West Side Stories

Let me preface this by saying that I love the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse. I think it’s an outstanding theatre experience for which Tosa should be both thankful and proud. I also want to say that I love Cranky Al’s Bakery and I am both thankful that it’s open again and proud that it calls Tosa home.

However, there seems to be some potential for a misunderstanding brewing between my favorite theatre and my favorite bakery. The Rosebud has amped up its menu to include a new pizza vendor – Cranky Pat’s. That’s right, Pat’s, not Al’s. Cranky Al also makes and sells excellent pizza, (and of course outstanding donuts) but not at the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse. Since my husband’s family is from the Green Bay area, I am well-acquainted with Cranky Pat’s, which I know better as Frank and Pat’s. It too is excellent pizza.

The point here is that you can only get Cranky Al’s at Cranky Al’s. Since there’s less than a block between these two businesses, I think many Tosans might assume otherwise…and that might make everyone a little cranky.

I’m generally not much of a bragger. OK, I was pretty excited about guessing the correct attendance while at last week’s Packer game, but can you blame me? And, of course, there are my kids. Well, don’t get me started. I think they’re pretty great.

Anyway….today, I had a fabulous twist on Murphy’s Law. I grabbed my checkbook, my newest book club selection and headed over to City Hall to pay our property taxes. I had made the silent assumption that I would be standing there in line, with lots and lots of other Tosans…possibly for quite a while. It was about 2:30 pm on December 28th. My fate seemed sealed.

Lo and behold, I arrived to find exactly ONE person in line ahead of me. I waited an agonizing 30 seconds before I stepped up to the window in the Treasurer’s Office. I could not believe it. Maybe everyone else is either extraordinarily organized or holding on to those last few precious pennies of interest and waiting until tomorrow, but I avoided the long lines that have become a painful annual ritual. The staff is well-prepared, with a large TV programmed to CNN to entertain the late-comers, but it really wasn’t needed. At least not today, at 2:30 pm. So here’s my boastful moment: WAHOO! OK, I’m finished now.

If you read the paper, you might think that Christmas is only about shopping. Today, the day after Christmas, the Journal Sentinel has a lengthy article about Redemption Day. In England, it’s Boxing Day, but here in the states, it’s the day we all go back to the malls and redeem the many gift cards that we’ve received.

I, personally, will not be heading over to Mayfair, unless it’s to view one of the many movies that I’d like to see. Although I did dole out my fair share of gift cards, I did not receive any and so I’m left to spend money the old-fashioned way – with cash or credit. Frankly, I think I’ll wait a day or two.

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a day on the other side of town shopping at the newly renovated Bayshore Mall, I mean “Bayshore Town Center”. A friend and I have made an annual tradition of taking a day in December and doing nothing but shopping and having lunch. Ironically, we’re both usually finished with our gift-buying for the season, which makes the day all the more enjoyable. For the previous two years, we had gone to Mayfair, but this year, we thought we’d check out the area’s newish mall.

My first impression of Bayshore is one of, well, confusion. It’s set up like a sort of mini town. The buildings are designed to appear quaint, small faux-streets wind between the shops (aw, heck, they’re chain stores, not shops) and short-term meter parking is available. However, the entire mall is surrounded by giant parking ramps, much like a modern-day fortress of commerce. Put on some comfy walking shoes because once you park, you’re going to walk…pretty far. Sure, there’s a sort of town square nestled centrally among the stores, but in the middle of winter, that seems like more of an annoyance to be walked through than a peaceful place to rest. Although the original Bayshore Mall is still there, it has that ghost-town like feeling since the most popular stores are located in the outdoorsy area. The fresh air did feel pretty good after hauling heavy packages through the stores, but I wouldn’t call a shopping trip to Bayshore relaxing. Basically, the only way to go from store to store is to walk outside, again and again. We also didn’t see any mall maitre d’s handing out treats, which Mayfair has thoughtfully added to the shopping experience.

In short, if you’re shopping, you can find pretty much everything at Mayfair that Bayshore has to offer. There are a couple of different dining options (California Pizza Kitchen, Cameron’s Steakhouse or Devon’s), but if shopping is your primary mission, I recommend that you stay in Tosa where you can shop, take in a movie and be back home in minutes.

So, have you put that new bumper sticker on your car? The one that says: “I’m Time Magazine’s Person of the Year.” No? Well, neither have I. Although I am proud of this honor, it seems to lose its impact when I know that we’re ALL Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. But I did read through the issue, or perhaps browsed through it would be more correct. The one thing I did learn was that YouTube had a huge effect on our world this year. Of course, it had a huge effect on the bank accounts of the three unassuming fellows that founded this website that features videos by regular people like you and me. Or should I say, other People of the Year.

And so this got me thinking: I wonder what YouTube offers the people of Wauwatosa? Well, you might be surprised to know that there are 19 videos produced for and by Tosa residents. Some are videotaped performances from Tosa East and West. One enterprising individual made a 6-minute video of a home for sale. (No word on whether it was successful.) There are two videos that give you a behind the scenes look at, well, the life of a teenager. Compelling? Not really, but probably fun for them to watch. Then there’s the video titled: “We got fired from DQ” in which two recently terminated Tosa DQ employees drive past the restaurant and rant about their lack of money and their former employer. (Parental advisory on this one. These kids are upset and don’t hold back on their language.)

One of the truly interesting things you’ll find in a search of Tosa YouTube videos is a 3-part video which shows the Menomonee River Flood of 1997. I think most of us remember this unbelievable event and yet I have always had a hard time adequately describing it to others. This video does a good job showing several areas of Tosa under flood waters. It’s definitely worth a look, unlike a lot of other things on YouTube.

Back on December 4th, I bemoaned the fact that the Menomonee River Parkway was unlit at night. I still haven’t heard why, but I do know that the parkway lights work. How do I know this? Because I’ve seen them on during the day! Yes, some not so bright (pardon the pun) person decided to flip the switch and shine those lights in the bright daylight. Now there’s a great use of tax dollars!

I’ll give the county the benefit of the doubt. They’ve only had since October 29th when daylight savings time took effect (i.e. 6 weeks) to adjust the timers on the parkway lights. Maybe I’m just being a little impatient.

Although it may now seem nothing more than a faded memory, the November 25th fire at the Wauwatosa refuse station is still affecting Tosa residents and, more importantly, your garbage. You may not realize it, but those blue bags that you are so diligently filling with recyclables are being tossed into our landfill along with the rest of your garbage.

According to Bill Tarman-Ramcheck of the Public Works department, until further notice, anything placed curbside with the trash will be landfilled, although they are trying to change that as soon as possible. The only way to avoid that happening is to bring the recyclables to the city yard yourself.

“If you bring them (the recyclables) here you don't have to deposit the blue bags themselves, so you can empty them and reuse them to save a little cash too,” said Tarman-Ramcheck. “You save even more since we are not requiring the $10.00 annual permit to drop off blue bagged items (just City residency). We are open Tuesday through Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 11100 W. Walnut Road--just behind the Police station on 116th Street (see your tax bill insert for holiday hours).”

So, the decision is up to you. If you “blue bag” it, you must drop it off, or you’re not really blue bagging it at all.

I had grand plans to try to be all bright and upbeat and happy during this holiday season about my shopping experiences. Those plans came crashing down on me today when I stopped in the brand new Best Buy across from Mayfair Mall. I realize that this is the holiday season and that extra time and patience should be carried into any retail establishment this time of year. But I just have to say, I do not like the new Best Buy at all.

First of all, the parking lot is insane. It can only be approached from the north, so if you're coming from North Avenue, plan on making a u-turn which will be very tricky on a busy day. You enter the lot and then make a wide swing toward the parking spaces. Every time I've been there, the point where you turn is not wide enough for cars arriving and departing. It's always backed up. And when you're ready to leave, you can only turn south onto Mayfair Road and the stoplight is about 20 feet to the right of the exit so you have to wait for each car to individually turn right.

When you get inside the store, the product merchandising is so confusing. It used to be easy to find new releases in the CDs and DVDs. Now they're not clearly marked and there are many old titles mixed in with the new ones. Although they're near the front of the store, navigating through the diagonal aisles is irritating, at best.

The store as a whole has a very cold and boxy feel to it. Big surprise, you say? Well, yes, and no. Stores like Best Buy spend a lot of money on marketing research and focus groups. They should know what makes people feel comfortable and want to buy things. They seem to have taken the opposite approach in their new store. The lighting is glaring, flat fluorescent that makes the whole place feel impersonal. And, per usual, I wandered around for quite a while and absolutely no employees approached me offering assistance.

Here's the one bright spot: Although the checkout lines seem unbearably long, they move fairly fast and the employees are friendly, helpful and downright perky. Too bad you don't find that in the rest of the store.

I realize that some of the traffic issues will be resolved when Mayfair Road is adjusted to accommodate the left turn lane that is there but currently unusable. In the meantime, if you are planning a trip to Best Buy, I suggest you make a list, go early and leave quickly.

Have you noticed? While the rest of Tosa glows brightly with holiday lights, the Menomonee River Parkway sits dark and silent on these winter nights. Is it a victim of a county budget squeezed so tightly that it has no room for providing safe and well-lit passage? Is it going the way of Hoyt Park pool, thereby requiring a "Friends Of" support group to try and revive it? Is it so much to ask to simply check the circuit breaker and make sure that somebody didn't fall asleep on the street lighting job? Tell me, fair Tosans - why is the parkway so dark at night?

For the first time in several years, it's a SNOW DAY!! Hunker down? Not me! Give me a blizzard and I can't wait to get out and about. Perhaps it's my all-wheel drive vehicle or maybe it's the thrill of being one of the few silly enough to brave the elements. Nevertheless, my daughter and I headed over to John's Sandwich Shop this morning to revel in the unexpected holiday and enjoy a hearty breakfast along with many other Tosans. The place was jammed and there was a wait for a table. The counter was good enough for the two of us and it was fun to watch the giant smiles on the kids who could hardly wait to break out those dusty sleds and snow tubes. No doubt the sledding hills will be packed today!

As we drove north on Ludington Avenue, it was strange to see a deserted town, except for the occasional snow blowing citizen trying to stay ahead of the accumulation. On this snowy morning, just the fact that we were daring (i.e. stupid) enough to slowly cruise the Tosa streets merited a friendly wave and a smile from a bundled up fellow pushing a Toro.

Upon returning home, I found the real reason for loving snow storms. There is nothing cuter in the falling snow, than an energetic Golden Retriever bounding through the snow with a tennis ball. Don't you agree?

What about you? Do you love or hate the snow? What's your favorite thing to do on a snow day? E-mail me at westsidestoriestosa@yahoo.com and share your winter adventures!