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Originally Posted by SLO-BOB
I'm sorry about your mother's passing. I lost mine as well 2 days before last labor day. Let's add them to the list.
Mine was truly a Milwaukee list. It wasn't called "Brew City" for nothing. Miller is still here but really just kept around as a working museum. That could certainly change for the worse. The Blatz and Schlitz buildings have been converted into condos and an office park respectively. Pabst has been long closed but it's soon to be used in a like manner.
Gimbels meant Christmas to me. We would go there and I would help my mom shop for everyone else in the fam. I was too young to be in school at the time. We would walk across the way to the CookieCookie house - a really incredible "Gingerbread house" complete with cookie conveyor belts, elves (even then I recall some of them being totally hot!  ) and of course Santa.
The hamburger place you refer to - George Webbs? I thought those were everywhere? They are alive and well here - 2 clocks on the wall and all.
Good times. Milwaukee is still a great place and has been resistant to change, but it has. |
Gimbels, yes, I remember "window shopping" with my mom and aunt's and your description helped me remember the Gimbels windows as being the best. I could not recall what store it was. What a place. Back in 63 we relocated to Santa Ana CA. I remember my Mom being so excited as she had seen the Christmas windows at Buffums and it reminded her of the big department store Christmas visits in Milwaukee. I remember the ornate Christmas Village scenes in Gimbels, and was it there that the Santa's Workshop as well? Gosh this floods the memory banks!!!
The last I was in Wisconsin was January 1995 when my Dad's mom passed. Previous visits were somewhat sad as the state seemed to go through a downturn, at least that was my impression. But in the past 10 years the place, the whole darn State somehow has become a wonderful place. I cannot believe the impacts of the reforestation programs down by Madison on your way north and wow, the forests up by the Dells! The only thing I can not take is those tough winters, but it is tempting. And another thing, I have always been a Packer Fan, through thick and thin and I just love that black and blue NFL football. Wow, the memories.