strategical help for italian invasion of MKE!

[1992casey]

Renting a car shouldn't be necessary, but if you don't rent one, you're probably better off staying downtown rather than in a suburb. Milwaukee's public transportation stinks, and cabs usually need to be called rather than hailed. A downtown hotel's central location would help you, and you should be able to deal with transportation by relying on the hotel concierge. Games won't be a problem. There are shuttles for those.

 

If you're thinking of exploring other parts of Wisconsin, you might want to consider a car for those days. You'd likely benefit a lot by the flexibility that a car offers. It's possible that rental car companies might have cars with stick shifts if you make that request.

 

If you're going to be in the US for a month, you should have the honeymoon stuff covered. Seven games in seven days won't get in the way of that. The games will be the focal point of your trip, but they won't be the only part of your trip.

[RightFieldCoder]

They will not have stick shift cars. Not enough people in the states know how to drive them. Automatic shouldn't be hard, just different and a little boring. Make sure you put the gear shift to "D". I had a South African put it in "1" and wonder why it drove wonky at 40mph. "1" and "2" tell the car to not shift and stay in those gears. "D" lets the car decide what gear to use.

[RobertR]

Yeah, I'd recommend renting a car for Milwaukee too. At least for days when you might want to get out of the city proper. If you start getting beyond Miller Park, the Zoo, and the downtown/lakefront, you'll find the public transportation options very limited. It's probably easier to get to Chicago via the Amtrak Hiawatha from downtown than to much of the suburbs and certainly beyond without a car.

 

BTW, if you go to the Zoo set aside a sizable chunk of time. It's not something where you can see everything in an hour or so.

 

Also, you might want to check out the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee's website. ( http://www.iccmilwaukee.com/main.html )

 

Robert

[CheezWizHed]

If you fly into Chicago, you can take the Amtrak (train) up to Milwaukee. A little more interesting than a bus, IMO.

 

My recommendations would be:

The Domes (someone previously had a link) are nice

The Art Museum downtown is pretty highly regarded

Frozen custard at Kopps

Any festival on the weekend will have interesting items and fireworks on Saturday night.

Go ice skating at the Petit Olympic Training center.

[hawing]

I'm not specifically looking to reignite the custard wars, but if you get frozen custard (which is like ice cream with a higher fat content) at Gilles, especially at midday on a weekday, you stand at least a chance of seeing Bud Selig. He often takes lunch there. Look for a black Lexus parked on the west side of the building.

[CheezWizHed]

reignite the custard wars

 

I knew I was stepping on fragile ground...

[1992casey]

Make sure you put the gear shift to "D".

 

And make sure that you don't hit the brake when your foot naturally gravitates to the clutch that isn't there.

 

It seems to me that I've rented a stick shift in the past, but it would have been a long time ago, and it might have been in Mexico.

 

If you fly into Chicago, you can take the Amtrak (train) up to Milwaukee. A little more interesting than a bus, IMO.

 

Unless something's changed, you have to go to downtown Chicago to catch a train. Apparently, the fact that Milwaukee has an Amtrak station at the airport puts it ahead of the curve.

 

Wisconsin Coach Lines has a very convenient bus shuttle that runs to and from O'Hare. If I were in kalle8's shoes, I'd investigate flying straight into Milwaukee. If it doesn't add cost or a lot of time, that'd be the easiest.

[TooLiveBrew]

ok, 7 games is a lot, but think it is once in a lifetime. think it as 7 games in a lifetime!

i know it's not that romantic, that you don't see Milwaukee depliant between aruba and hawaii when you go to the travel agency, but the week in milwaukee will be in the middle of a month spent in the US, and all the other places will be more "politically correct" for a honeymoon.

 

last year she made go to china for a month, so i think i deserve 7 Miller Park trips!

Sounds excellent, kalle8! I hope you have a great time honeymooning in America ... and, specifically, enjoying possibly your only trip to Miller Park!

 

And actually, that makes me think that you should contact the Brewers (if you haven't already) to inform them of the specific circumstances surrounding your visit. I'd think they'd have at least a little something extra to offer you (ballpark tour?, etc.), and there's a chance they might really view it as a good PR move to hype up the visit from a native Italian who fell in love with the Brewers, an ocean away.

[hawing]

I agree with TLB - at least it's worth a try, Kalle. Use that email I sent you for our ticket rep.

[kalle8]

i just sent the email to the brewers. thanks to everyone

[hawing]

While I predict you'll enjoy Miller Park in August, it's too bad you can't visit on July 1, which not only features an Italian bobblehead giveaway, but is also Italian Heritage Day. The Brewers' jerseys that day will read "Birraioli." (Here's hoping they sell shirts with that design.)

[kalle8]

While I predict you'll enjoy Miller Park in August, it's too bad you can't visit on July 1, which not only features an Italian bobblehead giveaway, but is also Italian Heritage Day. The Brewers' jerseys that day will read "Birraioli." (Here's hoping they sell shirts with that design.)

 

nooooooooooooooo

i want it i want it!

[kalle8]

just thinking:

last year the heritage game was beerbrauer Vs piraten.

 

i just saw that the 1st of july the diamondbacks will be in town.

 

"schiene di diamante" sounds very silly ahahah

[patrickgpe]

While I predict you'll enjoy Miller Park in August, it's too bad you can't visit on July 1, which not only features an Italian bobblehead giveaway, but is also Italian Heritage Day. The Brewers' jerseys that day will read "Birraioli." (Here's hoping they sell shirts with that design.)

 

nooooooooooooooo

i want it i want it!

odds are they will still be for sale when you arrive in august at the fanzone inside the stadium.

[TooLiveBrew]

While I predict you'll enjoy Miller Park in August, it's too bad you can't visit on July 1, which not only features an Italian bobblehead giveaway, but is also Italian Heritage Day. The Brewers' jerseys that day will read "Birraioli." (Here's hoping they sell shirts with that design.)

nooooooooooooooo

i want it i want it!

odds are they will still be for sale when you arrive in august at the fanzone inside the stadium.

Man, and the perfect thing to ask for from the Brewers would be these two giveaways. You've already purchased tickets to 7 games, it's the least they could do imo for a visiting international fan. Maybe a picture with the Italian Sausage, too? The Brewers seem pretty PR-savvy, so it wouldn't surprise me if they'd be game for all of this.

[hawing]

While I predict you'll enjoy Miller Park in August, it's too bad you can't visit on July 1, which not only features an Italian bobblehead giveaway, but is also Italian Heritage Day. The Brewers' jerseys that day will read "Birraioli." (Here's hoping they sell shirts with that design.)

 

nooooooooooooooo

i want it i want it!

odds are they will still be for sale when you arrive in august at the fanzone inside the stadium.

 

I'm not fully confident of that. There was surprisingly little Bierbrauer gear in the store last year; I don't know if the Brewers were skeptical that a German-themed shirt or jersey would sell well in Milwaukee, or what.

 

Maybe one of us can help you out and have some gear waiting for you by the time you arrive.

[Baldkin]

Odds are they will still have the gear in reserve somewhere (saving it for the Clubhouse sale, or somesuch). If you ask an employee, I'm sure they could help you out (or, a Brewerfan.netter could).

[kalle8]

just to say:

"birraioli" is not the right translation to Brewers, a "birraiolo" is much a person who loves to drink beer.

"birrai" "people who brew beer, would have been better.

[1992casey]

Well, it appears that the team will be known as the Milwaukee Beer Drinkers for a day.

[CheezWizHed]

Well, it appears that the team will be known as the Milwaukee Beer Drinkers for a day.

 

Will they wear hats that have NYM on them too? Maybe some fried chicken?

 

Of course, it will fit naturally on the fans in the stands...

[SenatorShriv]

Lake Geneva could be another interesting day trip for you but public transit likely won't be easy to find. Its closer than Door County (only about an hour from Miller Park.)

[twofistedslopper]

just to say:

"birraioli" is not the right translation to Brewers, a "birraiolo" is much a person who loves to drink beer.

"birrai" "people who brew beer, would have been better.

 

From Uni Watch Blog...

As you may recall, a few weeks ago the Brewers announced their 2012 promotional schedule, which included this tidbit: “[T]he Brewers will wear … a ‘Birraioli’ jersey (the Italian translation of ‘Brewers’) on Italian Heritage Day [July 1].” That caught the attention of Marco Scurati, who lives in Italy. Here’s what he wrote to Tyler Barnes, the Brewers’ VP of Communications: “Do you know ‘birrioli’ doesn’t exist in any dictionary of the Italian language? It’s a slang expression referring to beer lovers (in the sense of heavy drinkers). The right translation for ‘Brewers’ would be ‘Birrai.’ Why did you choose the other term?” And here’s the response he got: “We are likely going to use ‘Birrai’ on the jerseys. We have consulted several universities as well as other officials on the translation, and, as you stated, Birrai is most appropriate.”

[kalle8]

i am so upset with this marco scurati.

i posted the news in a italian board, i hope not to be envolved in this mistake fix.

 

"birraioli" was so much better!

[CheezWizHed]

Lake Geneva could be another interesting day trip for you but public transit likely won't be easy to find.

 

Yeah, that is pretty much car-only. Maybe a bus will get you there, but nothing to get around town (granted, its small - maybe a bike rental would do once in town).

 

If you do this, I would recommend the mail-delivery boat tour. They hire students to deliver mail by boat for the lake-front houses. The student jumps off the front of the boat at the house's dock, runs down to the mailbox, runs back to jump on the rear of the boat. The boat does not stop. Quite often, a kid ends up in the lake.

 

And its a nice tour of the length of the 10 mile long lake.

[kalle8]

I bought the tickets for the PHI e CHC series in mid august.

7 games in seven days 8/16 to 8/22

i get married on the 2nd of june hope not have to divorce the 23rd of august...