Some Milwaukee things come and go while some become icons. Mandatory Milwaukee is all about the latter. This week: walking to the closest neighborhood bar on a snowy day.
In case you weren’t in the Midwest a few days ago or you’re reading this article immediately after emerging from an extended Aaron Rodgers-like darkness retreat, allow us to be the first to tell you that it snowed in and around Milwaukee this weekend. It snowed a lot.
Concerts and church services were canceled, many restaurants and retailers made the tough decision to close despite it being “Small Business Saturday,” and countless holiday weekend plans were suddenly changed on account of the wintry conditions. On the positive end of the spectrum, the blizzard also presented an opportunity to partake in a truly special weather-related pastime: bundling up and walking to the closest neighborhood bar.
Days like last Saturday are the closest thing we get to a “Snow Day” as adults. Any plans you made before weather became a factor are probably no more. The idea of driving anywhere seems unwise and borderline dangerous. Once you shovel the snow that’s already accumulated, all that’s left to do is wait to do it again when the flurries are through. So why not embrace the situation, put on some boots, and trudge to the nearest bar?
Sure, not all of you live within walking distance of a watering hole, but the odds of it are probably better here in Milwaukee—and much of Wisconsin, for that matter—than almost anywhere else. Maybe it’s already one of your favorite bars. Perhaps it’s not your normal haunt, but its proximity helps it win out on account of the conditions. You’re bound to encounter both regulars who might’ve been there anyway and newcomers staving off stir craziness at your nearest neighborhood tavern on days like this.
Order a dark beer, a bloody mary, a hot toddy, a cup of coffee (as-is or spiked with something special), or whatever else you please to sip as you look out at the serenity of the wintry mix from a bar stool or booth and feel the coziness. Maybe there’s a game on. Sometimes you’re stuck with a game show rerun or movie airing on TNT or something, but you’ll make do.
You’re bound to run into neighbors on days like this. Adult Snow Days are also an excuse to reach out to friends in the neighborhood to see if they’ll meet you somewhere in the middle. Or you can make new friends with the people sitting beside you. We have the perfect conversation starter: “How about this weather?”
With driving and other aspects of everyday life temporarily removed from the equation, why not stay a while? You’ll surely burn off the calories from that extra round (or two) on the stroll home. Not to mention the energy you’ll expend during the second/third round of shoveling and when you inevitably dust off your car as the responsibilities of “real life” eventually come back into view.
While you’re still at the bar, buy some Pull-Tabs for the group, shoot some darts, grab a board game off the shelf, or try to solve all of life’s problems. Or bundle up once more and continue on to another nearby establishment where you’ll encounter more locals making the most of situation.
On your way, take notice of how the steady scattering of falling flakes acts as a natural curtain that makes a bustling neighborhood in the state’s largest city seem uncharacteristically quiet. See your breath billow into the cold air and feel the snow crush beneath your boots. Embrace the conditions that keep so many people so far away from here, bask in the strange comfort that comes with bowing to Mother Nature’s will, and walk to the closest neighborhood bar on a snowy day.