Milwaukee - The Pink Concert That Wouldn't Be

I was extremely stoked to snag a ticket for Pink's concert in Milwaukee after her show in Denver fell through. After seeing her in Louisville this year, I dreamt about the next time I might catch her on tour and was pleasantly surprised when she added a 2nd US tour. I babbled at anyone who would listen that I was going to see her in Milwaukee, and I should have known better from experience. I can look forward to the event, but stay chill because the more people you tell, the higher chance of the event not happening. Superstitious? Maybe.

I booked a sweet hotel through Hotwire, but was stuck with the room once Pink had to postpone due to vocal rest. I was going to just cut my losses, but then the stars aligned and I found a friend to head up north with me. Theresa had switched her weekend work nights to accommodate her coworkers with young kids on Halloween, which left her available to head to Wisconsin with me.

Our first stop was Discovery World. After some thought, I believe the reason they are closed on Mondays is to give their tech team the time to fix all of the broken monitors and exhibits throughout the interactive museum. Needless to say, this did not live up to my expectations. The coolest part was this replica of the ship Challenge where you could see the captain's quarters, pretend to steer the vessel, and visit the hold where the crew slept.

After Discovery World, we were in search of something to energize us, so off to Dave and Buster's we went. Little did I know, Theresa gets motion sickness with racing games (yeah, right! I bet she couldn't stomach the taste of defeat). Anyway, after trying almost all non-racing games and making THE WORST decisions possible in Deal or No Deal (Theresa picked the highest $ case and we made a deal for way less, and I picked the lowest $ case and we went all of nothing... ugh), we headed out with a new coffee mug as my parting prize. Definitely a fun time!

Next up, after a slight detour at Walgreens to purchase a hair dryer because the fancy-smancy hotel came with no amenities other than an ice bucket, we followed our stomachs to International Exports, Ltd. for dinner. During our 15 minute walk to The Safehouse, I managed to forget the password to get in. Just short of a pat-down and after striking 5 sexy Charlie's Angel poses later, Theresa and I proved we were not double agents and allowed to enter The Safehouse.

I probably should not be divulging this top secret information, but it was quite the fun experience. We were given a confidential spy mission with the delivery of our drinks, so we explored the nooks and crannies in an attempt to crack the codes instead of patiently waiting at your table for your food to come. I suppose you could say the experience left an impression on me because I had the wackiest dreams of people popping out of secret passageways in my dreams all night.

Gotta give a shout-out to Suzy. She didn't lead Theresa and I down the wrong path once, but the number of planned u-turns she requested was definitely a treat. Although I am quite thankful Theresa has a smaller car than mine. The ONE time we used a paper map to get from the hotel to the Potawatomi Casino was an EPIC FAIL. I'm thankful Suzy didn't hold a grudge. The hotel information desk gave us a highlighted map for the casino which was apparently just blocks beyond the reach of the map. "Don't worry, just look for the signs and you'll get there... It'll be on the left". LIAR! This excursion was just as comical as trying to find the exit in the hotel's parking deck. You can ask Theresa about that one. ;)

Yes, we eventually made it to the casino for our first experience with Breakfast Bingo.

NOTE:

• Your bag may be "randomly" searched at the door, even if the person you are with has a purse 10 times the size of yours
• 15 minutes late to Breakfast Bingo = 1/4 of the regular games being completed
• The price for the Breakfast Bingo session is the same whether you get there on time or with only one game left
• And most importantly, there is no breakfast to be had a Breakfast Bingo or the casino for that matter.

Our excitement for Breakfast Bingo was killed almost instantly. With pounding head and growling stomach, I looked at Theresa and she must have read my mind, "Want to just cut our losses?" After escaping our second parking deck of the day, we landed at Denny's where we had a grand slam of a breakfast and great conversation. Overcast skies, bone chilling winds, and with a headache that would not fade, I wussed out on a visit to the zoo. I'm very thankful Theresa was understanding, and a great travel buddy that is able to just roll with things. Not the perfect trip, but definitely not short of stories and still a very nice and welcomed adventure.