Friday, November 9, 2012

The Land of Cheese and Beer

In early September we went up to Milwaukee (with a quick stop in Chicago) to visit friends. Milwaukee is a neat city. It's kind of like a mini-Chicago, with a nice lakefront and a river right through the center of town. It has a bunch of really active neighborhoods with cool buildings, shops, and restaurants. Definitely an overlooked gem of the Midwest!

Of course we stopped by Six Flags Great America (halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee) to ride the new X-Flight coaster. Very fun!
There was an international kite festival in downtown Milwaukee.
Downtown Milwaukee...  another random festival.
The Milwaukee Art Museum. The "wings" open and close like a bird.
We rented a boat for a little booze cruise down the river.

The river is lined with offices and condos, and has a nice riverwalk on both sides.

Philly Weekend

David had to go to Philadelphia for work, so we made a weekend trip out of it! Philly sometimes plays 3rd fiddle to New York and Boston, but it really is a great city that everyone should visit. It has a vibrant downtown, neat neighborhoods, great food, and a lot of historical sights.


Reading Terminal Market. Lots of food and Amish stuff!

Elfreth's Alley - the oldest continuously occupied residential street in the country. 

Magic Gardens - a really unique art/mosaic gardens and house.

The skyscrapers of downtown Philly.

Upstate New York

Back in July we took a trip to Upstate New York for our friend's wedding, and made sure to set aside a little time to visit the area. We started in Buffalo and made our way to Niagara Falls, Ithaca, Syracuse, and Rochester. This region is way off the beaten tourist path (except for Niagara Falls), but we enjoyed checking out the historic architecture and beautiful scenery of the region. On to the pictures!


Downtown Buffalo 
Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls. We took the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride!

Of course we visited some breweries!

Ithaca

Paul's 500th coaster! The Jack Rabbit at Seabreeze Park

High Falls in Rochester

Lake Ontario

The Erie Canal