Milwaukee has all kinds of art

The sun came out and we wanted to see plants and flowers so we headed to the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory or The Domes. There are three domes, Tropical, Desert and Show. They were okay, but too familiar.

Many of the plants are in our own yard; the others are well known. We did learn a bit and saw a couple of new plants but decided to find a more exciting venue.

We succeeded at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Anna Lee had read about this beautiful building by Santiago Calatrava (the Spanish architect who designed the bridge in Redding, CA) and had it on her “To Do.” Soaring out from the roof, the Burke Brise Soleil, white wings, open and close at indeterminate times (depending on whom you ask).








In addition to a Chihuly and a Calder right at the entrance, its thirty-plus rooms have outstanding art from Egyptian to modern times. Each section is small, well presented, and well labeled. Jerry found ideas in the design furniture section including Anna Lee’s new desk.



Anna Lee felt tiny in the Infinity Box with its lights on all sides, top and bottom going on forever. However, a “janitor” was seen just hanging around one room.












We did see two Thiebauds, Sacramento’s most famous artist. This museum well deserves its top rating and we wish we had more time to enjoy it.

The Milwaukee City Hall was built in 1893 and recently restored. It is a beautiful building with narrow and long floors open to the atrium. The iron grille work along the halls date to an early, decorative time. We were pleased to learn that local Gladding McBean did the restored architectural terra cotta.












The saying goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” For those whose beauty comes in chrome with loud, roaring engines, our tour of both a Harley Davidson plant and the separate museum offer great beauty. Jerry certainly got more out of the plant tour but Anna Lee still enjoyed it. The museum’s restaurant was a delicious place to stoke up before touring.
The featured exhibit was "No. 1". This is actually the first motorcycle made by Harley Davidson

The “hawgs” were great to look it at but what we found most interesting was the excellent business plan that got dealers, police forces and the army to buy HDs. A video presented the near demise of the company in the 1980s and its subsequent resurgence as the only motorcycle manufacturer in the USA. At the end of the tour, we got to try on Harley’s. We decided to trade in the motor home and take to the road on our new bikes.