin Department of Tourism, (800) 432-8747, www.travelwisconsin.com.
Mileage: Milwaukee is about 95 miles north of Chicago. Amtrak is a viable option that can be as fast as driving (minus winter weather worries). Trains originate at Chicago and Milwaukee (and make a stop in Glenview) and thus have a good on-time record.
Mike Michaelson is a travelwriter based in Chicago andthe author of the guidebook"Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets."