4 Days in Austin, Texas, YEEHAW!

When escaping winter, does it really matter where you go?  It's not as if Ashley and I needed an excuse to escape the brutal wind chills of Wisconsin.  It helps that it was her birthday, and we were longing to see a good friend.

Time to pack our bags, grab our finest boots, and head to Austin, Texas for 4 days and 3 nights of adventure!

When traveling it always helps to be shown around by a local.

And when it comes to local hosts, I'm not sure you can top the work of Sophia Beausoleil.

From beer, to popcorn, shot glasses to pretzels, this thing was insane.

 Our hotel was at the AT&T conference center which happened to be right on UT's campus.

And after drinking some tequila from the basket we were whisked away to "dirty 6th" street.

First stop, something not very dirty,  Parkside Austin.

If you ever go get the sweetbread croquettes or the mac and cheese.  Of course, Sophia went above and beyond and brought a cake for Ashley.

Next stop, was an attempt to get into a speak easy next door.  After buzzing a random apartment at a non descriptive door...

A man opened to tell us they did not have enough room for us inside.  More on this later.

Undeterred, we headed to Sophia's favorite and my soon to be favorite 6th street watering hole---- the Handle Bar.

Of course, Sohpia knew every bar tender.  I was shown the world's first "Bitcoin ATM."

That's good, cause I had no idea how to unload my internet wealth.

The highlight is their seesaw upstairs.

After meeting up with some of Sohpia's peeps, we headed into the heart of "dirty 6th."

I was told you "have to experience the "dirty" once.  And that probably was enough for me.

  I felt too old for the hoards of drunken college age party goers cramming into bars to grind up on strangers.



I did get constant reminders I was in the state of Texas...

The rest of the night was spent bar hopping.

 My phone was on little juice, and before dying for the night, it captured one late night request for Tacos by Yaser.

Exhausted, and with an inevitable hangover on the way, night one was over.

DAY 2

Austin is beautiful.  The weather is beautiful.  The people who've moved from around the country to this exploding city are beautiful.  The food is beautiful, and on a morning walk, Ashley and I found the UT campus was pretty nice as well.

I did some horse back riding.

And learned the local finger pointing thing.

Oh did I mention the weather is beautiful?  A perfect day for BBQ and wine!

Sophia picked us up and we were off into Texas Hill Country.  Our stop--- heaven.

May I introduce The Salt Lick.

The wait to enjoy some of the best BBQ I've ever had in my life, was about an hour.  To kill time we hit of the attached wine tasting room and bocce ball.

Then it was time to eat.

Sophia drove us up the road to a second winery for an awesome sunset.

When at first you don't succeed, try, try again.  We headed back to the speakeasy on 6th Midnight Cowboy were rejected at the night before.

  RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.  Luckily we had one.

I can not tell you what my drinks were because they were so fancy I had never heard of any of the ingredients before.  The place is so secretive we did not take photos.  but we did grab a photo that still is illuminated in the back that marks its seedy history as a "rub and tug (as the bartender put it).

Drinks were followed by ghosts.  Turns out Austin is overrun by the super natural.

Inside the fancy Driskill Hotel you can ask the front desk for a "ghost guide" of the undead that roam their halls.  Of course Sophia and Yaser did.

The night ended by meeting more of Sophia's friends.  Pooped, we called it a night.

DAY 3

Has it only been 2 days?  Seriously?  That means it's been two days I haven't been in a newsroom.  Time to change that.

Sohpia is not just one of the best hosts of all time, she is also a rockstar reporter at NBC affiliate KXAN!  We got a behind the scenes look where we got to see the assignment desk.

Her newsroom.

The studio.

And fun coworkers!

The tour of the station was followed by more of Austin, like the natural year round swimming pool of Barton Springs Pool

Then over to West Congress Avenue.

Austin rule, if there is a line for food, stand in it!

Like the one outside Hododdy Burger Bar.

The wait, of course was worth it.

Top 5 greatest burgers I've ever had in my life.
Eating some good old fashioned American meat really started to make me fell like a Texan!
All I needed, was to look the part.

I probably could spend hours in Allen's Boots playing dress up.  Problem is I can't afford the boots on my feet.

So we headed to the best deal in town... the rowing dock!

For $10 you get a kayak to jump in the Colorado River.

Our trip included turtle sightings and mansions, both of which I am a fan of.

For a pre dinner adventure we traveled to Rainey Street, a marvelous place where houses have been turned into bars like Craft Pride which serves a GAZILLION Texas beers.

I'll skip ahead a bit, and leave out some details, but somehow we ended up at a random Pre-Inauguration party at Austin City Limits

We even got a surprise visit from Governor elect Greg Abbott.

I even showed up in THIS TWITTER PICTURE

Day 4

With time winding down before Ashley and I flight back to the frozen tundra, we made a quick pit stop at the Inauguration.

We even saw some of our friends we met working hard!

If you've made it this far and feel exghausted by this blog entry, then you kind of know how Ashley and I felt on our way back.  STUFF, SATISFIED, AND LOVING AUSTIN.

Thank you Sophia and Yaser for cramming in so much.  I feel like we just hit the surface, and the next time we come back I have a feeling this bustling city will look completely different.

Milwaukee's Brony Convention: Grown men who love My Little Pony

My world is forever changed.  The kind of change where you can't go back.  There is life before knowing what a Brony is, and life after.  This is my experience at Wisconsin's first ever My Little Pony convention.

My Little Brony

This adventure, began on Friday.  Fox 6 photojournalist Joe Wagener asked if I would like to go with him to the Hyatt Regency downtown on Saturday, and help him write a story.  The subject, Wisconsin's first "My Little Pony Convention".

I've had a pretty depressing week.  This is the story Joe and I did on Thursday.  

I needed to tell something different.  Something happier. Joe found that place, and boy was I surprised!

I remember My Little Pony from my childhood.  My sister was a fan, and had the toys.  What I did not realize is it became a TV show.  I also had no idea in 2011, the 4th version of the show was created.  Turns out little girls are not the only fans of the show anymore.

Technically, the convention is called the Ponyville Ciderfest.  Instead of girls under the age of ten running around (which there were some) the majority of those attending the convention tended to be men in their 20's.  Men in their 20's, dressed up as ponies.

That pony in yellow is Steve Schertz.  Steve was introduced to My Little Pony two years ago.

"When I first started watching I thought I can watch this quietly in my house, and no one would ever know.   And now I am working on my second pony suit, I own a school bus I converted into an RV with ponies on it, a pony tattoo.  And I visited 12 different conventions," Steve told me.

Steve is a Brony.

"Bros, ponies, mix the two, and that’s where you get bronies," says convention organizer Corey Wood.

This convention, in its' first year, attracted more than 650 people.  Besides dressing up as characters from the show...there is dancing.

Ponies apparently like techno-esque music.   There are sit down sessions with voice actors from the show.

There is a hall full of vendors selling everything My Little Pony.  There was also a room with a couple arcade games.  Events at night included a formal dance and a "Cider Bar".

People came from all over the country to attend.  I am told the biggest convention is in Baltimore (almost 10,000 Bronies.)

Did it take me out of my comfort zone?  Yes.  Was everyone extremely welcoming and willing to share their seemingly strange love of the show?  Of course!

"We’re in Milwaukee, the home of Harley Davidson, there is nothing different than this than guys getting together, dressing up with something they love.  No different than other sub culture," says Steve.

"The show is all about friendship is magic, and that's the main theme of the show.   So all the bronies, all the fans of the show come here because they love the theme of the show,  they love the message.  So it’s all about love, tolerance, and acceptance," says Wood.

This was a learning experience.  Thank you Joe for asking me to tag along.  Thank you Bronies for the warm welcome!  I'll be sure to share the story when it is done!

UPDATE:  HERE IS THE STORY:

Nebraska

The plot, I am told, is I am arrested for aimlessly walking in traffic, and my son picks my up.  I demand to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect my million dollar lottery prize.

If my son is my wife, the million dollar prize is getting to see my family and nieces, and my interaction with police is actually a speeding ticket, well BY GOLLY, I just lived out the real life movie!

According to this map:A MAP TO LINCOLN, Lincoln, NE is 563 miles from Milwaukee.  Following work Saturday, Ashley and I loaded up the car, hit the road, and headed west.

We left work at 11PM at night, with the plan to stop in the Quad Cities (which sits along the mighty Mississippi), get a hotel, and finish the journey the following day.  After 3+ hours of driving, and about 2 minutes from our hotel, this happened.

The friendly officer in Le Claire, Iowa told me I was going 65 in a 45.  He was "kind enough" to drop it to 55 MPH.  $114 ticket, was not a great start to the trip.  Then again, every real life movie begins with struggles the main characters must overcome.

Driving through Iowa, on I-80, looks mostly like this for 5 hours.

There are a couple of cool wind farms west of Des Moines.  I took a pretty uneventful time lapse of the experience.

Arriving in Lincoln, meant a very rare occasion.  A) All of the Handelman's in one place at the same time.  And B) I get to see my AMAZING nieces.

Charlotte is 2 years old.  Her passions while we were there included playing isles.

I'm not really sure what isles is.  Her mother says she had never heard her say the word before.  I think it was a game to create islands, and then throw them back in the rock pile.

Quinn is three WEEKS old.

Her passions include sleeping and pooping while in my lap (diaper protected).  Her parents do not know why she has a huge head of black hair.

We only had one full day in Lincoln and we spent it at the adorable Lincoln Children's Zoo.  We met crazy creatures.

Charlotte found her web.

Mom fed the local goat population.

We found a strange frog.

 Following the zoo, we took a few family photos.  It was just like the old days with Scott and Sara.

Our trip included a pool party!

On the way back we met a Hawkeye.

And a presidential birthplace.

We got back just in time to see a Milwaukee sunset.

In total, we spent over 17 hours in the car.

It was worth every second!  

Thank you mom and dad for making this happen and Scott and Jess for being awesome hosts.  Thank you Charlotte and Quinn for the smiles.  Can't wait to do this again soon!

Pure Michigan and 216 Steps.

Maybe it is how they are written, or the the piano notes.  Maybe it is my love of Tool Time.  When I hear Tim Allen's voice come on the radio or TV, I admit, I want to go to Pure Michigan.

With summer here, and my mother-in-law declaring the entire month following her birthday, her birthday, Ashley's family rented a house and we headed to St. Joseph, Michigan.

I knew the Lake Michigan shoreline by Indiana contains enormous sand dunes.  Some that swallow children.    I did not however know, that Michigan too contains HUGE sand bluffs.  I learned quickly.

216 steps.

It is the number required to get from said beach house, to beach.

I've been told our beach house sat on the highest inhabitable bluff on Lake Michigan.  Is this true?  Who knows.  But after a few trips up this baby, I believe it.

The beach was awesome!  It was private, since no one was crazy enough to build stairs to the beach for several hundred yards.

Charlie, my nephew loved playing in the water and spitting out mouthfuls he accidentally inhaled.

Even better than the beach, was the prize at getting to the top of the stairs.

Being a night owl, I rarely get to see the amazing sunrises in Milwaukee.  With great weather for our week (minus one cold day, and one epic storm that can be described as an act of God) we got to see plenty of picture perfect sunsets on this side of the lake!

During the week we did some exploring.  I met a friendly dinosaur.

Drank some wine from a Marquette grad (who worked one year in journalism but admitted it was worse than farming so rejoined his family business)

I even got to see my old coworker Rick Schutt from Champaign, do his thang at his new station in South Bend.

We saw a couple fireworks.  We could have seen more, but it would require a trip down and up the stairs (which we were too tired to do.)

It was a great week.  I got some sun (NOTE: Everything in this picture is now burned)

I grew a vacation beard.

And I developed great calves.

Thank you Sears family!  Thank you Tim Allen.  Thank you Pure Michigan.!!

 

FREE CAB RIDES IN MILWAUKEE (not in cabs)!

Need a lift?  Put away your wallet!  A cab war in Milwaukee means for the next couple of weeks, you can get a free ride anywhere in MKE (for a ride that would costs $25 or less).

Ironically, the war is between two companies who vehemently deny being cab companies.  It appears the only people not offering free rides in Milwaukee are legitimate cabbies.

On Friday, Lyft, a "ride sharing service" launched in Milwaukee.  They're known for their strange mustaches in front of their cars.  To kick things off in Milwaukee, they are offering 50 FREE rides for the next two weeks for EVERYONE.

SWEET!  That's a lot of rides.

Not to be outdone, UberX, who launched a couple weeks ago, is offering free rides through April 20th.

What in the world is Uber and Lyft?  Well it is the cabbie of the future (but once again, they DENY being cabs).

Basically, a Joe schmo with a decent car, picks you up and drives you somewhere.  You ask for a ride through the Lyft and Uber Apps.  

You also don't give your driver money.  When you download the app, you insert your credit card information.  When your ride starts, your driver hits a button on his smart phone, and when they drop you off they hits another button.  

The tip is already built in.  The car stops, you get out, say goodbye, wave, blow a kiss, AND BAM, you're done.  (Kinda sounds like a cab doesn't it?).

The only issue is the whole service may be illegal.  Lyft and Uber drivers do not have cab permits.  No government official is checking to make sure the break pads aren't worn down to nothing and you are getting into a death trap surely to end in your fiery demise.

It's pissed off city hall.  So far, the two companies appear to be basically sticking middle fingers out the window as they drive by on Water St.

If you are OK with that, then enjoy the FREE RIDES!  Let me know how your trips go!

If you haven't seen Conan's Lyft adventure, it's worth a couple minutes of your time.

Go Uconn, from a kid who never went there

"You didn't go to Uconn Ben, how can you be a Uconn fan?"
"You're not even a real Uconn fan."
"Ben, you went to Quinnipiac, why are you even cheering for Uconn?!"


Ahhhh.  The common complaint.  Why do you cheer for Uconn? Why do you act like Jonathon the Husky dog is a family pet? What the heck is Quinnipiac?

No.  I did not attend Uconn.  But to not understand why I love Jim Calhoun like a God, Ray Allen as the best basketball player to ever grace this earth, is to not understand the beautiful state of Connecticut.

CT, has no major professional sports team since these guys left town.

Uconn defines in many ways who the people of CT are.  The nutmeg state is split right down the middle when it come to baseball with the Yankees or Red Sox.  Jets, Giants, or Patriots split the NFL.  Bruins and Rangers for the NHL.  And don't even get me started with METS fans.  Who the heck are they?
Growing up, everyone cheered for Uconn.

We all cried when they lost.
We all rioted when they won.

OK, I did not take part in any riots (although I did witness them in 2004).

UCONN defines my childhood, my home state, and a lot of good memories.  So with the game about to kick off, GO UCONN!

On the other side of the bracket--- I'll be rooting on the Badgers.