Mel stopped for a snack at the food trucks in Schlitz Park the day we strolled by.

Costello (and Elsie!) squeezed in at the Wisconsin State Fair campground. On our last day a bunch of horse trailers moved in a for a competition at the grounds. Costello fit right in!

We walked all of Milwaukee. At least that's how it felt after a few full days on foot, traversing the big little city, a nickname we felt was pretty apt. Like its bigger neighbor the South (hi, Chicago!), Milwaukee is indeed a city of neighborhoods, each with its own icons and features and people. After we unhitched Elsie at the Wisconsin State Fair Campground, we spent the next few days touring Milwaukee step-by-step and block-by-block. Here's a few of our favorite highlights from our walking tour of Mil-town.

East Side

Colectivo, a cool local coffee shop with locations across the city.

Milwaukee's East Side neighborhood hugs Lake Michigan's shoreline and is a great place to kill an afternoon. Parks and green space abound, plus it's home to Milwaukee's Museum Mile. We stopped in Colectivo, a locally renowned coffee house chain. This particular location was once the city's main flushing station; now you can grab a cup of joe and surf the internet here.

Bay View

Mel enjoys a Stiegl-Radler spritzer and beer at Boone & Crockett.

This trendy neighborhood is just south of city center, and features some hip new bars, restaurants and a thriving art scene. We stopped by Boone & Crockett for a couple afternoon cocktails and felt right at home among the worn-in couches, taxidermy lined walls and permanent food truck parked out back. I wish we'd only had more time here

Avenues West / Marquette

Marquette professor and author Larry Watson.

Truth be told, we headed to Marquette because Carson had an interview with Larry Watson, a well-known author / professor at the college whose recent book, As Good As Gone, was hitting shelves. We enjoyed wandering around campus and the gothic-inspired architecture. While we drove past it many times and ogled it from the road, this district is also home to the famed Pabst mansion.

Haymarket / Westown

Mel pals around with Gertie the duck, a heroic mallard that hatched six ducklings and inspired many at near the end of WWII.

We covered almost the entire downtown river walk in an afternoon, starting at Schlitz park and walking to Historic Third Ward and back. We kicked off the day near Brewer's Hill, headed through the Haymarket neighborhood, and as we moved along the walk eventually met Westown. It was hard to miss since this district's crowning feature is Old World Third Street, home to German-inspired pubs and beer halls. Stop for a beer, stay for the bratwurst.

East Town

Mel admiring the Milwaukee Museum of Art.

Milwaukee's art museum is perhaps the city's most unique and defining structure. It looks like a yacht mixed with a space ship, and I mean that in the best possible way. We strolled from Westown all the way to the water, and then up the hill to cathedral square park, home to Jazz in the Park and a Solomon Juneau statue.

Historic Third Ward

Milwaukee's Public Market. Home to good food, cool local shops, brews and more!

Perhaps Milwaukee's best-known neighborhood: Historic Third Ward. If you follow our adventures much, then you know we love a good public market, and Milwaukee's didn't disappoint. Of course, you'd be silly not to window shop a bit here, too. The district is well-known for its retail offerings, including local boutiques and well-known shops like Anthropologie, too.