I had not been to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis., since Michael Jordan was creating world champions in Chicago and causing the United Center to sell out. It was easier to see the Bulls in Milwaukee. Just like old times, the Bulls stomped the Bucks, 104–88. Our trip was off to a great start.

A bit north of Milwaukee is the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan. The KAC is a not-for-profit art museum that has a little bit of everything, including a garden walk (even in the winter), a kids’ area and unique artist-created bathrooms.

Every Friday is “Festive Friday,” featuring live musical performances. We enjoyed the accordion swamp rock style of Copper Box. Their music is a mix of zydeco, polka, maybe a little swing. It is definitely lively, and the crowd totally was into Copper Box. They gained a new fan in me.

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On the return trip, we visited the Milwaukee Public Museum for “Streets of Old Milwaukee Alive!,” an interactive journey back to early 20th-century Milwaukee. Costumed interpreters and real artifacts make the era come alive.

We enjoyed a great Italian meal at Rustico. The Pecorino al Forno appetizer consisted of an oven-baked mix of Pecorino Toscano cheese, apples, walnuts and olive oil. It had beauty, flavor, aroma and texture. The spinach, mushroom and goat cheese pizza kept the food party going. Perhaps best of all, their cannoli passed the taste test of this cannoli elitist.  Rustico is a gem!

We also stumbled upon an awesome breakfast at Blue’s Egg. Their chicken chorizo omelette with goat cheese was the best omelette I have ever had. I am sure other dishes are great, but I can’t wait to get this again!

It was fun going back to Milwaukee to see the Bulls win. It brought back a lot of great memories of the Bulls of old. It also created some great new memories and gave me some new food favorites.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor