1. Take Your Pup to Roverwest
LINDSEY ANDERSON, SENIOR CULTURE EDITOR
Now that the weather is finally nice again, I’ve been taking my dog on longer and longer walks. And I’ve really started to appreciate Roverwest, a small but mighty dog park at 3243 N. Weil Street, in Riverwest. It’s never too crowded. And I don’t hate the fact that it’s only a couple of blocks away from the dog-friendly bar Black Husky.
2. Set Sail on Gothic Milwaukee’s Shipwrecks Boat Tour
ALLISON GARCIA, DIGITAL EDITOR
Last week, Culture Editor Lindsey and I landed ourselves some seats on the trial run for Gothic Milwaukee’s Shipwreck Boat Tour. It was a blast! The crew at Milwaukee Boatline take you up and down the Milwaukee River and into Lake Michigan while Anna Lardinois tells you all about the many, many people who died while sailing in the same waters. Is it a little unsettling to hear about people drowning while cruising yourself? Sure. But it’s also historically interesting and a delightful way to spend a Thursday evening. Tours are weekly, setting sail every Thursday at 8 p.m. Get your tickets at gothicmilwaukee.com.
3. Try This New Focus Technique Courtesy of Deep Work by Cal Newport
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I’m usually not one for corporate type productivity books – they normally fill me with a bizarre and malignant rage – but Deep Work is actually fairly useful. The concept is simple: to get your best work done, you have to focus intently for long periods of time. That means no phone, no e-mail, no Slack (I type, while simultaneously engaging in a Slack conversation with a colleague). Every time I’ve tried this, it’s been great. Writing in a quiet room with all notifications turned off allows your thoughts to enter a completely different realm without that irritating buzz of distraction. You get better work done faster. And the theory applies beyond work. Sitting down to watch a movie or read a book without a phone anywhere nearby changes the whole experience. The nagging feeling that you have to make sure you haven’t missed an important text fades away. If you don’t want to read the book, just read this recommendation and consider re-evaluating the role distraction plays in your life.
4. #floatybeer
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
The onset of truly HOT weather this week made my pick this week a no-brainer. It’s my driveway pool. I’ve waxed semi-poetic about this cool-down masterpiece of vinyl and air and pumps before, but even without the full weight of the pandemic upon us, it’s going to get a workout this summer. And yeah, I doubt my kid will be in it very much, and that’s OK. Here’s how my sweaty Sunday went: repair broken trellis, float, dig hole, float, plant flowers, float. Drinking a #floatybeer or three and listening to the (red-hot!) Brewers were sprinkled into all of that, of course. If you need a rec, our Intex 10-footer weathered the offseason fine and fits nicely at the top of our narrow Tosa driveway.
5. Pick Up a Book by Ruth Ware
ANN CHRISTENSON, SENIOR DINING EDITOR
I love to read fiction but typically don’t pick up many light reads. My neighbor just lended me The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, whose genre is psychological crime thrillers. It was a fast-paced, enjoyable and at times heart-pounding book. I liked it well enough that I’m on to my second Ware novel – In a Dark, Dark Wood.
