On the road...in Milwaukee

From RandiArt That silence you hear on the blog (I have not been posting as usual) is me on the road in the US. I flew into Chicago from Manchester NH on Saturday and made my way to Milwaukee by bus. This trip will end in Chicago on Friday, so it made more sense to follow this strange travel itinerary. Milwaukee is either a nice city or I am just enjoying the spring weather (mid 50s -- F, not C). It might be a bit different on a busy Monday morning, but walking around the city center on Sunday was quite pleasant. Searching for a place to have breakfast, a group of us ended up wandering a bit around the river (the Des Plaines) and eventually ended up in a little pancake place that was most notable for its poor service. A bit later I went in search of the Starbucks, not for the coffee but for access to the internet so I could transfer a file from my PDA to the home computer. All a logistical nightmare in preparation for a presentation I had to make in the afternoon, but the task was completed and all went well. Since then it has been schmoozing and drinking -- all a bit much for my system. At about 1 AM I was still wide awake and came down to the hotel computer room where I am writing this post. Restaurant report thus far: not bad. Saturday night we went to Masers, a German restaurant recommended by friend Al Hyde who has great sense of where to eat in almost every city in the US -- and perhaps elsewhere. The big surprise was the $20 tab for a bottle of quality Belgian beer -- a good size bottle and great tasting brew, but I should have asked the price before diving in. The meal was first rate. Last night (Sunday) the choice was made by friend Luigi who makes a point of exploring all the cities he visits in search of good Latin American cuisine. He discovered a Mexican place called "Rudy's" (I think) -- not quite what I would have chosen, but it turned out to be an excellent choice. I had Enchiladas Verdes -- and the green chile sauce was superb. Today will be a day for taking it easy -- perhaps a bit of working out in the hotel gym and seeing some more of Milwaukee. Will eventually do the rounds of receptions and schmoozing. Tuesday is another day filled with meetings and I am scheduled for a presentation of that paper that Ciaran and I wrote that keeps getting mentioned in various blogs on both sides of the Atlantic. Have to admit -- all this traveling is getting a bit much....