New Horizons: a Meditation

I used to complain to my parents that I hate travel. Which is kind of true. Usually we plan away an entire break, so I end up feeling like I need a vacation after my vacation. But there is something compelling about driving down new highways, seeing new horizons. Traveling with a sense of purpose but also having enough time to enjoy the scenery along the way. After a few months of not going anywhere, I hear the siren song of the road. As Toad of Toad Hall put it, "There's real life for you...The open road, the dusty highway, the heath, the common, the hedgerows, the rolling downs! Camps, villages, towns, cities! Here today, up and off tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that's always changing!" Throwing out routine for new experiences and the unexpected. That is why I love to travel.

Spring takes me that way as well. The earth stirring and starting something new. Waking up to new possibilities. Like Mole, I feel the "spirit of divine discontent and longing." And I'm not alone. Wedding season starts in spring. Spring break appears to exist almost wholly for youth to travel. The school year is ending and graduates are leaving to start new lives elsewhere.

Graduation is another new horizon. A new journey beginning. New job, new place to live. Growing up I hated change, but now I see new beginnings as a chance to clean house and start over with something brighter and better. Without new experiences, how can we continue to learn? And if we do not learn, how can we hope to understand and faithfully interact with the world around us? If we have the opportunity to go to Timbuktu, should we not take it?

There is a lot of wisdom to be found in lectures of stability and responsibility.  But allowing fear of debt, insecurity, and failure to rob you of where you truly want to go is more foolish than wise. Who are you helping by letting life pass you by?

Where shall we go? "To wherever the wind may take us."

Travelogue: Milwaukee

This year's United States Institute of Technical Theatre conference was in Milwaukee.  I made the trip, marking my first time in Wisconsin, home of beer, cheese, and beer cheese soup.  My travel companions and I left Tuscaloosa at 5 am on Tuesday and drove to the Birmingham for a 7:30 flight.  We laid over in Baltimore (which somewhat oddly had NCIS merchandise), then landed in Chicago Midway.  I had previously only flown into O'Hare.  Midway is superior in my book, if only for the topographical sculpture of Lake Michigan hanging from the ceiling.

We then boarded the CTA bound for Quincy.  Between the Baltimore/Chicago flight and the CTA, my friend Ashley and I were both a pretty shade of green from motion sickness.  The pilot couldn't help it, but I recommend dramamine for any CTA travel.  From the Quincy stop we walked to Union Station, which is awesome and Art Deco, and I wish we had had more time to look around and take pictures.

The train from Chicago to Milwaukee is named the Hiawatha and was the most pleasant time I have had traveling ever.  We sat in the quiet car—travel's greatest invention—and the ride was so smooth I was able to read the entire time, something I have never been able to do in any vehicle.  Doubly remarkable after having motion sickness the same day.

It had been 32° in Chicago, so I knew I was in for cold, but I still felt that 13° in the middle of March was excessive.  Due to the cold, my exploration of Milwaukee was limited, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw.  The Art Deco buildings, especially the Hilton were enchanting, and the general mishmash of styles throughout downtown felt whimsical.  My advice to anyone going in the cold months: try to find a map that includes the skywalks.

I had a chance to eat German sausage at the HB Old German Beer Hall, which was fantastic.  So was the shepherd's pie at Mo's Irish Pub and the braised short ribs at Cafe Hollander.  If I had stayed longer I would have compared the fish fry at multiple restaurants, as it is a specialty in the largely Catholic town, especially during Lent.

But the best dining experience had nothing to do with the food.  The Safe House is a CIA style speakeasy that has been featured on TV and in newspapers as a must do.  You have to know how to find it (or look up the address).  There is a secret password and a slew of discoveries to make once you're inside. Every wall has something interesting.  There are specialty drinks, creatively named menu items, and deliciously fun desserts, such as an ice-cream  bomb lit with a trick candle. One of the few dining experiences where food quality was largely unimportant to the overall experience.

The trip back included the same Amtrak train, CTA, and Midway experiences (except with popcorn!) but we laid over in St. Louis where we picked up several colleagues that had flown directly from Milwaukee, never to know the joy of riding the Hiawatha.

I must plan to go back to Milwaukee when I can really enjoy the city (i.e. when it's warm). But for now it is still one of my top ten cities in the US.