The Time Spends Like Water

This is a poem written after a brief but meaningful conversation in the lobby lounge. I never asked the gentleman’s name, it seemed silly after discussing important life conclusions; regressive somehow. It would have been like asking for steak sauce at Mason Street Grill.

My wife and I were able

to travel the world.

All those years

my colleagues

missed t-ball games,

and watched sunsets

through office window blinds.

We were in our 30′s, then our 40′s

- just starting out

and I urged them not to wait til 65, or 70

while we…

The Harvard Krokodiloes come to The Rouge

Join us on Friday, January 13 for a once in a lifetime experience when the world famous Harvard Krokodiloes come to The Rouge for a special evening of fine dining and entertainment.

See the Kroks in actions.

You’ll enjoy a three course gourmet dinner while being treated to the music and humor of Harvard University’s oldest acapella singing group. The Kroks bring a new energy to popular music selections from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, covering everything from classic American standards to rock and roll in a way the great Maestro Leonard Bernstein described as “warming…

Details, in photographs

So much of the Pfister Hotel is about details. See if you can pick out where I took some of these photos. A cheat list is included at the end. Happy Hunting!

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Baking Up Hope This Holiday Season

Marcus Restaurants donates 500 cookies to Hope House

MILWAUKEE – December 22, 2011 – For the third year in a row, chefs from Marcus
Restaurants are helping to make this holiday season a little sweeter for those in need. This
morning, they donated 500 cookies to Hope House in Milwaukee. Hope House is an
emergency and transitional living facility serving those in need of food and shelter.
Hope House is sharing the treats with its residents and patrons of its food pantry. The
recipe for the White Chocolate Chip Chewy Gingerbread Cookies was provided by Anna
Baird-Luedke, winner of Milwaukee’s…

A brief history of Spring Street, Grand Avenue, Wisconsin Avenue

The Pfister Hotel is located on Wisconsin Avenue and sandwiched between Jefferson, Milwaukee, and Mason Streets. 424 East Wisconsin Avenue to be exact. That may seem like a simple enough fact; Wisconsin Avenue is a main street through the heart of downtown Milwaukee, a city not coincidentally located in the state of Wisconsin. However the history of Wisconsin Avenue is not as simple as one might guess. It’s actually a tale of Spring Street and Grand Avenue. To understand the story we actually have to delve into a tale of two cities. (Technically three considering George Walker and Walker…

The Sparkling Season

I am a geek for sparkling wines.  This is one of my very favorite seasons as there are so MANY occasions to elegantly sip Champagne and share toasts with my friends and family.  I cannot imagine a Christmas Eve dinner at my house without a few bottles of something bubbly chilling in my outdoor cellar (AKA-the snow drift on my patio), a Christmas morning without Mimosas and waffles, or a tiring but rewarding night at the restaurant on New Year’s Eve without toasting at midnight with my battle weary co-workers.  Here are a few of my favorite…

My favorite lady lives on the 2nd floor

My mother has always had portraits of women around the house. Her taste for paintings and sculpture spans the 1870′s up to early art deco. Overall she’d probably list Monet as her favorite painter. I grew up with these ladies hanging around so they’ve probably influenced which variety of painted ladies I find attractive and prefer to have in my walled company. I’m sure Freud would have plenty to say…

The art collection encompassed in the Pfister is the world’s largest hotel art collection on permanent display. Given that the hotel was initially completed in…

Your City Through Visiting Eyes- "Absolutely Gobsmacked!"

The other night I was sitting in the lobby lounge editing photographs on my computer. Something a bar patron said caught my ear and made me laugh. I don’t remember what exactly he said, but the gentleman’s tone and volume invited anybody within earshot to join. Hearing my chuckle he turned around, delighted that another was entertained by his observation. As he approached my table with a glass of beer in hand I closed the screen on my laptop and returned the machine to it’s case.

Wayne was this fellow’s name and he was in…

Bird Wines, The All-American Way

Oh yes, the most gluttonous, diet-busting, football-watching, truly American holiday of the year is upon us once again…Thanksgiving.  An extravaganza of traditional autumn foods in heaping excess, from the cranberry sauce, the candied yams, the fluffy mashed potatoes, the pecan pies, the apple pies, the pumpkin pies, to the centerpiece of it all- the turkey (or tofurkey, however you choose to celebrate).  With so many varied culinary flavors at work, finding wines to enjoy with the feast is truly a pleasure.  Here are a few of my personal favorites, and keeping with the reason for the season…

Generations of Serendipity Swirl Through the Pfister

It’s not every day a person informs you the place you work probably had a hand in their family escaping the Holocaust.

This past weekend the Pfister was blessed to host the wedding of Mr. Wiley Norden and Ms. Marissa Mullen. Marissa recently followed her career to Chicago but left her heart in Milwaukee. With the man willing she decided not only to marry in Milwaukee but wanted their big day to contain components specific to the city. Area beer, wines, and cheeses were par for their course and Marissa wanted them to be encompassed within a prominent Milwaukee…

The Unexpectedness of Travel

One can plan all the details of a trip but one can never plan the end result. I spoke with this fella in the Pfister’s Lobby Lounge. His name is Joon and he’s a Chicago native who moonlighted in Milwaukee before moving back home to th’Windy.

This past summer Joon was able to travel all over Europe including a stop in Denmark. Once  in Copenhagen with a friend they roamed around the city, finding the Copenhagen they’d always heard about. But they also stumbled into the Copenhagen where drug dealers protect their turf regardless of how…

A Message from Joe Kurth, General Manager

At this special time of year looking ahead to the holiday season we are especially thankful for the overwhelming support for the Pfister in our Brand Madness final four run.  It is a true privilege to have been voted as not only Milwaukee’s number one hotel brand within the contest, but also as one hotel to have reached the final 4 of the 64 other outstanding partners within the community.  Your public support and votes are appreciated, and our entire team is humbled and appreciative of you taking time in multiple voting rounds to show how much this special…

Brand Madness with Charles Pfister: Final Four

Charles Pfister has a few things to say about the Pfister’s latest battle with the Milwaukee Art Museum and about The Pfister’s room service. Cast your vote for The Pfister in Brand Madness today…

Veterans Day at the Pfister

This past Saturday I asked Pfister Chef Concierge Peter Mortensen (found out chef translates to “chief,” and not strictly the cuisine variety. Yep, I asked.) to grant me a tour of a few rooms and unique suites. The Pfister is actually two buildings, the initial 1893 Wisconsin Avenue building and the 1960′s tower addition which stretches the hotel to Mason Street. I wanted to get a feel for the subtleties of each. Saturday morning there was time prior to check-in so Peter and myself raced around the two buildings. Just in case…Knock knock knock. Knock knock. “Good…

News Update: Familiar Voices rally behind the Pfister Hotel

Familiar Voices Rally Behind the Pfister Hotel

Transcript: 

My fellow Americans – and Marcus employees

I’m sue you are aware that I and other former leaders of the free world have had the honor of being a guest here at the fabulous Pfister Hotel. My honey bunch Hilary likes it too.

We see that there has been some in the entertainment industry who have tarnished the good name of our beloved Pfister, claiming that Stubby is being held against his will.

I’d say that is not the case. Stubby remains a free American mascot, able to make his own…

BREAKING NEWS: Marcus Theatres Mascot Missing Over Weekend

Stubby, the mascot for Marcus Theatres, was discovered missing from the Majestic Theatre on Saturday morning. Several unverified sightings were reported throughout the day.

According to reports, Stubby was seen from I-94 in the parking lot of the theatre where he was driven away, possibly against his will, in an unidentified vehicle. He also was seen that afternoon at The Pfister Hotel, incidentally, also owned by Marcus Corporation, receiving services at the WELL Spa, sipping on a cup of Starbucks and taking a dip in the pool. This was reportedly followed by a famous Pfister Mary in the Lobby…

The Pfister Hotel and Johnson Controls grew up together

Did you know the first building to (ever!) have temperature controls in each room was the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? During the Industrial Revolution Johnson Controls and the Pfister Hotel grew up like two kids on the same block. Both also grew to garner international recognition in their chosen fields. I met with Johnson Controls Head Archivist Ken Wirth to hear their intertwined stories.

We couldn’t leave the guest of honor out of the conversation, so Ken and I talked over coffee in the hotel’s lobby lounge. This interview originally aired November 1st, 2011 on 89.7…

Our Quaint Spirits

A 1yr-old tiger cub is racing around the lobby.  He bounds and leaps down the main hallway, creeps by the lobby tables and pounces on the stair steps.  With his muted “Rawwwwrrr,” he terrorizes the guests – terrorizes them with his cuteness.

It’s Halloween and this adorable nipper is certainly getting in the spirit of the holiday.  While ghouls, witches, and zombies prowl the streets outside, the Pfister remains ghost-free.

Or does it?

Of the millions of people who pass beneath the red canopy and through the revolving doors on Jefferson Street, a few are bound to haunt…

The Fuel of Magnificence

“When I first decided to be a professional artist, I wanted that fishbowl experience, so I got a storefront studio,” Reggie says.

“It’s not intimidating to discover an artist in public space,” adds Caitlin.

A group of us are seated in the Lobby Lounge, discussing the two residency programs the Pfister has developed for art and writing.  As the current artist-in-residence, Shelby Keefe, is out of town, the inaugural AIR, Reginald Baylor, joins us instead – along with his business partner Heidi Witz.  One of the managers, Jessica, is also taking part in the conversation, at the head…

Stories to tell by the Pfister Narrator

It’s that time again. The transition that has been coined the Passing of the Pen. As our current Pfister Narrator prepares to step down from her title, she has some words of wisdom and some insight for our next Pfister Narrator.

Stories to tell by the Pfister Narrator from PfisterHotel on Vimeo…

The Pfister Hotel Selects Ed Makowski as Next In-House Storyteller

The historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee has named Ed Makowski as its third ‘Pfister Narrator.’ In the role, he will spend time in the hotel’s lobby, interviewing visitors and guests and sharing their stories on the Pfister’s blog (blog.thepfisterhotel.com). As narrator, he will be posting blog entries at least twice-per-week over a six-month period.

“I’m excited to try my hand as Pfister Narrator,” says Makowski. “For years I’ve written and recorded poems and stories that recreate the unique interactions I’ve picked up along the way. Having a position where…

Words in Blu

An artist, a summer camp director, a theatre operations manager, a board member, and two poets walk into a bar.  There is no punchline, this is something that happened a few weeks ago.

“Hello sir,” the bartender greets them as they arrive, setting a napkin on the bar, “what can I get you to drink?  Do you need to see a menu?”

The menu is taken by all, perused slowly – considering all the flavorful options.  The bartender offers to “whip something up on the spot, we’ll just charge you by the ounce.”  Tonight, charging by the ounce would go…

Wine Swirls...at the Joseph Phelps Wine Dinner

It was a cold, rainy and miserable night in Milwaukee. Not so long ago, we had been basking in sunshine of an Indian summer…but this had clearly come to an end. A bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese enjoyed while snuggled up in a blanket while watching a funny movie seemed to be the only cure for such a gloomy day.

Better yet, how about a soul warming glass of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with seared elk loin? A little less traditional, but I promise that no one was thinking about the chilly weather anymore. Mason Street…

Letter to a New Narrator

As the proverbial pen is about to passed to the next Pfister Narrator, recently chosen through hours and hours of deliberation by a committee of writers, editors, marketers and businessfolk, and soon to be announced, I wanted to pass the pen not only to my successor, but also extend it to those who didn’t get selected or who have yet to apply.
Dear New Narrator,

So it begins: your quest to write about the people, events, and moments that occur within the historic Pfister Hotel.  Where else can you walk the same floors tread by every U.S. President…

"Pfister Mary" Reigns Supreme

On Saturday October 15th the Pfister Hotel participated in the East Town Associations, “Heat It Up:Milwaukee’s Bloody Mary and Chili Challenge,” taking place during the Farmers Market inCathedral Square.  With over 20 local restaurants vying for the coveted award, participants took in all the different offerings during the crisp Saturday Morning.

In the Chili competition, awards were given out in two different categories.  “Best Veggie Chili” and “Best Beef Chili.”  Chef Andronico Guzman Rivera of the Pfister Café entered with his Signature White Bean Chili.  While his Chili was enjoyed by the masses, Chef Andronico took honorable mention…