Downtown Dough: thousands of cookie cutters
Smart cookies. Patrick and Patricia Niles, owners of Downtown Dough in Cedarburg, have a good recipe for separating what they do from other kitchen boutiques, […]
The Maker Movement: DIYers to God and inbetween
The word “maker” applies to everybody from bakers to welders, sculptors to knitters, DIYers to God. They toil or tinker all year, but the holiday […]
Spy-themed SafeHouse opens in Chicago
Two blocks west of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, a red door with understated signage is our introduction to international espionage. Plus lunch. What we step into […]
Alumni Park, Milwaukee zoo babies, APT for 2018
If cold weather and fewer hours of daylight tempt you to stay home, read on. There’s no need to hibernate quite yet. — Open on […]
Take Ten: thrifty shopping
The adage “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” is attributed online to the Great Depression, the Amish, pioneers and […]
Is everybody happy? Metrics matter
We love to rank things, especially in the travel biz, but reader beware: Metrics matter, and we don’t like to pick the same winner over […]
Reader mail: Megabus, Chicago, Door County, postcards
Readers, it’s time to lighten the mailbag by sharing your travel feedback, ideas, challenges and questions. Keep those email, Facebook and snail-mail notes coming. — […]
Two cookbooks that tantalize beyond their recipes
Someone occasionally approaches me about writing an endorsement for a new book, and it’s an invitation that I don’t take lightly. I politely decline unless […]
Take Ten: Autumn’s vast bounty
Before the first hard frost come the fruits of farm labor. Wisconsin’s bounty seems especially plentiful this year, thanks to long-lasting, agreeable weather that even […]
Meat this: Most stops rural on Iowa Pork Tenderloin Trail
It’s not yet noon when we pull into Wellsburg, Iowa, curious and hungry for lunch. We wonder why the village, population 700, needs a one-way […]
Wandering Iowa: Villages of Van Buren, covered bridges
“I had to go to France to appreciate Iowa.” The quote belongs to Grant Wood, the Iowa artist whose “American Gothic” pitchfork couple and other […]
Take Twelve: Comedy in Wisconsin
In case you think Wisconsin could show a better sense of humor, I have two words for you: Very funny. No need to factor in […]