Pilgrimage to Milwaukee

Well! You know it’s going to happen on a motorcycle trip: RAIN! After so many days of nice weather it was bound to happen, however, the rain was light and just reminded us that to expect the weather to be perfect for an entire trip is unrealistic. We have to ride Interstate 94 into Milwaukee as it’s the only way we know to get to the Harley Davidson Museum and although we are dreading riding it in the rain, we have quite a decent ride.
The Harley Davidson Museum, which just opened last year in celebration of HD’s 105th anniversary, is located on 20 acres in downtown Milwaukee, a reclaimed industrial site. It has wonderful exhibits and every bike of the hundreds in the museum has its own story to tell. The museum tells the history and culture of Harley Davidson without shoving HD in your face. Marlene also now knows everything she ever needs to know about 4-stroke engines: suck, squeeze, bang, blow!
There are 2 restaurants on site, one for fast food called the Racer and a upscale restaurant called the Motor where we enjoy a very satisfying lunch in an edgy, friendly atmosphere. The HD museum offers many outdoor spaces which include a lovely walk along the canal (a tributary of the Milwaukee River) and priority front-door parking for motorcycles.
We could see our hotel, The Iron Horse, from the Harley Davidson Museum which made it very easy to get to. Of course this was all part of the plan. The Iron Horse, a modern luxury boutique hotel with unique amenities designed for motorcyclists (like free parking for 2 wheelers) is a splurge for us but one we’ve been looking forward too. It is gorgeous! It began as a bedding factory and is part of the revitalization that is making downtown Milwaukee such an inviting experience.
We chose this hotel for its uniqueness and proximity to the museum and downtow and in the late afternoon we set off on a walking tour. We take the River Walk along Water Street through the Historic Third Ward and see many interesting historic buildings and funky shops. It feels good to stretch our legs after so many days of riding and we head to the shores of Lake Michigan to take in the views of the Milwaukee County War Memorial Complex, the Art Museum, and Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. The downtown lake front is very beautiful and one can walk for miles in both directions.
Marlene’s choice for dinner is Karl Ratzsch’s Old World Restaurant on Mason Street where we stuff ourselves with delicious German specialties and share bottle of Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Valley where we we’ve spent many memorable summer vacations. On our walk back to the hotel the clouds are breaking and we enjoy a stunning sunset from our 4th floor window - a great day and well worth the effort to get here!