Day 7: Milwaukee - Summerfest

We woke up and went for a run this morning, cut short by the humidity. Janet connected with college friend Chris, who lives in town, and we met him down on Brady Street (right near where we had been last night) for Greek, eaten outside in the sun.

Curt got home, and as always served as entertainment till it was time to head out for the night. Mexican at Poco Loco (I probably didn't need to specify it was mexican, did I?), and then we took the bus down to Summerfest.

I should probably specify that every person Janet has ever met has mentioned Summerfest at one time or another, so I'm sure this was built up pretty big in her mind. We actually made some new friends on the bus (2 couples) after a conversation began about Janet's new rings. The women were trying to horn in on the guys golfing outings, and the men were understandably nervous...

Anyway, their marital advice to us was communication and prayer.

Summerfest, the Worlds Largest Music Festival (or so they claim) is held for 11 or 12 days every summer at grounds right on the lakefront. There are 10 or 15 music stages, most with acts throughout the day. $15 gets you in the door, at which point you can see any of the shows for free (except for the main act at the amphitheater). Basically, everyone gets drunk and watches some awesome musical performances. Behold, the relatively tame scene at 7pm:




We had tickets to see Stevie Wonder at the Marcus Amphitheater, which was surprisingly not sold out. Because there were some empty seats, we sat in a relatively empty area that would give us some extra space. Here we are waiting for the show to start:




Partway through, we moved up to the grass section to enjoy the breeze, skyline views, increased ability to dance, and sadly some mosquitoes. Here is what the end of Signed, Sealed, Delivered sounded like:



Towards the end of the show, we made another friend Melanie (who Janet started dancing with because her friends didn't seem to be doing their job) - who told Janet that I looked like a young Ashton Kutcher. This was flattering but also disturbing because Ashton Kutcher looks young already, and happens to be less than a year older than me. At least with the wedding ring and not living in Boston, people will stop asking me if I am in college.

She gave more marital advice: don't go to bed mad at each other. Also, incorporate the big guy upstairs (my words, not hers) into your relationship.

So there you have it. Random strangers in Milwaukee are pretty awesome.

The Big Bang (fireworks held on opening night each year) started slightly after the show, and we were able to get a great view from the top of the amphitheater. This is the tail end of the finale:




Oh yeah, lots of food at Summerfest, including numerous items sold on sticks:







Sadly, afraid that my camera might be confiscated, I was unable to get a shot of my favorite: Pickle on a Stick. $2.00 gets you, yes...a pickle. On a stick. Awesome. (In that ironic sort of way)

After the show, we milled about the Gnarls Barkley show (which was PACKED with young adults) looking for fried dough. Eventually we settled on some pizza (not sure where it was from, but it was fantastic), and rode the SkyGlider...a chairlift running from one end of the grounds to the other: