our fall super-date

this weekend we had big plans to do that which is obligatory to recognize fall in the midwest: head to an apple orchard and either pick apples or pretend to pick them, and put it on social media because #fall. well, mother nature completely foiled our plans. we rented a car, planning on meeting my parents at the orchard. we left the house by 11, which is pretty early for us to get moving - especially considering we made breakfast and coffee. we got the car pretty seamlessly, and when we were about 10 minutes away from our designated orchard - apple holler, near kenosha - it started absolutely pouring - also my parents hilariously cancelled on us. haha. to be fair, we had known it was going to rain - i think we both just hoped that it either wouldn't be a lot, or somehow the universe would fend it off for just a little longer so we could enjoy our one fall outing away from the city. we decided to hit the orchard anyway - if nothing else, we'd at least leave with cider donuts and that was all we really came for besides a couple of cute photos and to wander in between the quaint rows of trees laden with beautiful red apple.

well, needless to say, it didn't let up, it frickin downpoured.

we spent most of our time in the general store, amassing our goods: a dozen cider donuts, a small loaf of apple pie bread, and a bottle of apple wine spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg (from a winery in door county). we did make it to a covered picnic area where there were six or so chickens running free and pecking in the hay covering the ground. we then ducked to the bakery and scooped up two cups of hot cider, and two pastries. we hid inside for a few more minutes, then we decided that there was really no reason we needed to stay any longer. on our walk back to the car, we decided to drive the extra 30 minutes to milwaukee. despite being from wisconsin, i haven't spent much time in milwaukee and don't know much about what there is to do. so, as we drove, I furiously googled what we could do. at this point we didn't have too much time, but we stopped at an antique store called antiques on pierce to wander around for a bit. we found some great glasses for wine or cocktails, and alex found some cheap rolls of film. after the antique store we were both pretty hungry, so we drove the few minutes to the third ward neighborhood - where we found the legendary milwaukee public market. we wandered through the narrow walkways between all the vendors, and found counter to get sushi and pad thai (the best I've ever had). we took our food upstairs to enjoy, where we could overlook the entire market. after our late lunch, we only had to duck across the street to make one last necessary stop: colectivo coffee. when we are in wisconsin, it is a must to get colectivo at least once. alex also bought himself a long-awaited gift: a chemex. we can't wait to test it out. after this outing, it was time to head home. we returned the car then walked to the nearest train stop, only to discover we still had 15 minutes until the next train. one of our favorite restaurants was just across the street, tempting us with their infamously delicious clam chowder. alex lived in a studio right by glenn's diner during our final two years of undergrad, and we frequented the restaurant for both for brunch and dinner often. we ducked into the familiar warmth and comfort of the diner, asked for a bowl to go, and snacked on golden butter crackers shaped like butterflies that we both love so much. it was a nostalgic end to a day that felt like a mini-vacation we didn't know we needed. in the interest of transparency, i do have to be honest and say that we were both a little disappointed because we didn't get to document our day how we would have wanted. we both really wanted to make a video, but because of the rain we weren't able to film in a way that would have created any good content. we hardly even took any photos, which was also disappointing because alex was looking forward to shooting film with his konica. but, this goes to show us that plans won't always work out and even though we didn't document it, we still created some wonderful memories and spent some quality time together. and at the end of it all, that's what counts. we literally took one photo (above) and our instagram story below, which was about the only mode of documentation we managed but it makes us happy.

click here to watch it if you missed it.