We didn’t see much of Milwaukee.  We saw a lot of the inside of the theatre where we performed and the hotel where we ate and slept, but not much of anywhere else.

When we arrived in Milwaukee, the busses delivered us (the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square and our “entourage”) directly to the venue.  It was a magnificent old theatre: the grand old lady, gilded and decorated in the ornate style of a bygone era, has graced the city for a century and been the chosen venue for musicians of renown and presidents of the United States.  We rehearsed at the theatre, and then were instructed to walk directly to the hotel for dinner.  After dinner, we walked directly back to the theatre.  After the concert, we picked up our luggage from the busses, and walked directly back to the hotel, checked in, and went to our rooms.  We had been given a strict injunction, like that given to Bilbo and the dwarves: “Stay on the path!”  We were told to stay together in one large group, go directly between the theatre and the hotel, and only when directed to do so.  Once we were checked into our rooms, we were not to leave the hotel until our assigned times to board the busses for Madison, WI. 

As we traversed the well-worn path between our two authorized destinations, police officers lined the streets, reminding me once again of Mirkwood in “The Hobbit”, the police standing like the great trees, sentinels along the only path through a dark and foreboding forest.  Actually, the people in Milwaukee were universally friendly, but the police requested that, for our safety, we not venture outside.  The morning of our departure from Milwaukee, I saw a mounted officer sitting atop a magnificent brown quarter horse.  It was obvious from the reaction of the local residents that the officer and his horse were anything but a normal sight.  I asked the peace-keeper, as I petted the neck of his great horse, if it were customary for mounted police to be in this area.  He said, “We always try to maintain a strong presence, but we are here today to protect your group.” 

I want to emphasize that the people we encountered in Milwaukee were, without exception, very friendly and very helpful.  And while I appreciate the concern for our safety—I really do, by the way—I have to wonder: how bad does an area of the city have to be to require a police escort for 600 people?