March Madness is here, and the basketball action heats up in Milwaukee this week as the Bradley Center hosts the Midwest and West regional rounds of the "big dance." With fans flocking from near and far, the editorial staff at OnMilwaukee.com thought we'd help greet our new visitors with a week's worth of features and guides to everything that makes our city a great place to visit. It's "Welcome to Milwaukee Week" at OnMilwaukee.com!
American Science and Surplus
6901 W. Oklahoma Ave. (414) 541-7777
sciplus.com
If you've lived in Milwaukee for a while, you've probably already strolled the aisles of American Science and Surplus, a magical and wacky store whose name doesn't really do it justice. On the other hand, if you haven't visited since you were a kid, go back. Go back now.
When to go: Open most days from 10 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. (open Sundays at 11 a.m.), it's a great way to spend a rainy weekend day. Give yourself at least an hour to browse.
Prices: Most stuff, from bouncing balls to rubber snakes to optical glass to gas masks, costs much less than you would expect. Give a kid $10 and watch him or her come home with a basket full of oddities.
Don't miss: This is the kind of store where you can find the materials to build a bong or a bomb, and everything in between. The best part, though, is reading the incredibly clever description of doo-dads that you couldn't possibly imagine serving a practical purpose.
Parking: Ample in the store's huge lot.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
