For my birthday, I was gifted a ONE TIME WHEEL THROWN POTTERY CLASS at Murray Hill. I have to say I…read morewas a bit nervous at the start. The unknown definitely had my mind racing. Luckily, the instructors at Murray Hill are friendly and patient, which made the experience truly enjoyable. The actual process of throwing clay and forming is tricky and personally speaking, is going to take me more than one time to feel comfortable, but thanks toEmily and Meghan I'm not afraid to try. Only disappointment is that you have to pick from a small number of glazes. The colors and effects didn't thrill me all that much. An option would be to open up the full allotment of glazes with a small fee, providing the patrons to express their individuality.

Tucked down a side alley but easily found by the large mural, Murray Hill Pottery Works is a great…read moreplace to try your hand at wheel throwing. Having never done anything like this before but always wanted to try, I didn't know what to expect, this ended up being more challenging than I had anticipated. Classes are offered regularly and are a great value, given the everything you get to experience! We were cheerfully greeted and walked back to the wheel throwing area, where everything was explained to us to help us understand how the evening would go. Once class started and instructions were being provided, I was slightly overwhelmed at the many steps involved in creating something so simple, with our instructors hands making it look so easy. Luckily, we had plenty of time, plenty of material to work with and two instructors to give us tips and support throughout the night. Once the pieces were formed, we walked over to another table and chose the glaze from the choices available. For those who were more skilled at the wheel throwing and managed to make more than the two pieces included in the price of the class, they could purchase the additional pieces for $5, which I thought was incredibly reasonable! Pickup of our pieces will be in 4-6 weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. There is also the option to buy pieces created by the staff from their storefront, especially if you like other glazes /designs that you weren't able to choose from for your own pieces. The evening was a lot of fun and I'd love to come back here to try my hand at a few more pieces!

My wife and I hired the North Coast Orchestra to play our wedding reception. We worked with Matt of…read moreNorth Coast Management. The work we did with Matt before the event made the reception go off without a hitch. Matt helped us with logistics related to the evening schedule, and his advice was great. We had about 120 people at our reception, and virtually every single guest came up to us and said we had an amazing band. North Coast Orchestra kept the energy level sky high and the dance floor crowded, with guests of all ages. The band's catalog was huge, ranging from old standards to current radio hits. Their sets were also long. They only took 2 short breaks over the course of 4 hours post-dinner. They were outstanding. If you're looking for a band for a wedding reception, or any big event, you will not be disappointed by North Coast Orchestra, or with working with Matt. Strongly recommend!

A smaller fest than most, good for trying unique ciders and those that don't get distributed in…read moreMilwaukee. We had free tix (thanks Yelp MKE), enjoyed the fest but felt it could be easily improved. I did enjoy a lot of samples of ciders not distributed in Milwaukee. Loon Cider Co. Honeycrisp, The Cider Farm (Mineral Point). This fest was also advertised as having Nano brews, and sadly there weren't many offerings of those to earn that advertising. The pint glasses should be reduced to 4 or 6 oz sample glasses, since the organizers gave strict instructions to vendors to keep pours small. (The vendor's words). Many of us were not expecting a muddy grass field or for the chill tent to be muddy, lots of fashionable shoes were worn and ruined, so wear you Wellies or old garage cleaning sneakers. There really is enough pavement real estate to have this whole fest on the streets since Schlitz Park is empty on the weekends. We enjoyed a snack of pistachio pudding, but more food trucks would be nice. Bring your own pretzel necklace. It was nice that this fest wasn't so crowded, so waits for pours were minimal. This fest has promise, with improvements.

Came to the inaugural MKE Cider Fest. As a guest. Had a great time talking with some of the brewers…read moreand plenty of volunteers. Shout out to Erick, Ricky R. at tent 1 The VIP package allowed an early admission and premium giveaways. The entertainment was good. Someone even planned for the Badger game. We tried plenty of samples bearing the cold. The walled tent really helped to cut the wind. Three food trucks were placed too far from the tent with tables. I'd guess if your food wasn't warm you didn't run fast enough. I hope they coordinate this for next year especially when it's cold. I'm not a fan of hot spiced cider but this would have been a hit along with Hot cocoa tea and coffee. Extra crispy brass band is a local favorite Milwaukee band. Food 4 good selection from 3 vendors The placement of the food to places you can eat were not very well planned. Ambiance 3 rain or shine event. So dress accordingly. Service 4 Location 4 Value 3 64/2015

They ran out of wine 50 minutes after the grand tasting opened!…read more Lots of good tasty food, and a fun environment. But it's called a wine and food experience. Apparently without the wine.

VIP for the day - thanks Yelp!…read more What a fun experience to sample exquisite foods, served by the chefs from some of the best restaurants in the city. My favorites were. . . -Rare Steakhouse beef tartare with shaved truffles -Flauntleroy liver mousse eclairs -Smoked trout rillettes from the Harbor House -Deconstructed reuben from the Diplomat -Mr B's bacon paired with pears -The Nitro coffee at Pilcrow coffee Dueling Piano Fondue was a lot of fun as was the decorate your own cupcake at Classy Girl Cupcake and the giant Jenga and Connect Four in the VIP lounge. Very pleased with the private non-blue porta potty set-up in the VIP lounge with mirror and running water. Yes, the planning committee failed in terms of the size of the tent and running out of food and the 45 minute delay in wine replenishment. But overall, seeing we were able to arrive an hour earlier, we had our fill and were overall very satisfied with the foods and wines we sampled.

This was a really fun night, but it's very small and I don't see how they can justify $12 for…read moretickets admission. It was all one vendor and only one stage.

Milwaukee Oktoberfest was very nice. It was very well organized and had a nice variety of vendors…read moreand entertainment. The outdoor location near the lake was perfect as we had cool breezes throughout the day. Parking was accessible, very easy to get in and close to the event. Most of the food was very good however the curried cheese curds were way too salty and after 1 bite I ended up throwing them out. The variety sausage plate was excellent. The beers featured were authentic and flavorful. All the volunteers were friendly and happy to help you. There was plenty of seating for everyone to enjoy the bands and shows.

Came here during Doors Open Milwaukee and was delighted with this stop on the Doors Open tour…read more The B1 model is the only home on the block available to tour. It's not only during Doors open Milwaukee, but at other times as well. Their website has a complete schedule but they're open typically at least a couple Saturdays a month. The tour price is led by knowledgeable docents and is $15. Our tour began with a bit of history about Frank Lloyd Wright, his style of architecture, etc. We then were able to tour the home with docents who pointed out some of the design elements in each of the rooms throughout the house. It's truly fascinating the attention to detail and how each element serves to create a sense of openness. From the compression at the doorstep, the release into the entry, to the floor to ceiling windows in the living room providing openness and a connection to the outdoors--it's all so beautifully and thoughtfully designed. If you're at all a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, or even just a fan of history or architecture, this is a must stop in Milwaukee. Get to it!

I've been on a few tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and homes. This tour was different. FLW…read morewas interested in affordable housing, and he designed a series of "system-built" homes now know as American System-Built Homes. Six examples of these homes were constructed and are still standing on Burnham Street. The tour takes you into two, one that is a duplex and one that is a single-family home. The duplex that you can tour is completely gutted. The single-family home (about 800 square feet) has been renovated and restored. There is no place to buy tickets or wait for a tour to start. So our tour group just waited on the front porch of the single-family home that is part of the tour until a tour guide arrived. (We bought tickets online prior to the tour, but people who didn't had to wait for the single-family home to empty of its current hour to get a ticket from a woman inside the house. The architecture and the theory behind American System-Built Homes are interesting. However, the tour was kind of all over the place, and we spent more time on the street looking at the buildings than we did in any of the homes. (Not sure what they do when it rains!) All in all, it was an okay tour, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it except to the most serious FLW-philes.

We have always loved this unique event in Tosa. We tend to go on Fridays to see all of the artists…read moreat the start of the competition but it runs until Saturday afternoon to go through 3 rounds. The layout is pretty easy to navigate and the volunteers are available to help answer questions. They have drinks and food down just about every street so you have some options. Plenty of beer, cocktails, and wine available depending on where you're walking. The tents even have different kinds of beer available so take a lap if you want something different. The voting online is easy and I love that they have a silent auction in case there are any paintings you want to take home. Just really impressed by the caliber of the participants, the venue/setup, and the execution.

Always a great time! I've come to this event 3 years in row. Set in a gymnasium, there's tables set…read moreup, sampling wine, beer and gourmet food. I like to start with white wines, then switch to red wines, then switch to beer. No need to eat before you get there, because there is so much to eat and drink that you'll be full before you know it. There is a cash bar upstairs, to benefit charity. Vendors sell jewelry and gourmet food. You must be 21, and tickets are $30. Lots of free parking is available. Reserve tickets online at bvwinefest.com