We often look at Milwaukee's rivers from the terra firma, but unless we're avid boaters, we don't typically look at the land from a river-going vessel. On a recent trip we left Pere Marquette Park and headed south on the Milwaukee River before going inland as far as our captain would take us – to the Potawatomi Bingo Casino and Marquette sports fields. Any further and he risked getting stuck in the mud as the water level drops dramatically.
Back along the Menomonee we went out into the harbor before turning around and going back to the dock.
What was most amazing to see was what a study in contrasts the waterways have become. In the recent past the scenery would typically have been almost entirely industrial. But now we see condos, restaurants, museums and more along even the Menomonee. Here are some highlights ...
The riverfront skyline:
I'll always call it Gimbels:
The Solomon Juneau, a de-commissioned tug:
The Iroquois:
Riverfront development in Walker's Point:
The backside of the Milwaukee post office:
The underside of the high-rise bridges:
Barges on the Menomonee at 16th Street:
Valley Power Plant:
The 16th Street Viaduct from below:
A bit of the Dells in the Menomonee River:
The old swing bridge (and future ArtWalk?):
Our old friend Hoan:
The pierhead light:
The Milwaukee skyline from beyond the bridge:
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.
