What has two thumbs and didn't know the difference between a blimp and a Zeppelin?
THIS girl.
It's no secret that I like to experience new things. I'm the first one to shoot my tiny little hand in the air and say, "hell yes, I'll do that," then launch fist pumps wildly into the air. The way I see it, I'm only occupying space on this planet for so long, I might as well make the most of it.
Fourth of July weekend, I entertained (or annoyed) my friends and family by constantly singing the Farmers Insurance jingle from their commercial – you know..."We are Farmers, dum da dum dum dum dum dum... (try getting that out of your head now. Heh).
Ahh, irony at its finest.
Last Thursday morning, I had the rare opportunity to hop on board a Zeppelin airship – one of only two in the world – that landed in Milwaukee as part of the Farmers Airship Covering Communities Tour.
I'm not going to lie: my first two thoughts were: "Maybe I shouldn't have worn stilettos today," and "How many barf bags will I need?" Consolation thought: Today would not be a good day for Hindenburg part "die zwei." (Zeppelins nowadays are inflated with non-flammable helium. The Hindenburg was full of hydrogen.)
Riding the Zeppelin is no different than riding in a plane – OK, wait, that's not entirely true. But there is a security process, no machetes are allowed on board, and you do have to fasten your seatbelt upon takeoff and landing. There's also a flight attendant and two pilots. Ginny, my flight attendant, was a stitch. That girl had more energy than baristas at a local coffee shop amped up on espresso. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else.
But that's where most of the similarities end.
The take off and landing: vertical. Awesome.
Ms. Zeppelin is 246 feet long – which just happens to be the largest passenger airship in the world, and is 50 feet longer than the largest blimp out there.
The cabin has open windows for passengers to snap pictures out of. You bet, I snapped as many as I could – how often do you get to hang out of a window, flying 1,200 feet over Milwaukee, going 40 mph on a gorgeous summer morning? Exactly. Speaking of windows, there was a window in the bathroom. I may or may not have had visions of my hair blowing in the wind while letting nature do its thing.
The 45-minute ride over Milwaukee lifted off from Timmerman Field, ventured south toward Miller Park, then east toward Downtown. The view was stunning. Because we were flying fairly low, you could see people who had stopped to look up towards the sky and waved. I waved back.
One of the most amazing views from that morning: the wings of the Milwaukee Art Museum/Calatrava opening up as we flew over it. Pretty freaking radical.
Having never flown in a blimp or hot air balloon before, this was a huge treat. If we are fortunate to welcome back a Zeppelin in our future, I encourage you to hop on board. It's something you won't soon forget.
Oh, and the difference between a blimp and a Zeppelin? The latter has a semi-rigid internal frame and rotating engines. Blimps on the other hand, not so much.
Some may call her a digital wizardess. Others may call her a bolt of snark ready to strike. But we like to call her Katie. All ninjas must have a day job, and hers is with advertising agency Boelter + Lincoln in the Third Ward. As "BootyP," her wit, criticism and comedic banter have lit up the Twitter world in Milwaukee - and now she's attacking the blogosphere. Her faithful followers know her no-BS approach to most any topic.
Her snarky-yet professional personality makes her a must-read, must-know person in this city. You can find her 14,500 feet in the air, or walking down the street in a pair of stilettos with a yoga mat strapped to her back.
Want to bribe Katie? Best to deliver massive quantities of Diet Coke, candy (gummy candy more specifically), tea and music her way.
