I went to Wisconsin again, but this time it was Waukesha, about 90 minutes northwest of Chicago. I met up with a bunch of my Wisconsin friends, had a great meal and learned a bit of music history.

Les Paul Wolsfuss, better known as Les Paul, was born in Waukesha. Paul developed the first solid-body electric guitar, known as the Gibson Les Paul. A street and performance center are named after the legend who passed in 2009.

Recognized by Gibson Guitar Corporation as one of eight guitar towns, Waukesha is home to 10 fiberglass guitar sculptures. Decorated by Wisconsin artists and standing 10 feet tall, the guitars are located along the main streets of Waukesha.

We met for lunch at Mainstream Bar and Grill, a lively but not overpowering sports bar. We split a few orders of the best cheese curds I have ever had. The turkey burger with blue cheese and mushrooms was also outstanding. We caught up, had lots of laughs, watched baseball and engaged in friendly trash talk about the rivalry between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.

We ended the night meeting more friends at an Elks Lodge. By then there were about 20 of us. There was enough room and time to chat with everyone, and a great time was had by all. We all agreed we need more nights like these.

— John Wroblewski, online writer