Earlier this week, I was in Boston -- for the first time in my life -- doing research for an upcoming OnMilwaukee.com article in conjunction with the Recession Buster Getaway contest.

Overall, I felt Boston and Milwaukee are very different cities, but I found a few things we have in common: weather patterns, endearing / annoying accents and use of the word "bubbler."

I was under the ASSumption that "bubbler" was a term signature to Brew City, but no. My friend, former Milwaukeean and fab painter Amy O'Neill, enlightened me to this fact. Later, I learned through Wikipedia that "bubbler" is used in Portland, too.

I'm slightly disappointed this word isn't strictly Milwaukee, but at least we still have "viaduck."