No matter how far I travel, I am always reminded of Milwaukee.

Last week, I went to visit a friend in Vancouver, British Columbia, and within minutes of arriving to her wonderful neighborhood, Commercial Drive, I saw a business called People's Co-op Bookstore which, of course, immediately reminded me of one of my favorite Milwaukee-based bookshops.

I also saw a bar/restaurant called the Cactus Club (turns out they are a chain in Canada).

But what amped up my Milwaukee pride the most was seeing Lakefront Brewery's New Grist on a menu at a super cool bar called St. Augustine's. I was so excited I tweeted at Lakefront, announcing my Canadian discovery.

"Yeah, we get around," Lakefront tweeted back.

And even though there were plenty of different things, from reliable rail travel to money bearing a woman's face to ketchup-flavored potato chips, I kept making connections to my hometown.

My brain just can't escape you, Milwaukee.