For this month’s entry into the “Grateful for” series, I’d like to share a few things from this amazing place I call home. Here are a few things I think you really must search out!

Before we get going, let’s have a quick moment of truth. Milwaukee has some cool things going on, but it is far from perfect. Since we’re all about balance, I’ve included some good and not-so-good things in this list. No, I’m not grateful that I live in the most segregated city in the United States, but I am glad we are at least talking about it. Now on to the doing!

But first…

The Good

You Guys!

Friends, you are truly amazing! Together, we raised $110 dollars and six bags of groceries (which they valued at $133) for the Hunger Task Force, Inc. Since we donated during their Match Madness campaign, our financial donation was doubled. Woo!!

My mission for The Real Good Life is “feed your senses, nourish your soul”. Working for good people like you definitely contributes to that second part for me. Knowing you are a part of such a cool community should do good things for you, too.

Milwaukee Public Museum’s Global Kitchen Exhibit

Newsflash – I like all things food. Duh. I also love all things Milwaukee Public Museum-related, so it should come as no surprise that their new temporary exhibit is pushing all my buttons. The Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture exhibit is SO interesting and informative. It talks about the history and future of food, the science behind farming, cultural tastes, everything! If you are a fan of the Julia Child kitchen exhibit at the National Museum in DC, you’ll love the working lab that’s a part of this exhibit. In our modern day version, they do experiments in which guests participate. In addition to the basic exhibit, there are also bunches of special events at the museum and elsewhere in relation to the topic. I’ve only gone once, but definitely want to go back. Kiddos will love the smell-o-vision stations, but there is a LOT of reading, so they may not get as much out of it as you will.

The Bad (for You)

Cafe Corazon

It is quite possible I had the best margarita found in Milwaukee during a recent visit to Cafe Corazon. I mean, I’m willing to keep doing hard research, but their original version was pretty spectacular. We also enjoyed the guacamole and I had a big ole burrito. Everything was delicious and the decor at the Bay View location was right up my alley. If you are looking for a good date night with your dude or your ladies, I’d highly recommend this place.

The Ugly

Project Milwaukee: Segregation Matters

Except for 3.5 years for college, I have been a Milwaukee resident my whole life. That said, how is it that I have learned more about our area from the Segregation Matters series from WUWM over the last couple of weeks alone than the whole rest of my life? From schools to economic history to what we can do now, this series of interviews and audio articles left me breathless and embarrassed for the assumptions I made about our less fortunate neighborhoods. If you take nothing else away from this blog post, please search out these stories. Have your kids listen, too. (Teachers, I think this should be required listening for high school students!)

Evicted by Matthew Desmond

While we are on the topic of assumptions made about our inner city citizens, may I also recommend Evicted by Matthew Desmond? This book was such an eye-opener for me. It’s hard to imagine 1. how close the dominos are in a person’s life that can take them from a high-flying life on the east side to a dumpy trailer by the airport and 2. that landlords could give that little of a $hit. I mean, we all knew in theory that there are bad landlords out there, but can you imagine being expected to pay for space that doesn’t have running water or a door that properly locks? Man alive, talk about your Hard Knock Life. Consider this book required reading before you’re allowed to complain about “those people”.

And with that, I’ve got the Facts of Life theme song stuck in my head. You take the good, you take the bad… We’ve got it all in Milwaukee, don’t we?! What are your favorite or not-so-favorite parts of The Good Land?