In southern Wisconsin, on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Milwaukee is about an hour north of Chicago, by car. Cold weather of Wisconsin and Milwaukee is no exception. Winter temperatures of -60 F can occur with the cold icy wind turbulent Lake Michigan. But Milwaukeeans are a crew of Hardy and to prove it, members of the Polar Bear Club challenging arctic conditions, taking an ice bath in the lake, each January 1. Known as the world capital of beer, Milwaukee currently has three major breweries, including Miller, Sprecher and Lakefront Brewery while others, like Pabst and Schlitz, have come and gone. The success of the breweries of Milwaukee has been credited with beer skills and business acumen of German immigrants, many of whom were among the first settlers of the city. Brewery visits are never a popular attraction and include free beer! The Frederick Pabst Mansion, the "neo-Flemish Renaissance Mansion Finest in America" was built by Captain Pabst in 1892 and is a testament to the success of brewing in Milwaukee. The history of Milwaukee means beer beers from around the world are available in most bars and restaurants. Milwaukee also has its share of good eating. Karl Ratzsch's Restaurant is the place for authentic German food and 5 pm Coerper excellent Club is a deceptively funky (but murderer) Steakhouse. Custard Kopp impressive features burgers and custard, whle the Mekong Café is known for outstanding Thai and Vietnamese rates. Most popular tourist attractions are the Museum of Art Milwaukee Brewers Baseball, Mitchell Park Conservatory, Bucks Basketball, Milwaukee Public Museum and Planetarium, Milwaukee Country Zoo, Paradise Landing Indoor Water Park, Audubon Nature Sanctuary and the Harley-Davidson Museum. The cultural scene includes the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet, Florence Opera, Milwaukee Opera and Skylight Opera. There are also many theaters, such as the Sunset Theater. The river winds through downtown Milwaukee Milwaukee and Lake Michigan, charming historic bridges and waterways in the city center. Travel and boat trips on the Iroquois are popular with locals and tourists with cruises on the river port, marina and lake. Happy Hour cruises are particularly funny, with stunning views of the city. Milwaukee's lakefront provides a leisure mile long, including McKinley Marina public boat dock, jet ski rental and sailing. A little further north, Bradford Beach is a popular attraction with picnic areas, volleyball, skating, cycling, festivals and music events. Sometimes called the City of Festivals, Milwaukee Summerfest Music Festival, Festa Italiana, German Fest, Wisconsin State Fair, Irish Fest, African World Festival, Indian Summer Festival and the Festival of Arts at the lakeside. There is also the Festival of Asia, the Arab World Fest, Bastille Days, Holiday Fair Folk, Mexico's Water Festival frolics and several smaller parties and festivals on the block in the neighborhood. The city has a large student population with many colleges and universities like the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and the University of Marquette, dental and law schools. Marquette also has the Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art and the Al McGuire Center, basketball home of the Golden Eagles. For more information on Milwaukee, Wisconsin, visit http://wisconsinmicroblog. com and http://milwaukeemicroblog. com