With temperatures soaring into the 80s and Chicago still on lockdown, my friends and I headed north to Milwaukee.

Our first stop was Kopp’s Frozen Custard, a Milwaukee institution. Founded in 1950 by Elsa Kopp, it is known for frozen custard and large “jumbo” burgers. Expanding beyond the traditional chocolate and vanilla, Kopp’s was the first custard stand to offer a “Flavor of the Day,” which often connects to special days or events.

The menu offers standard burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches and fries, which all looked good, but we came for the frozen custard. With more than a dozen flavors, we had to make tough decisions. I opted for pineapple, just rich enough but extremely refreshing and light. My friends got other equally delicious flavors. I also got a Coke for the road.

We made a quick stop along the lakefront, but the crowd was too large to really enjoy the scenery. There seemed to be more folks from Illinois than Wisconsin. Driving a bit south, we found a quieter area close to the lake and relaxed for a couple hours.

I have always liked Milwaukee and usually make several trips there each summer. After a long stretch of quarantine, this might have been the most enjoyable trip to Milwaukee yet.

— John Wroblewski, online writer