In “5 Things,” we ask some of our favorite insiders in cities all over the world to share travel tips on where to eat, shop, stay, and play in their neighborhoods (plus, what to pack to make the adventure complete). We are happy to have Mara Duckens join us today in an exploration of Milwaukee! Everyone’s been buzzing about the city lately, as it was just announced as the location for the 2020 Democratic National Convention! But away from the buzz is a city that’s great for families—full of cultural experiences and natural beauty.
Milwaukee is the city that has my heart. I grew up in this famous brewery-town and, after going away for college and traveling to different parts of the globe, returned ready to give back to the community that raised me. Today, I run a nonprofit organization for children, enjoy an active life with my husband and daughter, and am proud to call Milwaukee home. We choose to live here because of the friendly people, the focus on family, the rich arts community, and the natural beauty that surrounds us.
Our neighborhood, the East Side, is nestled between the Milwaukee River and the coastline of Lake Michigan. It is a historic area, and we live in a 120-year-old Victorian home. We have beautiful parks, walking trails, and beaches, and are outside every opportunity we get. Nature is incredibly accessible, and that’s one of the things that I love most about this place. I can step out of my front door and, within a minute or two, I am standing at the water’s edge or before the forest.
My neighborhood is also home to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and when you have a large concentration of college students, I think it adds to the vibrancy of a place. Young people bring fresh ideas, fashions, flavors, and flare. This is evident everywhere I turn.
On Sunday morning, I was snuggling in bed with Skyler and tracing her perfectly smooth skin from the tip of her nose to the apples of her cheeks. She did the same to me, noting my “smile lines,” and then said “one day, when I’m a grown up, I’ll get to have them, too.” What a wonderful dose of perspective: first, aging is a privilege. And second, my daughter thinks I’m beautiful, wrinkles and all! What’s better than that?
I’ve been trying to incorporate more of that perspective in my media diet lately. I enjoy following fashion and trends and so my Instagram feed naturally gets filled with faces and bodies that are much younger than mine. But I also really appreciate seeing how those interests play out at different stages of life, for women who are older than I am. I’ve been especially inspired by (i.e. totally fan-girling for) Wendy Euler lately. The founder and writer of the blog, Goodbye Crop Top, says “50 is the new 50,” and writes about the confidence of being okay with the age you’re at, and the power of being the best you can be at every age. I love her positivity but also her honesty about challenging herself—from lifting more weights to taking surf lessons—and… well, she looks amazing…
My official home office is in the corner of our living room, at an old (I’m not sure if it qualifies as antique) wooden table that came from my parents’ house. It’s where I write and pay bills. Or maybe I should say it’s where I should write and pay bills, because lately I find myself perched at the corner of our kitchen island instead, my laptop plugged in, and a notebook and pen next to me. I’m not entirely sure why I’ve migrated to the kitchen, but it may be because my living room office is missing something.
And so I went online to round up home-office items that I think are both useful and beautiful.
My vision is a spare, modern, elegant workspace that is not very “office-y” and can work almost anywhere in the house. It may help lure me back to my corner of the living room, and I hope it will help you, too, with wherever you sit down to work.
