But, on this occasion, the museum was having a slower than normal day. In fact, presumably because of the unseasonably warm weather, the museum felt nearly deserted.
Despite the fact that he can’t walk yet and his favorite sight at the zoo a couple months back was the exit sign aglow in the aquarium building, I decided it was time to initiate my son into the tradition of MPM.
He has now strolled the Streets of Old Milwaukee and seen that creepy lady on the porch. He’s wandered the dark European Village and attempted to strike up a conversation with the guy on the park bench in the square; you know, the one cradling a puppy in his jacket. I’m not sure the Streets of Old Milwaukee seem any different to his year-old mind than the streets of now Milwaukee, but, hey, you’ve gotta start somewhere.
He’s explored deepest Africa – on his hands and knees (yes, we had some wipes to clean his hands, with all due respect to the maintenance folks at the museum) – and got freaked out by swarms of butterflies in the oppressively warm, moist butterflies area.
In the end, he oohed and aahed at a lot of stuff, but I realized the same thing I realized at the zoo. He’s too young to really get much of what’s going on at a place like this. The fact is, he oohs and aahs at the lights in Mayfair Mall and at trucks that pull up alongside our car at red lights. I suspect his favorite sight was a big blow-up ball in the shop.
So, we’ll have to go back when he’s a little older and then I can explain what he’s looking at. That’s good, because he hasn’t experienced the snake button yet and, most importantly, I’ve got a lot of studying to do if I’m going to explain anything on exhibit at the Public Museum.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
