Meeting #12: Beyond Book Club Milwaukee
July 29, 2021 – August 1, 2021

After a 2 year (!!) hiatus, the book club was once again able to resume in person meetings. At the height of summer 2021, we traveled to the wonderful shores of Cream City, USA – Milwaukee! It was a long awaited and long overdue reunion for many of the book club members.

Although not sure what to expect, we had a fantastic time and sampled all the best Milwaukee had to offer. Two years was far too long to go without getting together, seeing each other, and discussing the latest book club books.

To take a step back in time – about half the book club got together the week leading up to book club, in rural Waterford, Wisconsin, for some lake life activities. Once we were all properly rested, it was time for book club to begin again!

The weekend started off simply enough – a dinner for 10 at a speakeasy restaurant hidden behind a tv repair shop (shout out to Don’s Grocery & Liquor – a true gem of the Milwaukee culinary and nightlife scene).

After the traditional Friday morning run by the Beyond Run Club members, we assembled to greet another day. Which meant some coffee, breakfast, and sitting down for the first of our book discussions. We discussed Know My Name, the powerful and timely memoir by Chanel Miller, detailing her sexual assault while a student at Stanford, and the journey she lived through in its wake. After an invaluable discussion of the book and its author, we once again explored Milwaukee. 

The book club embarked on a brewery tour focused on the brew houses lining the Milwaukee River. Lakefront, Eagle Park, and Good City were enjoyable spots. After the brewery crawl, it was time for a true highlight of the weekend – attending a minor league baseball game at Franklin Field, the home of the Milwaukee Milkmen, a local unaffiliated team. We can’t recommend the experience enough. Minor league baseball in general, but the Milkmen specifically, know how to put on a show. They even gave us Milkmen hats!

For Saturday’s itinerary, we discussed our second book of the weekend, Where The Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens. Another great addition to the book club collection, that we really enjoyed. We then set out and had some of the city’s legendary Bloody Mary’s at the beloved Milwaukee Public Market. This is a city for those who love their dairy and their bloodies.

We rounded out the weekend with a trip onto the Milwaukee river by boat, exploring the waterways and taking in the city.

After one more night out on the town, it was time to head home; another fantastic book club on the books!