Travel & Visitors Guide - March 21, 2009
Golfing Arizona's finest courses, 2009
The 2009 edition of Phoenix area golf getaways is a bit shorter this year than last, as a jam-packed Brewers Spring Training schedule didn't allow for every waking minute to pursue par under pleasant but overcast skies. We did hit Grayhawk, the Phoenician and Kierland, however, and all three are all spectacular courses.
Tags: arizona, golf, scottsdale, spring training, Grayhawk Golf Club, Phoenician, Kierland, Phoenix, Raptor, Talon

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 9, 2009
Tan, somewhat rested and very ready to be home
Another Spring Training trip is in the books, and I'm pleased to report it was a good one. In some ways, five days are not nearly enough to see everything you need to see in the Phoenix area. But in other ways, it's long enough to really miss home and everything that comes with it, and I'm eagerly awaiting seeing my family in a few hours.
Tags: spring training, arizona, scottsdale, phoenix, hanny's, intercontinental montelucia

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 8, 2009
If you have the means ...
This trip keeps getting better. Yesterday afternoon, we checked into the Intercontinental Montelucia, which is, quite literally, the nicest hotel I've ever visited.
Tags: scottsdale, arizona, phoenix, intercontinental montelucia, spring training, brewers

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 7, 2009
Slowing down and soaking in the desert sun
Yesterday turned out to be one of those perfect vacation days I dream about in the middle of January. We had few things on our agenda, so that allowed us time to soak in the scene without rushing from destination to destination.
Tags: spring training, arizona, scottsdale, xona, brewers, coach house

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 6, 2009
Hope springs eternal
It was another fun but hectic day in Arizona, and I expect today will be the same. It's a lot of running around, but I'm hardly complaining. This is a life I could get used to.
Tags: Arizona, scottsdale, xona, westin kierland, spring training, brewers

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 5, 2009
Back in the saddle in Scottsdale
It only took one whiff of that fragrant Arizona air -- it smells really different here -- for the travel stress to evaporate. Life is good. This is my 12th annual Spring Training trip, and I must be more giddy than I thought I'd be, since my eyes popped open this morning at 7 a.m., after only six short hours of sleep.
Tags: scottsdale, phoenix, spring training, westin kierland, deseo

Sports - March 3, 2009
My pre-Spring Training checklist, 2009
It's been a long winter, but in about a day I'll finally hop a plane and head southwest to my 12th annual Brewers Spring Training work / fun trip. I can't believe a whole year has come and gone since my last trip to Arizona. So, as I dug my way out of yesterday's surprise snowstorm, I let my mind drift to greener pastures.
Tags: spring training, phoenix, arizona, brewers

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 3, 2009
Insider tips for enjoying spring training in Phoenix
Earlier today, OnMilwaukee.com publisher Andy Tarnoff posted a comprehensive guide to spring training in Phoenix. Here is another collection of tips, gleaned over nearly 15 years of Cactus League visits.
Tags: spring training, cactus league, scottsdale, nightlife, bars, maryvale baseball park, autographs

Sports - March 3, 2009
It's hard not to get a little frustrated these days...
Sports fans know all about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Those emotions come with the territory. So do frustration and confusion. OnMilwaukee.com sports columnist Dave Begel has felt so much of those that he clocks in with Volume XXVIMCXVIIXCI of "Stuff that Bugs Me."
Tags: tom brady, gisele bundchen, milwaukee complex, gary d'amato, alissa czisny, bradley center, parking, spring training, brett favre, dominic james, barack obama, state fair park, milwaukee mile

Living - Nov. 26, 2008
How to appreciate a Wisconsin winter
Milwaukee is filled with inhabitants who don't like winter. Some people complain openly about cold weather and can't find a snowflake-sized reason to enjoy it, but others learned to live with it and maybe even enjoy it.
Tags: winter, cold weather, Domes, Spring Training, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Brinn Museum

Sports - March 30, 2008
Milwaukee Talks: Brewers radio announcer Jim Powell, 2008
There are only a few people who watch the Brewers as closely as Milwaukee radio announcer Jim Powell. And that's why we catch up with him each and every spring to get his take on the team's chances.
Tags: jim powell, brewers, spring training

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 29, 2008
One last look into Spring Training luxury, Four Seasons style
Think you've stayed in nice hotels? You haven't seen luxury until you've experienced the Four Seasons in Scottsdale, Ariz. Here's one Milwaukeean's story.
Tags: four seasons, scottsdale, spring training, luxury

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 27, 2008
A first-class finale to a first-class trip
It turns out the USAirways oversold the flight, and when they asked if anyone wanted to be rerouted through Milwaukee, I sprung out of my seat and raised my hand.
Tags: spring training, phoenix, first class, arizona, usairways

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 26, 2008
"Groundhog Day," and the waning hours of Spring Training
I promised to be groggy while writing today's blog, and that's the reality after another long, hot day in the sun yesterday that extended late into the night.
Tags: scottsdale, arizona, phoenix, spring training, westin kielrand

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 25, 2008
Living the good life, Scottsdale style
After the game, we moved our base of operations to the Westin Kierland Resort, on the northern side of Scottsdale. A top-notch hotel, it’s quite different from our experience at the Hotel Valley Ho.
Tags: phoenix, scottsdale, spring training, westin kierland, deseo