Summer vacation: The leftovers

Tonight we are back home in The ‘Ville and reflecting on what was a most glorious summer vacation.

We trudged out of bed at 6 this morning. Phoebe and I took one more walk through the Third Ward to a parking garage to find our car. A couple business owners, who were already at work, watering their outdoor gardens and setting up for the day, smiled and greeted us along the way. “Well, you’re up early,” one woman said to Phoebe as she walked happily beside me, dangling one of her teddy bears.

We had the car packed by 7, said our goodbyes and then headed for the interstate. As we merged onto the overpass, I took one last look at the skyline to my right. I sighed a happy sigh and said to Kates, “That was a great vacation.” She smiled and answered, “Yes, it was.”

Our journey back to The ’Ville was flawless. Phoebe is a pro now when it comes to long car rides, and we only stopped three times today for what probably amounted to about 20 or 30 minutes. We walked into the house at about 4:15 this afternoon.

It was an interesting and yet weird feeling driving back into town. “It feels so natural now, and yet in other ways it still doesn’t seem right,” I said.

“If only our families were closer,” Kates said.

* * *

When we leave places with which we‘ve established a connection, at least for me, it seems there’s always a burning desire to capture all of what makes the place so special. Or return to them to experience some of the things you might not have seen or done the first time around.



Our view

 We certainly did that the last few days.

With a second floor apartment in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, thanks to Orrin and Kelli, serving as our home base from Wednesday until this morning, we got to feel for five days and four nights as though we were part of the Third Ward community. From our multiple stops for lunch or takeout at the charming public markets, Bella Café or The Irish Pub to the fact that after a couple days we began to recognize familiar faces as we walked the neighborhood.

The sights and sounds of the city life were pure bliss. Not to mention the sounds of Milwaukee city life and the roar of Harleys passing on the streets below. During the evenings as crowds descended on the Third Ward for Summerfest, the neighborhood really came alive.

Here’s some shots from our visits to the public market …

* * *

I spent Friday morning soaking it up by myself. I walked the entire Third Ward, marveling at the old architecture and snapping photos at almost every street corner. I also made a point to stop inside the Art Museum to admire its breath-taking architecture and interior one more time. I ended up with a walk along the Lakeshore State Park before circling back past the Summerfest grounds, picking up some Starbucks goodies for Kates and I, and returning to the apartment.

Here are some of my favorites scenes ... For more, check out my Flickr album.

* * *

As for Summerfest, I shall call this year “a cleanup year.” I saw artists I'd been wanting to see for a long time, and I'll be OK if I don't see them again.

It’s worth noting that while I was watching America last night, Britney Spears was performing at the adjacent Marcus Amphitheater. Occasionally, we could hear the roar of that crowd. … This video appeared today. Kind of cool.



I’ve also been reminded tonight that next year is the 45th anniversary. And it starts in 352 days.

Here's a full review of Summer Vacation 2011:

aSummer vacation: Day 1
aSummer vacation: Day 3
aSummer vacation: Day 7
aSummer vacation: Day 7; Summerfest: Night 1
aSummer vacation: Day 8
aSummer vacation: Day 9; Summerfest: Night 2
aSummer vacation: Day 10; Summerfest: Night 3

Summer vacation: Day 8

No Summerfest tonight. Instead just a low-key, relaxing night at the apartment. ... And this vacation just keeps getting better.

Kates and I just finished watching “Julie & Julia.” ... I went into it with lowered expectations, knowing some reviewers and friends who weren't exactly overwhelmed by it. However, I -- as an obsessed and ambitious blogger myself -- really enjoyed it. The dedication and commitment Julie Powell gave to her cooking and blogging is an inspiration. And yet I totally relate to the angst that comes with it. Kates loves cooking, so there was something in the movie for both of us.

I've admired Amy Adams in everything she's done. And Meryl Streep aced her portrayal of Julia Child.

* * *

As for the rest of the day ...

We started with a short breakfast at one of the public markets and then ventured to the Discovery World Museum, which opened on the banks of Lake Michigan in 2006 -- all of it within a short walk. I’d visited the museum a couple times during my newspaper days and thought it would be fun for Kates and Phoebe, especially, to explore it as well.

It worked out better than I thought. A visit that I hoped might last a couple hours turned into nearly the entire day. The museum is loaded with hands-on exhibits. Phoebe made sure she pressed every button and turned every crank in the maze that makes up the science and technology wing.

I believe, however, a family really gets their money’s worth in the maritime wing, which includes a large scale model of the Great Lakes and surrounding lands. Plus, there are breath-taking aquariums that you can walk over and under. Even better, there’s a pool where visitors are allowed to touch the sting rays and sturgeon that swim by.

Then there's the museum's recreation of the schooner, Challenge. Phoebe climbed around every inch of it again and again, and even served a pretend tea-party in the ship's dining area ...

Chicago blues

There's a few stories coming out of Chicago the last few days that have me missing the ease we enjoyed of hopping in the car -- or on the train -- and spending a day in the big city ... 

This weekend, a set for the next Transformers installment has taken up residence on a section of Michigan Avenue ...

Then there's the giant eyeball, which isn't a new story, but I'm reeeeeally wanting to see it ...

And now this: How unbelievably cool would it be to spend 30 days living in the Museum of Science & Industry!?!

Act - React

A couple weeks ago I mentioned seeing the "Act/React" exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Here's my review ...

The brush strokes of a Monet painting? The colors of a van Gogh? Who gets that, right? BOR-ing. Yeah, I’d rather be home playing “de Blob” on my Wii.

But wait. The Milwaukee Art Museum has a nifty, cool exhibit where the art actually reacts to YOU! I know, right? Like, you can actually touch the art, and walk on it. And some of it moves with your shadow.

Get this — the exhibit is called “Act/React: Interactive Installation Art” and it’s at the Milwaukee Art Museum until Jan. 11.

It’s the first of its kind.

“This show is a timely show because of the mass media we have right now,” said John McKinnon, a curatorial assistant at the museum. “Obviously media is definitely changing the world and helping add to it. Video gaming is a million dollar enterprise and it’s definitely changing with the Wii system.”

Obviously.

“Act/React” has 10 so-called “environments” created by six different pioneers of responsive art, including a piece by the special effects designer who won an Academy Award for “Jurassic Park.”

While “Act/React” is a technological marvel, the art collection takes its color palette from its visitors rather than a desktop of keyboards or touchscreens. The art is motion-driven and begs anyone who steps in front of it — or on it — to invoke their creativity.

“People activate the art,” said Brigid Globensky, the museum’s senior director of education. “That’s what it’s about. There are some very cool artworks created by visitors. It’s just made for families and for kids to crawl and wiggle and really
intuitively explore all of these different artworks in their own act of creativity.”

Creative boundaries
The experience begins with Scott Snibbe’s addictive “Boundary Functions,” a retro-reflective square that appears almost like a dance floor. Step on it, and nothing happens. But invite another person to join you, and the floor comes alive.

Lines are projected between you and anyone else who sets a foot on the floor, creating equal regions around each person’s feet. As you move, so do the lines of your region. You can try cutting through the floor to invade other people’s spaces, but your allotment never changes. Spaces can be combined only when you reach across your space to join hands with a partner.

Projected on a wall next to Snibbe’s “Boundary Functions” is his 2003 creation “Deep Walls,” a grid of 16 boxes that records a silhouette of anyone moving in front of it. The work is an ever-changing imprint of the last 16 people to interact with it.

“Act/React” only gets better as you progress deeper into the exhibit spaces.

Liz Phiilips’ “Echo Evolution” takes its cues from the sounds your body makes to create an enchanted neon musical garden. Later, visitors see Camille Utterback’s painting background in a trio of pieces that put brush strokes and splotches of color onto a screen based on people’s movements.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is Academy Award winner Brian Knep’s “Healing Pool,” a floor about half the size of a basketball court with colorful forms that reconfigure in the wake of anyone who passes over it. With each step you take on the floor pad, the pool tears apart and oozes together again, never appearing the same as before. Part of the fun is seeing what designs or words your feet can paint on the space before your trail fades.

Like almost all of the pieces in the exhibit, “Healing Pool” uses projectors and cameras to capture movements. But Knep also incorporated a set of sophisticated algorithms to create the glowing pool of organic patterns on the floor. It’s the same
system that influences the stripes on a zebra — they are always similar but
never identical.

No clicks or clacks
While works like “Boundary Functions” and “Healing Power” are addictive in the footwork they entail, Daniel Rozin’s “Peg Mirror” and “Snow Mirror” are more contemplative and soothing.

When you stand in front of “Snow Mirror,” digital particles land on your outline as if you’re a snowman in a storm. The moment you move, however, the particles break up and disintegrate as though they were swept by a gust of wind.

“Peg Mirror” is made of 650 circular wood pieces cut at an angle to spin silently and mirror your image. As they spin, the values of their beveled ends correspond to the dark and light areas of your reflected image It’s a digital photo, of sorts, of your body that will have you gazing in wonder.

“It’s very simple, very beautiful; it’s made of wood, yet it’s high-tech digital,” said Daniel Keegan, director of the art museum. “I think it’s one of the things that digital arts do really well, and artists working with technologies, they figure out a way to take very simple tools and materials and almost give you this magical sort of presentation. It’s so simple, it’s so elegant ... and it’s quiet. There aren’t gears running and things clicking and clacking.”

Magic and metaphor
No piece in “Act/React” stretches the imagination further than Janet Cardiff’s “To Touch” — a worn and marked-up wood table that erupts with mysterious stories when it’s touched.

The table stands illuminated in the center of an otherwise darkened room lined with dozens of speakers. When you touch the table, phrases like “your skin’s so soft” and “I remember the feeling of dried blood” are spoken — and whispered — by male and female voices.

The more space you cover on the tabletop, the more you hear, including screeching tires, knives scraping each other, circus music and a woman whispering the ABCs. All of it swells to create a spooky experience.

“Act/React” is guest curated by George Fifield, a Milwaukee native and the founding director of Boston Cyberarts. For him, the exhibition has been a dream since he saw similar work being shown at a digital art conference in 2000.

But the art shown in “Act/React,” Fifield noted, is more about magic and metaphor than it is about technology.

“The history of installation art in digital media and new media has always been mediated by an interface, whether it’s a keyboard or a mouse, whether it was a touch-screen panel” Fifield said. “The thing about being able to show interactive art without interface is that suddenly you’re cut free from the technology. You don’t have to have any special knowledge, you don’t have to know how to manipulate the tools. You just bring your intuitive sense about how to move through space.”

Saturday in the park

So today is our anniversary. Five years. I know. Crazy, right?

Jessi and Scott came down to stay with us for the weekend, and on a whim we went into the city with them today …

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect fall day -- just like five years ago.

… Ok, almost perfect. We were late getting out of the house and missed our train heading out. But we didn’t sweat it; the driving was good and our day wasn’t hinged on a train schedule.


… We immediately headed for Millennium Park and soaked in the atmosphere. And Phoebe -- dressed in her pumpkin orange sweatshirt, brown pants and looking adorable as ever -- loved it too. It was her first trip to the city after all …

We caught a lunch at a Corner Bakery. I had the chicken pomodori panini, Kates had the Bavarian turkey sandwich, and Phoebe seemed to enjoy just watching us eat …

We walked Michigan Avenue and peaked inside some of the art shops …

And eventually hopped a bus to the Museum of Science & Industry. We had hoped to see the Smart Home exhibit, which costs an additional fee, but with barely 90 minutes to spare before the museum closed for the day we opted to get our money’s worth seeing the general exhibits instead. We saw the trains, the farm machinery, the airplanes …

And Phoebe made friends with the baby chicks in the genetics wing. I held her to the glass, she put her hands on the pane, and all the chicks came barreling toward her, pecking at the glass in front of her. Very cute.

By 4:30, we were on a crowded CTA bus and heading back to Millennium Park to retrieve our car. Once there, appropriately, we saw two wedding parties strolling through the park …

From there, we cut over to Ontario and ate at Ed’s -- Ed Debevic’s. The cheeseburger I ordered wasn’t nearly as good as I’d remembered, but the place was lively -- complete with the diner’s spunky wait staff and a slew of high schoolers streaming through in homecoming dance attire … Good eats. Great fun.

And don’t forget the dancing on the tables ...

This is what Pheebs thought of the scene …

Go green!

Several weeks ago, I got to visit the "Smart Home" exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science Industry ...

Almost from the moment you step inside and get a whiff of the natural light pouring through the windows, or get a feel of the suave furniture made of recycled material, the manufactured home standing tall in the museum's courtyard is an inspiration to go green.

Though some of that shine wears off when you learn the home’s $450,000 price tag — which doesn’t include the structure’s “brain” control center or some of its other material wonders — the exhibit succeeds at teaching visitors about the ways people can save on energy and cut waste. It also is a worthy glimpse of so-called “smart design” and what could lie ahead in building construction.

The structure, which opened in May, is a three-story, 2,500 square-foot modular and sustainable “green” home that could sit on any Chicago lot. It’s built with Midwest climate in mind, as well as eco-friendly materials and plenty of 21st century contraptions.

In a pre-tour video, the exhibit lays claim to the importance of the construction process. The home was build as five separate modules in a controlled environment, before being shipped and attached to its foundation in the museum’s courtyard. By building the home in a controlled environment, workers employed precision cutting, making the home 50 to 75 percent stronger and leaving less waste.

The tour experience begins as we enter the home from the deck — made from a material comprised of sawdust and recycled plastics — and we trigger the home’s automation system. The window shades retract and the lights turn on.

Then, surrounding the living room, is the NanaWall, a glass wall that can be folded away to extend the living room into the home’s open air-porch. The window is made of double-pane glass to save energy and keep the home warm during those cold midwestern winters. But open it during the summer and you get a cool flow of air that circulates through the entire home and acts as natural air-conditioning.

“This is the first example I can show you of smart design,” says our tour guide Jason Hodge, who’s dressed in a lab coat and exudes an energy level reminiscent of a guide you might encounter at Disney’s Epcot Center. “The idea here is that we design the house big as opposed to build it big. We don’t have to waste a whole bunch of materials on a screened porch or something like that, or waste a whole bunch of wood when we can just open up one of our walls and extend our living space on to the porch.”

The living room furniture includes chairs upholstered completely with recycled polyester and a sofa throw made of bamboo, polyester and cotton. One couch was upholstered entirely of recycled T-shirts. Another was purchased at a thrift store and buffed up.

Separating the living room from the kitchen and dining area is the Ecosmart Vision fireplace. It has no chimney and its wheeled frame allows you to roll it to another room. Also, while it burns the renewable resource ethanol, its heat can protract up to 375 feet.

“We don’t need to burn any wood or coal or anything that’s going to make a whole bunch of harmful smoke coming out into your room,” Hodge says. “It’s a very clean burn so basically the only waste products are going to be water and carbon dioxide. It keeps all of our heat from this fireplace right here in the house.”

As we pass into the dining area and kitchen, it’s hard not to gaze upward. The middle portion of the home is completely open, allowing visitors to look up through a bright, spacious pathway to the third floor loft. The design is another way to control the home’s temperature naturally, Hodge explains.

Yet, perhaps one of the home’s most remarkable illustrations of how much energy we still waste hangs a few steps into the dining room. There, a globe-shaped chandelier contains one energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb that’s surrounded by dozens of blown-out incandescent bulbs representing the number of light bulbs a resident could use during the 20- to 25-year lifespan of an energy-saving compact florescent.

The kitchen features a countertop made of bamboo and recycled wood from demolition sites, all sealed and bound together with a water-based resin formula.

It’s “basically a big stack of paper,” Hodge explains. And the oak cabinets are made of wood purchased from the sustainable forests managed by Forest Stewardship Council.

Like the paint on the walls and all of the other materials used in the house, neither the countertop or the cabinets contain harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. And the home’s designers and builders know exactly where their materials came from.

Then, adjacent to the kitchen, in what’s known as the utility room in our present-day homes, is the control room — another of the home’s marvels. Underneath the glass floor and the home’s foundation, a pair of rainwater barrels collect all of the rain water that pools on the roof and drains from the side of the house. That supply is then used to water the gardens and landscape surrounding the home.

Additionally, a tankless water heater in the control room can be turned on and off on-demand, making it 85 percent more efficient than your standard water heater. The room boasts an energy-efficient washer and dryer and an energy dashboard — a black box for the home that keeps track of your energy captured in the solar panels and other devices on the roof, as well your gas and water use. You can also compare your use to totals from the day before or even last month.

Upstairs, the bamboo is more prevalent. It’s in the floors, a blanket and the bath towels.

Bath and floor tiles are made of recycled glass, using chardonnay bottles to give a green tint. Sinks and countertops are made of recycled toilet and porcelain aggregate.

Meanwhile, a Kohler showerhead uses 30 percent less water “without sacrificing performance” and the toilet uses a button built on the No. 1 or No. 2 concept to control the gallons of water used in your flush. Believe it or not, the two-button actuator can save as much as 25,000 gallons more than a standard toilet.

“People think, ‘oh, wow, who thought of that?’ ” Hodge says. “And apparently everybody before the Americans because they’ve been in Europe forever, so we definitely need to catch up.”

Rumblin' on

It's Harley week here ... A non-stop celebration of 105 years worth of Harley-Davidson ...

I've said it quite a few times now: I've never been a big fan of motorcycles, and I can barely stand the noise they make ... Except for this week. During this week, I almost can't get enough of it.

The last time we experienced such a spectacle was in 2003 for the 100th anniversary, and that was one of the coolest experiences of my life ... People from all over the world flooded the city, The motorcycles on the road nearly outnumbered the cars. And then the parade --1,300 bikes stretched over seven miles from one side of the city to the other -- it still gives me chills ...

... The motorcycles are rumbling through downtown again today, their echoes bouncing off the buildings. And tonight, we'll do the parade all over again ...

Equally fascinating to me is the Harley-Davidson history ...

Earlier this month, I got a chance to tour the new Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee. It was a whirlwind tour that passed far more quickly than I would have liked, and I felt as though I hardly got to study a lot of the displays ... So I'll be going back as soon as I can get some free time this fall to see it on my own terms ...

In the meantime, here's a piece I had published about the museum last week ...

To hear it from planners of the new Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee and read the gallery texts, it’s as if Arthur Davidson and Bill Harley knew exactly the institution they were building when they started tinkering with motorizing two-wheeled vehicles in 1903.

Within years of founding their motorbike company in a Milwaukee shed, Harley and Davidson began storing away some of their bikes for safe-keeping. They recognized almost immediately that it would be a good thing to document the progress of their company.

Today, Harley-Davidson holds in its rich archives about 450 vehicles, including at least one from every production year of the company’s history. About 140 of them are on display at the new Harley-Davidson Museum, which opened July 12, at Sixth and Canal streets alongside the Menomonee River.

Adding to the lure, most of the bikes have their original paint and parts, although organic materials, such as tires and seat covers, deteriorated and needed to be replaced on some of the earliest models.

Museum guides welcome you warmly into the atrium, which is awash in silver steel and orange paneling. They’ll tell you to plan for at least two hours to walk through the museum, but anyone with an above-average interest level in the Harley-Davidson lore could plan to spend a full day in the place.

With nine galleries spread over two floors, the motorcycles and artifacts are shown with more density in the initial galleries where people are likely to be fresh and excited. Toward the final galleries, the lights are brighter and displays are spaced farther apart; there’s less reading and more moving parts.

Each gallery tells a different chapter in the 105-year history of Harley-Davidson from the products to the people who rode the bikes. Planners designed the galleries so people can roam and explore at their own pace.

“It seems Harley to not try to force people,” says Jim Fricke, the museum’s curatorial director. “People feel more comfortable in the space if they can orient themselves early in the experience, being able to sort of look and ‘oh, there’s cool stuff down there.’ ”

Within each gallery, museum curators took pains to note each model’s history, deficiencies and changes, while a team of conservators stripped each bike down to its tiniest nuts and bolts, cleaned them and put them together again for display.

Not all of the bikes appear as good as new, however, which is part of the story, Fricke said. A 1932 model displayed at the museum with a Serv-a-car was restored with pinstriping — but it wasn’t done well and it wasn’t done by Harley-Davidson restorators, Fricke pointed out. Another bike has a large dent on its tail, likely caused by a fall.

“They were moved, they were not always in the best storage conditions,” Fricke says. “But that’s part of its history.”

The early years
The journey begins with a climb up a steel staircase that winds its way to the museum’s second floor. At the top, visitors are immediately confronted with a parade of classic Harley-Davidson vehicles headed straight for them. Throughout the museum, the vehicles are displayed and assembled in order by the year of their production, beginning with the company’s famed Serial No. 1, a 1903 bike encased in glass.

The second floor breaks down HD’s history prior to World War II with five galleries, starting with — as all enthusiasts know — that little wood shed where Harley and Davidson developed their first motorcycle. Visitors can see the 10 x 15-foot footprint of the shack outlined on a wood floor, which was recycled from a Milwaukee knitting factory, along with photographs and snapshots of industrial Milwaukee at that time.

An original buckboard motor is displayed along with artifacts that include original meeting notes and a piece of stock issued in 1907. A 15-page catalog from the era, however, shows the bike makers hadn’t yet mastered a branding plan — the catalog’s plain cover reads: “Motorcycles.”

That mentality didn’t last long, though. At a time when hundreds of manufacturers were trying to develop motorized bikes, the founders were one of the first manufacturers to understand the benefits of an organized dealer network. They developed a system to train dealers and ensure consumers could be confident in purchasing bikes, as well as getting them repaired.

Arthur Davidson, Fricke explained, spent years tooling around the country on a bike and signing up dealers.

“They not only had the foresight to establish this network but understand that they needed to train people to do the work,” Fricke says, pointing to a display of a leather-bound book titled, “To Help You Sell More Harley-Davidsons.” “You’re often rolling through some town in Montana and there’s a druggist that maybe comes out and looks at your bike and (gives the pitch) ‘Wouldn’t you like to be a Harley-Davidson dealer?’ ”

Style and color take hold
Later, as the company evolved in the ’20s and ’30s and cars became more prevalent, galleries show how style and color gained importance. Harley-Davidson was among the first to use the sleek streamline design before it became popular in trains, cars, appliances and electronics.

A wall also shows some of the graphically beautiful — and fear-mongering — posters to come out of the 1920s, a time when highway departments began paving roads and cars were driving faster. To convince people to buy motorcycles, posters painted cars as evil machines with Death behind the wheel and phrases like “60 out of every 100 children born today are doomed to death” in traffic accidents.

A small display, with a 1936 Harley model, also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Harley-Davidson’s first sale to a police agency before the galleries transition into World War II-era products.

Visitors also will see how motorcycles were altered for military use to include accessories like machine gun scabbards and ammunition boxes.

Engines and rallies
The top floor also includes “The Engine Room,” a gallery that opens with a disassembled motorcycle floating from the ceiling — an eye-catching piece of artwork that appears intact if you view it straight-on. Mounted on the wall next to it like player plaques in a hall of fame are an array of Harley engines.

While assembling the engine gallery, curators tried to give visitors an idea of the Harley engine’s characteristics and how it gets its distinctive sound.

“The engine not only makes the vehicle run but if there’s a Harley-Davidson credo, the engine is the jewel and we never cover it up,” Fricke says. “If you’re not a gearhead, you probably think you don’t want to go into that gallery. So one thing I wanted to do is create some kind of an experience that you look and it is attractive.”


Another gallery, “Clubs & Competition” focuses on the beginning of the Harley-Davidson club culture that emerged from competitions. More proof there’s something worth seeing in every gallery, the room includes a life-sized replica of a wood velodrome curve built at a 45-degree angle, complete with a group of racing bikes riding the boards.

The gallery’s glass cases are loaded with colorful racing sweaters, team photos, patches, trophies and medals, giving a sense of Harley-Davidson’s dominance in the racing culture.

“If you were a motorcycle collector, you’d be drooling,” Fricke says. “The factory racers are kind of the most collectible of the vehicles. It’s such a great story, I was resisting doing this initially because it takes up a bunch of space ... We’ve got this spectacular collection of old racing posters and all of this great material and it’s such a fascinating story.”

Original scrapbooks and photos laid out in the gallery illustrate in fascinating detail how passionate some people became, even in those early days, about bike touring and rallies. In one journal, a cyclist wrote on Saturday, May 18, 1940, “Got motorcycle. $521” Another cyclist noted every penny he spent and the places he stayed, including a culvert in western New Mexico.

“It was the first time in history that people went and slept inside the woods by choice,” Fricke says. “You used to be a hobo if you traveled and slept in the woods, and all of a sudden people were buying gear and doing it for recreation.”

The gallery also foreshadows the evolution of gentleman motorcycle clubs to bad boy motorcycle gangs. Club costumes started to take on a military look, and one of the most sought-after prizes at a rally was the award for “Best Dressed Club.”

Changing times
Post-war euphoria reigns as visitors enter exhibits on the museum’s first floor. A colorful storefront display shouts “Have fun in ’51” and advertisements illustrate HD’s introduction of more lightweight models aimed at teenagers and women. Visitors also will see a 1960 Model A Topper, a zippy little two-wheeler that was Harley’s contribution to the scooter craze.

And then there was the AMF-era. While a kiosk tells the story of Harley-Davidson’s 1969 merger with American Machine & Foundry and the ailing company’s move toward more recreational vehicles, the gallery houses a golf cart — which at one point was the company’s biggest money-maker — along with a fiberglass motorboat.

That era ended in June 1981 when 13 Harley-Davidson executives pooled their resources and bought the company back from AMF. That dramatic story is told in a short documentary within the gallery.

“That’s an interesting thing with the enthusiasts because all of the Harley enthusiasts that come in you’ll hear them as they walk into this gallery and talk about ‘oh AMF, that was the worst possible time!’ ” Fricke says in the voice of bitter Harley follower.

Harley lives on
After a moving photo and video gallery takes a look at the memorable 100th anniversary in 2003, visitors get a look at the celebrity and oddball sides of Harley-Davidson culture.

“Russ & Peg’s Rhinestone Harley,” a 1973 model belonging to Russ Townsend, is almost completely covered with red, white and blue rhinestones. The bike also is surrounded with Townsend’s photos and belongings, right down to the margarine containers where he stored spare stones.

“That’s what he kept them in,” Fricke says. “You can knock them off so it was a constant addition but also lots of repair. Gary, the son who came (for the museum opening) said that when he was younger as punishment his dad would make him go replace them.”

In a similar vein, some enthusiasts might consider the display of Felix Predko’s 1941 custom “King Kong” a travesty, Fricke explained. A long-time mechanic, Predko adapted the bike from two factory frames and built in a handmade electric starter he took from a pickup truck. That was a feat in itself, considering Harley-Davidson would not introduce the electric start for several more years.

The bike is outfitted with brass door knobs, taillights from cars and trucks, trailer hitches and scraps of metal that Predko hand-punched. The display also includes Predko’s riding costume and a handmade sign that hung in his shop and reads “I went for parts. Be back.”

“Some people would call it the waste of a couple good knuckleheads, but what’s interesting about this is it’s folk art and it’s an expression of a unique aesthetic , but it’s also a mechanical marvel,” Fricke says. “To extend the frame and take two engines, mechanically modify this so that they work in tandem to run the bike. In amongst all the deco excess are all sorts of really fascinating practical features.”

The section also looks at the Outlaw movement born in the 1950s from imagery in pop culture, film and records and movie posters. An entertaining and comical montage of some classic motorcycle movie scenes also shows how putting on a black leather jacket helped breed the bad boy stigma.

Although, you won’t see any footage of Dennis Hopper in “Easy Rider.” According to Fricke, Hopper is still upset Harley-Davidson refused to donate motorcycles for the 1969 cult classic. Fricke added the original bikes were destroyed or stolen during the movie’s filming, so a faithful replica of the bike belonging to Wyatt, portrayed by Peter Fonda, has a place at the museum.

But Elvis Presley’s bike on display at the museum is an original. The 1956 KH Side-valve V-twin comes complete with a sale contract and delivery receipt showing that Presley agreed to pay $11,400 for the bike — just weeks before “Heartbreak Hotel” became his first No. 1 record.


The papers show Presley signed and registered the bike at the address of his guitar player Scotty Moore, and he agreed to pay $50 a month toward the purchase. He listed his profession as a vocalist, self-employed.

“If he bought it six months later he almost certainly would have paid cash,” Fricke says.
Like the parade of motorcycles that leads visitors into the first galleries, there’s one more that leads visitors into a final gallery about product development, a florescent-lit room that’s set up like a laboratory full of drawings and prototypes.

To some, however, the gallery, which also includes full-sized mock-ups and clay models, will not be nearly as enticing as earlier rooms in the museum. But that’s part of the beauty of the museum and the Harley-Davidson lore.

“You get Willie G. Davidson talking about the beauty of fasteners, it’s eloquent,” Fricke said. “The Harley design aesthetic is that machines are beautiful and each part is beautiful and we’re going to show all of it.”

Functional design
Constructed over two years for a $75 million price tag, Harley-Davidson’s massive steel and brick museum buildings are a nod to Milwaukee’s industrial past, but the entire property is a mecca that will attract even the slightest of motorcycle interests.

Opened July 12 at Sixth and Canal streets, near downtown Milwaukee, the much-anticipated Harley-Davidson Museum is as much a marvel to look at as the hundreds of motorcycles displayed as artwork inside.

Much like the Harley-Davidson mantra when it comes to building motorcycles, the building’s steel exoskeleton is functional framework and everything underneath is like the jewel within the frame.

More than 1,200 tons of galvanized steel beams were used to complete the museum buildings. An 80-foot tower bearing the Harley-Davidson shield looms over the main entry way, and the museum’s west wall is made entirely of glass allowing visitors to see inside.

“We chose the materials because they’re very honest and timeless and classic and bold, like Harley-Davidson,” said Amanda Lee, the museum’s manager of multimedia communication.

Almost everything is oversized, from the 17-foot tall doors visitors must use to enter the museum to the Harley-Davidson name embedded in the brick wall. For that project, a mason designed a grid, numbered each of the 4,700 bricks and then cut and placed them by hand.

But the 20-acre campus also is a scenic gathering spot nestled in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, where the river flows by an outdoor patio and walking path. Close attention is paid to the landscaping on the grounds, too.

A bronze Hill Climber statue shows a rider wildly taking a vintage Harley motorcycle up a slope, and rows of shiny rivets lace the outdoor concrete in a tribute to Harley-Davidson dealers and clubs across the world.

The site is open to the public, free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Though 500 parking spaces are devoted to cars, there are 1,000 motorcycle spaces — located closer to the museum entrance — with orange striping on the pavement that acts like a red carpet for riders.

“When motorcyclists arrive it’s like, ‘OK, I know where to go,’ but also part of it is we wanted to foster and nurture a museum on the street,” Lee said. “A big part of Harley culture and motorcycle culture is going to a rally and being able to interact, connect with others, share stories. You see buddies that you met at a different rally, and just that connection is really looking at other people’s bikes, admiring what people have done with their bikes.”

In addition to the museum, two more buildings house the Harley-Davidson archives and a retail store. A restaurant and cafe, meanwhile, doles out menu items like “Potato Potato Potato Pancakes,” “Flathead Flatbreads” and “Bobber Brats.” Some of the dishes are made with actual motorcycle spokes as skewers. It’s hearty, American, stick-to-your-ribs food made by talented chefs who also are Harley riders.

There’s enough indoor and outdoor space to accommodate gatherings of as many as 15,000 people. Meanwhile, projections say the museum could attract 350,000 people annually from around the world.

“The design is meant to be a neighborhood within the city instead of just like Harley town,” Lee said. “Everything here is really about stories about connections.”

Sunday reading

Some of the good reads I caught during the last seven days ...

Baseball ...
a Cubs use Zambrano, offensive explosion to down Padres
a In covering Cubs, bias suspicion looms
a Cubs can't stop all sales of offensive Kosuke Fukudome T-shirt
a The forgotten confines
a The Great Holdout
a White Sox are hot, city is not bothered

Politics ...
a Eight reasons why Obama should not choose Clinton as his running mate in `08
a Obama apologizes to 'sweetie'

TV ...
a Every night live ... I love Jimmy Fallon, but I'm a bit skeptical of his chances on a late night talk show.
a A tale of two Jimmys
a 'The Office': Worst episode ever? ... I think this review is a little harsh, but it backs up my thoughts that 'The Office' is better viewed as a collection of workplace scenes or sketches than as a 30-minute episode.

Music ...
a Coachella DJs get the party moving with MP3s

Travel ...
a 75 cool reasons to visit MSI
a This Year, The Heat's Really On

The Bush wedding ...
a Goin' to the ranch, gonna get married
a Henry Hager, Jenna Bush wedding pictures

Sunday reading

Got to spend the afternoon with Joel and Stephanie, and Millie. The Packers won. The Colts didn't. Took a really nice nap. And got the yard ready for the winter...

Here's some of the good reads that caught my eyes during the last week ...

Politics ...
a Are we Colbert's punch line?
a Bush the Embracer: Interpreting the Presidential Hug
a From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .

More about the California wildfires ...
a On Shaky Ground in California
a In the Line of Fire
a New developments mask wild land's deadly threat

TV, music, entertainment & art ...
a Hulu.com, NBC and Fox video site, looks promising in beta
a Schulz: The Good and The Grief
a The year’s best music
a Spears Calls World 'Cruel' in Interview
a A museum's secrets
a 'Bean' to get a companion: The 'Popsicle'
a Adults Revisit Their Teenage Traumas and Dramas to Create Compelling Performance Art

Sports ...
a Handicapping the contenders for A-Rod's services
a What's Wrong With Sports Illustrated

Life & stuff ...
a Driver in crash that killed horses could face additional charges ... A tragic and dramatic ordeal that happened down the road from us last weekend. Some of the surviving horses are now being put up for adoption. There's also a slideshow of photos here.
a Chimp who knew sign language dies

P.S. ... Kates is talking on the phone with a friend and we were just reminiscing about the wonderful National Anthem performances of John Williams and James Taylor during the World Series ...

In case you missed them ...

Playing catchup...

So the Red Sox won the World Series Sunday night ...

What can you say? Sure I was rooting for the Rockies -- they were the sentimental favorite. But, don't get me wrong, I've been a Red Sox fan for awhile now, too. They're darn good (as the analysts said afterward, get ready world, this is going to be the team to beat for years to come. No more curses in Boston...), and they pretty much knocked the purple mountain majesty out of the Rockies ...

* * *

Thank you Jacoby Ellsbury. For my free taco, that is ... In case you missed it, and I know many of you did, Ellsbury, the lovable Red Sox rookie stole second base in Game 2. Even if you were paying moderate attention to that game, it was easy to miss. It wasn't at all a significant point in the game, and Ellsbury swiped it without even drawing a throw ... But, hey, it was enough for Taco Bell to offer everyone in the country a free taco between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. on Tuesday ...

So, on Tuesday, at about 2:15, I took a jaunt to a local Taco Bell for my free taco ... Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would the parking lot be packed!? Would the drive-thru be a dozen cars deep? Would I have to fear being trampled?

Turns out, my car was one of two in the parking lot. I went inside the store and waited as another couple placed their order; clearly they had no knowledge of the free taco. Then, the cashier asked them, "Would you like your free taco?" The man looked at his companion, shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. The woman -- she declined the free taco.

My turn. I stepped to the register. Ordered a taco supreme for my cohort Laura, soft taco for myself and a Mountain Dew to go with it. And then I added "And yes, I want my free taco."

The cheery cashier replied, "Ok, I was waiting to see how you were going to order and then I was going to ask."

"Yep. I'm a big baseball fan, so I know all about it."

The cheery cashier then went on to tell me all about her and her boyfriend cheering and getting excited about Monday night's Packers game. Sure, it was a great game, but how she thought that had anything to do with the Worlds Series, a stolen base and free tacos, I'm not so sure ...

I took my free taco back to work and noted it was the best free taco I'd ever tasted ...

I should have gone for more. It didn't occur to me until afterward, when I got this e-mail from my friend Matt, that I could have hit up every Taco Bell in the city for a free taco and no one would have known ...

I outsmarted Taco Bell. I just pulled up to the drive-thru and said “I’d like my free taco.” And she said, “Would you like something to drink with that?” Me again: “Nope, just the free taco.” And then I peeled out of there! Woo Hoo!

Actually, I don’t think I really outsmarted Taco Bell. But I did enjoy my tasty free taco. And I really wanted to drive back through again.

Dang. I could have done my run at 2, and again on my way home just before 5. Next year.

* * *

So Joe Torre's going to manage the Dodgers!? Nice ... I'm happy, thrilled really. But it's a well-known fact Torre didn't exactly have a stellar managerial record before arriving at Yankee Stadium. Now we'll get to see what he's really made of ...

And the Tigers got Edgar Renteria!? Also nice. Now they just need Craig Counsell, Moises Alou and Jeff Conine and they'll really be the '97 Marlins reincarnated. They've already got Dombrowski, Leyland and Sheffield ... Too bad Livan Hernandez and Kevin Brown are washed up.

And Alex Rodriguez is opting out of his contract. I still can't blame him ... Even then, I'm still debating in my head whether I'd want him on my team ... It's always interesting with A-Rod.

More good reads ...
a Schilling: 'Realistic chance' I won't be back ... That sucks. I'll be really sorry to see Schilling leave Boston ... But what's this!? He's interested in coming to Milwaukee!? Oh, tell me more!!
a Papelbon a hit on Letterman ... I watched this last night. Good stuff. Is it just me, or does anyone else think Papelbon's just a little bit nuts?
a 2007: 'A great year for baseball' ... I second that. My highlights: Verlander's no-hitter. The Red Sox four straight home runs. Sammy Sosa's 600th. Barry Bonds 756th -- sigh. And of course the Brewers and the pennant races, not to mention my two games in one day. Oh, and the whole 'winter ball' experience ...

* * *

How about that Packers game on Monday night!?!

It was a snoozefest until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. For the better part of the contest, the game was only background noise as I worked on other things; I paid more attention to Deanna Favre's interview with Kornheiser and the gang in the broadcast booth then I did during other play in the first three quarters ...

Then Kates joined me and we took a seat to see the Broncos scramble and kick the tying field goal in the final five seconds. How amazing -- and comical -- was that replay of the players running on/off the field and hastily getting in position for that kick!?

Seeing the end of regulation, Kates announced she had to go to bed and went upstairs, while I remained in front of the TV, determined to stay it out ... No sooner had Kates gotten up the stairs, Brett Favre was airing it up to Greg Jennings, who pulled it in and ran it in for the winning score ... I bolted up the stairs and was running down our hallway, hands in the air -- like Favre running down field to meet his teammates -- shouting the details to Kates as I turned on our bedroom TV so we could catch the replays together ...

Ah, Brett Favre.

I don't know what Mike McCarthy told him before the season, but the guy is throwing better this season than he has in years. I take back everything I said a couple years ago about Favre and retirement ...


* * *

I spent Monday in Chicago. (Woo hoo!) Saw the new "Maps" exhibit at the Field Museum ...

Kinda fascinating.

When my cohort Liz pitched the idea of me tagging along with her and one of my editors to review the exhibit, I wasn't that excited. I mean, c'mon, how exciting can maps really be?

The exhibit is comprised of more than 100 significant and rare maps, spanning hundreds of years from those carved on stone tablets to today's computerized images ... (The Trib has a great online interactive...)

The highlights in my eyes included a map from the 1930s of London's underground rail system, a significant map because the rail system's simple, rectangular design became the template for other large city systems ...

Another gem was a colorful heart-shaped globe, that was more a beautiful piece of art than a usable map. Still, it was made more captivating in that the shapes, sizes and proximity of the continents remained exact even with the distortion of the globe ...

We saw a road map of the United States in the 1930s. What made this one so fascinating was that the map had been used during one family's series of vacations. With no interstate highways, the map was colored with red and blue lines tracing routes they took to various destinations, including the year of the vacation route ...

There was a map used to draw the boundaries of the new United States after the Revolutionary War, a map on which the negotiators had outlined the U.S. boundaries in red and gave it to England's King George III ...

There was Charles Lindbergh's flight map. Maps drawn by Abraham Lincoln and Leonardo da Vinci ...

But the one that had us all talking during our train ride back: An Inuit's pencil sketch, done in the 1800s, of a series of islands he'd drawn based on what he observed while kayaking. And next to that pencil drawing, a recent satellite image of the same islands; the pencil drawing was astonishingly accurate ...

* * *

Some of the radio stations started playing Christmas music yesterday. On Nov. 1.

Fa la la la blah!

Sunday reading

Some of the stories and headlines that have caught my eyes the last couple weeks ...

Music & entertainment ...
a Kelly Clarkson's dispute with Clive Davis has made her music hard to hear
a The Baby is Back on Ferrell's Funnyordie
a Chuckles, Guffaws and Some Yucks: Potty-Mouthed Toddler Got Will Ferrell's Comedy Web Site Up and Running
a Bringing Out the Worst In Celebrity Coverage? Esquire Chided for Jolie Cover Story
a What were they thinking? Good actors' bad choices
a Blunt's shaking his hit
a Watching Films or TV Together Is a Rite of Coupledom, Until A Scarlet Temptress Beckons
a TV cancellation hidden in a cloud of euphemism
a Paris fans are so Paris
a Rowling's spell, not a wizard, is behind the magic of 'Potter'
a When bad roles happen to good actors
a What will Ben Silverman think of next for NBC?

Sports ...
a Once the dirtiest player in the NFL, Conrad Dobler is now fighting for guys he tried to dismember ... My friend Mike is responsible for many of the photos you see with this one ...
a 'Bronx' revisits boys of summer 1977
a With Old-School Sluggers, A 'Derby' Done Right

The Internet ...
a Blogging Vs. Broadcast Rights: Free Press Or Freeloading?
a Calling In Pros to Refine Your Google Image
a Nanoseconds Of Happiness: You're Going to Love Your iPhone, Until the Next Gizmo Calls a Candidates learning that YouTube and other Web sites are potent portals

Other stuff ...
a A Roto-Rooter rescue
a A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease
a For 50 years, Milwaukee's been on a freeway ride
a Robotic cars could take pressure off nation's highways
a Travelers to the Grand Canyon have always had a killer view. Now they can take a step in a new direction
a Two Little Letters, Addressed to Everyone, That Speak Volumes
a Big blasts at harbor rock out near Big Gig

Space buzz

Visiting space, of course, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Today, I did the next best thing -- I met Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell ...

The backdrop was a media preview and news conference to introduce the Adler Planetarium's new permanent exhibit, "Shoot For The Moon." Aldrin and Lovell were there to speak about their space exploration, the things that inspired them to become astronauts and reunite with their Gemini 12 spacecraft, which is displayed in the exhibit.

But even with Lovell and Aldrin swapping stories beside their Gemini 12 spacecraft it’s hard to imagine what life must have been like inside the cramped vehicle during their four days in space for the 1966 mission.

“Actually it looks like there’s a lot more room in here than there really was,” Aldrin told our crowd.

Added Lovell, “This is a good bird. It did its job.”

The fully-restored Gemini 12 spacecraft flown by Lovell and Aldrin is now the centerpiece of “Shoot For The Moon,” a multimedia show that celebrates the Gemini 12 mission and America’s race to the Moon, in addition to Lovell’s perseverance and legacy in the space program.

“The Adler is very proud to share in the important stories of heroes like Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin to help us inspire this next generation of explorers,” Adler President Paul H. Knappenberger said. “We’re delighted that we have the Gemini 12 spacecraft, which is a true national treasure.”

The new exhibit also draws on the Adler’s new endeavor to become the world’s leading space science center.

“I know that I was inspired by going to museums, seeing things and learning more about it,” Lovell said. “I think young people have to have an inspiration and that’s the whole purpose of the ‘Shoot To The Moon’ phases here at the Adler because this is really an educational institution to inspire young people to have very welcoming or rewarding careers.”

The exhibit begins with “A Journey With Jim Lovell,” a display featuring some of Lovell’s personal artifacts and letters to help tell the stories of his initial failures to gain acceptance into the U.S. Naval Academy and NASA astronaut program, as well as his triumphs flying on four space missions and traveling to the moon twice.

In one case is the reply Lovell, as a young boy in Milwaukee, received from American Rocket Society secretary G. Edward Pendroy after Lovell wrote the society saying he wanted to become a rocket engineer. In part, the reply reads, “The best advice I can offer is to get as good an engineering education as possible, with emphasis on thermodynamics, aero dynamics, metallurgy or combustion chemistry.”

Lovell would eventually overcome rejection by the Naval Academy and entered college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the Navy’s Holloway Plan, which allowed him to take flight lessons while pursuing his education.

After two years at the UW in the Navy’s ROTC program, Lovell applied to the Naval Academy again and was accepted. And in 1959, he was one of 34 men invited to a secret meeting to try out for a spot among America’s first astronauts. But Lovell failed his physical exam on a medical technicality and was left to watch from his television as the Mercury 7 were proclaimed America’s first astronauts.

But Lovell’s perseverance eventually paid off. Three years later, in 1962, NASA again called for astronaut candidates and Lovell reapplied. Lovell passed all the tests and was officially an astronaut in training.

Visitors also will see Lovell’s Apollo 13 helmet and gloves, original flight plans and manuals flown on the Gemini 12 mission, the Omega chronograph Lovell wore on Gemini 12, Lovell’s optical sight from Apollo 13 -- which ultimately saved the lives of the Apollo 13 crew -- and the director’s “clapper” used in the film “Apollo 13.”

The exhibit also offers insight into how Lovell and others risked their lives to advance America’s space program.

“We can get 100 percent safety by hauling the shuttle craft back in and locking the doors, but you have to realize that spaceflight like a lot of different professions is a risky business,” Lovell said. “And you have to accept the rewards that you get from it and overcoming the risk that are involved. That’s true for just about any kind of business that you do.”

Beyond the Lovell’s collection and other space artifacts, is a place to discover whether you have what it takes to be an astronaut in “Mission: Moon.”

Visitors can pose as members of an exploration team going back to the Moon in the 21st century. Try a lunar leap, a lunar landing or any of a handful or state-of-the-art exhibit elements that let you experience the thrills and challenges of lunar exploration.

In “Touch Down,” visitors can try their piloting skills and attempt a lunar descent and landing. After a quick briefing, you take the controls of a lunar landing vehicle and try to find a safe landing spot before running out of fuel.

Then in “Lunar Leap,” feel what it’s like to jump on the Moon. In the interactive, a lunar gravity simulation uses an inclined plane outfitted with two slider boards to recreate the sensation of jumping in the 1/6-gravity of the Moon. Adding to the fun, a green-screen video effect shows what the jump would look like on the lunar surface.

Also in the “Lunar Dangers Lab,” visitors meet ALEX -- short for Analyst of Lunar Environmental Extremes -- an animated robot who thinks he’s ready to live on the Moon. As you sit inside the lab, ALEX goes through a series of rigorous tests to see if he can survive the Moon’s temperature extremes and solar radiation. But the fun of the lab lies in the special effects that include brief periods of mist and extreme heat that let you experience the Moon’s environment.

* * *

Afterward, my photog Kevin and I met up with our buddy Patrick at city hall for a lunch rendezvous. But first Patrick -- an incredibly knowledgeable Chicagoan -- gave us a quick history lesson and took us for a peek inside “Chicago's state capitol building,” the stunning James R. Thompson Center ... I hardly knew the building existed and I was in a daze as I stared up at the humongous atrium. Now I can't wait to go back ...

From there, it was on to a popular lunch spot Patrick had recommended -- Perry's deli in The Loop. The popularity of the place was evident the moment we stepped up to the front doors as the line to the counter wrapped around the dining room (about the size of your typical McDonald's) and out the doors. And the other highlight of this place is the fact they don't allow cell phones; if an employee catches you talking on a phone, they sound a loud alarm that humiliates you and has everyone in the place looking at you, the idiot talking on a cell phone. It happened twice while we were there ... HA-larious.

Despite the long line, the pace was speedy and we were placing our orders within minutes. I decided on the Perry's Favorite sandwich -- corned beef, jack cheese, cole slaw, bacon and Russian dressing, all of it piled (and I mean piled) onto an onion roll ...

With sandwiches and drinks in hand, the three of us decided to take in the gorgeous weather and found a picnic table alongside the river. And the sandwich -- well, it just might have been one of the best sandwiches I've ever had ...