Week 119: Minnesota and Wisconsin

Week 119: April 6th-12th, 2025

My tour of the Midwest continued into this week as I flew from Chicago, switched planes in Minneapolis at MSP, and landed in Duluth, Minnesota.

I immediately noticed how polite everyone was when I stopped for coffee at MSP before getting to my gate. The level of politeness was almost eerie, but I know it is just part of the Midwest culture.

I first flew into Duluth to see my friend Jackson. He is from Wisconsin, currently lives in Duluth, and "commutes" to work in Texas every two weeks. I met him about five years ago in San Diego when he was in the Navy. To start our Duluth tour, we visited the town's favorite OMC Smokehouse and I got a delicious Nashville hot chicken sandwich.

Jackson lives in an insane apartment building that used to be a school. Its called Zenith DCHS Apartment and includes a ton of amenities like an indoor pickleball court, a gym, a sauna, a clubhouse, and even a workshop. It literally just seems like the developers walked in and randomly decided to convert it into apartments on a whim. The original student lockers still line the walls of the hallways, and it still feels very much like a school. It is a historical building that has a lot of the original school posters and trophies, but the classrooms were recently renovated into residential units with updated fixtures and appliances.

Apparently, I lucked out with the weather in Duluth. It was cold, sure, but at least it was sunny. The 46° F temperature was no match for the people of Duluth, as many folks were out and about as if it were a warm summer day. I guess for them, after a cold front for a few weeks, it kind of was.

I got to see a bunch of Duluth, including Chester Park, Canal Park, a funky antique shop, Fitger's marketplace, and the lighthouse on the pier. Despite it being pretty cold, we were lucky with the sunny weather and I tried to keep my "Holy sh--, it's cold" comments to a minimum. Most of the roads weren't covered in snow or ice, but there was the occasional dirty, grey and brown snow bank around the town. It was funny to see the snow in the less trafficked areas like the parks, and I was even able to make a snowball.

Since the Midwest prides itself in breweries, distilleries and general drinking prowess, we got a whiskey flight at a distillery called Vikre. While I wasn't a fan of any of the whiskeys, I enjoyed the atmosphere. I was happy to see a pride flag hung up as well, to balance out the handful of Trump bumper stickers I'd noticed.

After fitting the entirety of Duluth's most popular spots into half a day, we headed out on our 4 hour drive to Wausau, Wisconsin to visit Jackson's family.

The drive from Duluth to Wausau was simultaneously incredibly eerie, beautiful, and foreign to me. There were stretches of the drive where we wouldn't pass another car for thirty minutes. It was pretty much just trees... wintery farmland... cow... deer... barn...horse... more trees... another barn, but this time more dilapidated... frozen pond... frozen lake... the occasional singular gas station and church equaling a "town"... etc. until we got to the more populated Wausau. I was actually kind of thrilled to see a traffic light after 4 hours of nothing.

According to my extensive research of the Midwest (AKA asking my friends online what are Wisconsin "musts"), one must always visit a Kwik Trip when given the opportunity. We were given many of these opportunities, as Kwik Trips are as common as 7/11s in California. I was advised to try specifically the brown cap chocolate milk (the green cap is the inferior choice, apparently), the cinnamon rolls, and the Glazers Donuts. While I could feel my arteries clogging with every bite, it was delicious. I was not disappointed. The Kwik Trip stop during our mini road trip from Duluth to Wausau was the first of many.

We arrived at Jackson's mom's house pretty late, so we immediately showered and went to bed.

In the morning, we stopped at Kwik Trip again and headed to Rib Mountain for some 360° views of Wausau and the surrounding areas. There were a few ski lifts that weren't operating because it hadn't snowed in a while. It was pretty windy, so I tried to avoid blowing away while also enjoying the crisp, cold air.

Another Wisconsin or Midwest "must" is a visit to Culver's. They are famous for their ButterBurgers and their custards, so I gave myself a pep talk before committing to another artery-clogging meal. I got the classic ButterBurger Bacon Deluxe (single patty) and a mini concrete mixer made with vanilla, mint and Oreos. It was super good, and I'm honestly devastated to find out that the closest Culver's to San Diego is about a five hour drive away in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

My tour of Wausau included a stop at Jackson's uncle's house, a cider at Uncommon Pints brewery, a massive "small" soft serve from Briq's, takeout from Lemongrass Asian Fusion, a protein smoothie from Wild Roots, and a mini tour of downtown Wausau.

Since Jackson had to go "commute" back to work in Texas, I spent some time alone exploring. I got to wander around Janke Bookstore while waiting for a facial appointment that Jackson's mom generously booked me at Vitality Bar Spa. Apparently Janke is the oldest bookstore in Wisconsin! I loved seeing the difference in merchandise and themed cards that were offered. There was a whole section for High School Reunion cards and yearbooks, which was very strange. I don't think anyone takes high school reunions as seriously in California.

After our spa appointments, Jackson's mom and I had some appetizers at Ciao, one of the nicer restaurants in Wausau, that is owned by Jackson's childhood friend's dad. In a small town like Wausau, it seems like everyone knows everyone, and you can't go anywhere without exchanging some "good to see you"-type pleasantries.

Something I noticed in every storefront was the double entrance door, which we don't really have in San Diego. I assume its for keeping the temperature bearable inside during severe weather and for a small area to put your coats on before stepping into the cold. The politeness of the Midwest was so apparent especially with these double entrances, because someone held the door for me not once, but twice, every time I entered a building. I don't think I touched a door handle myself more than twice during my whole time in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Overall, I did check off most of my Midwest "musts" list. Though I didn't get to try true Wisconsin cheese curds or get any photos with Jackson and his family, I managed to fit a ton of stuff into a handful of days. I'm not sure if I will ever find myself back in rural, farmland Wisconsin, but if I do, I was told I'll always have a place to stay, which was very nice.

I loved being reminded how lucky I am to have grown up and live in California, and I'm glad to be home where its warm.

BONUS: My dad, Greg Martin, is one of five finalists for NBC Sports Bay Area's All Star Teacher award. You can vote EVERY DAY starting this week at this link! Please join me in supporting my dad Greg Martin and his school, Sylvia Mendez Elementary, and they could win $30,000!

See you next week.