Milwaukee Travel Guide
8/08/2008 at 11:45 AM
Tags: Midwest Death Watch, Midwest Airlines, NWA, AirTran (all tags)
More bad news for the Milwaukee-based airline: Northwest Airlines' 47-percent share in the carrier has lost so much value that NWA has written off its $213 million investment in Midwest Airlines, which it bought with TPG Capital in January.
Paying passenger traffic for Midwest also dropped 16 percent in July compared to last year's numbers with 324,002 brave souls taking the ailing carrier. Northwest ended up buying Midwest to keep budget carrier AirTran from gaining a toehold in Milwaukee; now it's looking like they just ended up with a white elephant.
Related Stories:
· Northwest Writes off Midwest Investment [Milwaukee JS]
· Midwest Passenger Loads Down in July [Biz Journals]
· Midwest Death Watch coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: md11forever]
by egw
7/28/2008 at 12:30 PM
Tags: Midwest Death Watch, Midwest Airlines, Airline Bankruptcy (all tags)
Last week's announced cuts to Midwest Airlines' service are starting to take effect, and they hurt! Hundreds of vacationers bound for Orlando on one of the to-be-cut flights between September 8 and October 20 were stymied by error messages on Midwestairlines.com and consistent busy signals on the company's 800 number. Even travel agents reported trouble getting through on the domestically staffed help line.
One area particularly hurt by the service changes? The cities of Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids, served by Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee. With Midwest goes the only flight connecting the northern half of WI to Milwaukee, forcing fliers to connect through Detroit, Minneapolis or O'Hare for an in-state destination.
At least this misery has company: Airline columnist Joe Brancatelli declared "every U.S. carrier except Southwest Airlines faces bankruptcy and possibly even liquidation" in his latest Seat 2B bulletin. Clearly people are cashing in those edgy Southwest coupons.
Related Stories:
· Midwest Death Watch: Capacity Costs Made Official [Jaunted]
· Passengers have trouble using Midwest Airlines refund site [MJS]
· Midwest Airlines callers get constant busy signal [MJS]
· Don't Take A Flier On Airlines [WaPo]
· Midwest Airlines Cuts CWA Flights [Fox 55 Wausau]
[Photo: retokurmann]
by egw
7/07/2008 at 11:15 AM
Tags: Airline News, Midwest Airlines, Midwest Death Watch (all tags)
The carrier didn't declare bankruptcy this weekend as we had predicted, but we noticed a troubling new trend when we flew Midwest Airlines over the holiday. (Yes, we also disregarded our own advice not to buy tickets on the ailing airline.)
On one of our flights, the standard passenger ration of two free fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies had been cut... to one cookie. It's an outrage! What's next, no free cookies at all just like every other airline in the country?
Of course, the Milwaukee-based carrier's straits may be too dire to be affected by one concessionary cut, if its recent groundings and layoffs are any indication. Midwest Airlines' website opposing multiple offers from AirTran earlier this year was called, fittingly, Savethecookie.com. Maybe it's time for Save The Cookie Again, with a focus on the actual cookies.
Related Stories:
· Midwest Airlines Struggling to Avoid Death Spiral [Jaunted]
· Two Weeks Ago: Midwest Grounds Planes, Cookies Still Safe [Jaunted]
· "Thanks for chipping in to help save the cookie." [SavetheCookie.com]
· Midwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: azaleaw]
by egw
6/22/2008 at 2:05 PM
Tags: Motorcycle Travel, Museums (all tags)
It's a pity Jaunted doesn't have a "What took you so long?" tag, because that's our reaction to the brand new Harley-Davidson Museum, which will open its doors in Milwaukee on July 12. The iconic American motorcycle manufacturer, whose hogs, sportsters and softails have been ridden by everyone from Evel Knievel to Dennis Rodman, will finally tap into a surefire revenue stream when the 20-acre museum complex welcomes a curious mix of grizzled gang members, paunchy weekenders and Biker Build-off inspired grommets.
While Harley-Davidson has offered tours at its facilities in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania for years, the museum marks the first time a cohesive history of the company has been assembled in one place. More than 400 motorcycles provide a living timeline for a brand that at once symbolizes outlaw culture and apple-pie American ideals, while two garden areas provide a natural oasis away from the rumbling pistons with views of the Menomonee River.
While the museum's grand opening is sure to draw a crowd, the real party will take place August 28-31, when Harley celebrates its 105th anniversary with concerts and commemorations of its two-wheeled empire. But seriously, guys, it took you 105 years to open up a museum? Free-spirited indeed.
Related Stories:
· Harley-Davidson Museum [Official Site]
· Harley-Davidson Museum to open in Milwaukee [AP, via Yahoo]
· Motorcycle Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Harley-Davidson Museum]
by Victor Ozols
6/19/2008 at 2:30 PM
Tags: Music Travel, Festivals, Summer Travel (all tags)
Craving some schnitzel and accordion music, but pained by the exchange rate in Europe? Milwaukee was founded by German immigrants, so where better than there to celebrate German Fest, its annual lakefront celebration of German-speaking cultures (and sausage!), held July 24-27.
Show off your yodeling skills, watch the "Rhapsody in Boom" fireworks show nightly or jog off that sauerkraut at a 5K to benefit local food pantries. And your $13 ticket ($10 in advance) will not be pegged to the current price of the Euro.
In case you want to fit in a little music festival travel, The Police are also playing in Milwaukee that weekend, and we would never dissuade you from the sweet sounds of Sting.
Related Stories
· German Fest [Official Site]
· Police Reunion Tour Puts on the Red Light [Jaunted]
· Festivals coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: kuglitsch]
by egw
3/14/2008 at 3:10 PM
Tags: Missed Connections, Craigslist Missed Connections (all tags)
The last time we covered the Milwaukee dating scene, the Brewers were playing, Tommy Thompson was running for President and Taylor Hicks was dating locally. None of these things are true any more, and that makes us sad. But at least baseball season is starting soon! Find someone to share those season tickets with at one of these hot spots:
Miller Brewery Tour -- Enjoy FREE samples on this hour-long adventure. You'll have so much fun, you'll forget that you have no chance. 4251 W. State St.
Alterra Coffee -- This local microchain has been going toe-to-toe with Starbucks, and winning, for several years. All that caffeine might embolden you to make eye contact with a handsome guy. 2211 N Prospect Ave.
Milwaukee Admirals -- They'll never win the Stanley Cup, but this American Hockey League team has a ghoulish mascot and a good-looking fan base. One of the best things about Wisconsin winters. at the Bradley Center, 1001 N. 4th Street
Related Stories:
· Drink For Free At Miller Plant [Official Site]
· Milwaukee Admirals Pro Hockey [Official Site]
[Photo: hellojessicalynn]
by egw
11/06/2007 at 10:15 AM
Tags: Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank-Lloyd-Wright-Map, Architecture, Architecture Travel, Buildings (all tags)
Hello Wisconsin! Decades before actual rock stars roamed the Earth, Frank Lloyd Wright was the artist in the papers for drugs, divorce and loose morals. Amid the especially turbulent "lost years" of 1910-1922, Wright found the time to return to his native Wisconsin to design the elegant Bogk House in Milwaukee. Painstakingly preserved and still stocked with original FLW designed furnishings, the home is set to delight Wright fans with a fundraiser evening on November 10th, 2007.
According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy:
The Bogk House, built in 1916, embodies a sophisticated balance of horizontal and vertical lines. Its' wide overhanging roof and elegant façade reflect the influence of Wright's concurrent project the Imperial Hotel in Japan.
The event on November 10 will feature wine and hors d'oeuvres to accompany conversation with distinguished authorities on the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Proceeds will go to the nonprofit Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin organization. At $100 a ticket, the Bogk House offers a somewhat classier venue to get your Wisconsin art star fix than camping outside Steve Miller's boyhood home--though there's probably less chance of group sing-a-longs of "Keep On A-Rockin' Me Baby."
Related Stories:
· A Wright in Wisconsin Evening [Official Site]
· Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy [Official Site]
· Frank Lloyd Wright Map [Jaunted]
· Architecture coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Wright in Wisconsin]
by Judson
10/02/2007 at 4:20 PM
Tags: Live Music, Music Venues (all tags)
Whether they like to enjoy a cold one at a concert or not, Milwaukeeans who love live music owe an enormous debt to Frederick Pabst. The founder of the famous brewery became a public philanthropist when he bought a German opera house across from City Hall in 1890. The theater burned down soon after, but it eventually re-opened in 1895. It's been open ever since.
The ornate interior of the Pabst doesn't stop acts like the Decemberists and the Polyphonic Spree from turning up the volume inside. Rufus Wainwright just filmed a concert there for a DVD, complete with giant American flag and tuxedoed dancers.
Related Stories:
· Pabst Theater [Official Site]
· Milwaukee Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Live Music coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: ilamya]
by egw
