On Saturday, we took a family trip to Veteran's Park at the lakefront and we spent a day like tourists in our own town.
Ostensibly we were there to check out the kite festival, which we did. We watched the huge teddy bear, the long, flowing octopus, the striped fish and all the others. We ran through the dancing tenticles of the oversized wind sock, we stopped to pet the horse attached to an empty wagon and we gazed out at the sailboats.
Then we rented one of those covered bikes that look like surreys with fringe on top and rode around the park, past Milwaukee Art Museum and to the fountain 'round the other side. After some fun there, we crossed the street to the flickering sculptures outside Discovery World. My son and I had a blast playing the marimba benches and he and my wife enjoyed spinning the sculptures.
But there was one thing there that combined two of my son's favorite pastimes: making music and picking up and moving gravel. There's a great sculpture with dozens of metal prongs. When you drop gravel into it, the tynes jingle, creating a flowing song.
Riding back, we returned the bike, watched some more kites and made it home just in time for the afternoon nap. I think we spent a total of $12 for hours of fun.
Remember in these times of $4.19 gas, there's plenty to do just minutes away. There's no need to split to find your fun. If Milwaukee -- and Milwaukeeans -- can seem dark and down in the winter, by the time May is here, the city is green, alive and bursting with energy.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
