Travel Details & Local Logistics

Our conference facilities are located in the Raynor Library. Raynor Library, which first opened its doors in August 2003, is one of the new genre of cyberlibraries where considerable space is devoted to electronic retrieval facilities and relaxed atmosphere. Our conference rooms will be equipped with state-of-the art audio-visual facilities. Raynor Library also houses the largest known collection of books, manuscripts, drawings, and related literature by J. R. R. Tolkien or about his work. The annual banquet will also be held in the Raynor Library this year. The library is located on Wisconsin Avenue at 15th St.

Raynor Library, Campus view.

Raynor Library, first floor.

The conference lodging facilities were converted from a form Holiday Inn hotel, and the room configurations have been preserved.

According to the legend, the land currently occupied by the Marquette University campus was once the campground of the famous Great Lakes Explorer, Jacques Marquette in the 1669-71 period. He was one of the first Europeans to cross the Mississippi. After centuries of being depicted as a tall and shadowy character in a long black coat positioned at the bow of a canoe, this new statue of Pere Marquette in a Captain Morgan stance now appears on MU campus.

Pere Marquette statue

According to a legend of a different sort, the TV shows Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley allegedly took place in Milwaukee. Shown here is a status of Happy Days character The Fonz, which is located in the Riverwalk area downtown.

Jacques Marquette, Frodo Baggins, (1974 Republic Pictures film clip) and The Fonz.

Milwaukee is known as the City of Festivals. Most weekends in the summer offer a festival at the Lakefront, many of which feature Milwaukee's rich ethnic heritage. Conferees looking for more nightlife and restaurants should visit the establishments downtown. A quick summary of restaurant locations appears below.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is known for its unique design as a schooner, with sails that go up and down, located on Lake Michigan, next to Discovery World and the Lakefront Festival Grounds. The easiest way to get there is to walk(ride) East on Wisconsin Ave. toward the lake. You'll see the sun sculpture on the plaza at the end of the street. Walk across the plaza, and there is a walkway that leads directly into the museum (shown below).

TOLKIEN ARCHIVES - MU's Raynor Library contains the largest archives of J. R. R. Tolkein's manuscripts, graphics, and memorabilia. Ask the librarian for a visit to this special collection.

And yes, Milwaukee is only a short train ride away from downtown Chicago. The opening of the new wing of the Chicago Art Museum and the Pirates exhibit at the Museum of Natural History are recommended.

Air Travel

Milwaukee Airport is located about 30 minutes from the city by ground transportation. Taxi's and busses are available at the airport. Midwest Airlines is headquartered in Milwaukee and offers non-stop service to many US cities. For those arriving from outside the US and planning arrive via Chicago, your travel agent (do-it-yourself) can book connector flights to Milwaukee. United Airlines uses Chicago as its hub.

Ground Travel, Arrival, Parking

If you are driving to Milwaukee, the directions are simple:

From Southeast (e.g. via Chicago): Take I-94 WEST (which is actually heading north out of Chicago) until you reach Milwaukee. The Marquette exit is signed and takes you to 11th St. and Wisconsin Ave. Straz Tower is located slightly to the right on Wisconsin Ave at 11th St., across from the Milwaukee Public Library.

From Southwest (e.g. via Rockford IL): Take I-90 WEST to I-43 NORTH. I-43 merges with I-94. Follow I-94 to exit to Marquette.

From West (e.g. via Madison, WI): Take I-94 EAST into Milwaukee. Use the 13th Street exit, which is marked. Left on 13th at the end of the exit ramp to the T-intersection at Clybourn. Go right to 11th St. to get to Straz Tower. Go left to 16th St. to head to the parking structure.

From due North (e.g. via Green Bay and Sheboygan): Take I-43 SOUTH into Milwaukee. Look for signed exits to approximately 11th St.

Parking: Visitors can use the parking structure on 16th Street, a half-block north of Wisconsin Avenue. The parking rate is $5.00 per day, automated cash or credit card. The facility is motorcycle-friendly!

MU LODGING, PARKING, OTHER HOTELS:

The Milwaukee Hilton is located at 5th & Wisconsin Ave. The Doubletree is located at 6th & Wisconsin. Straz Tower (MU Lodging facility) is located on Wisconsin Ave b/w 9th and 10th. Raynor Library (conference mtg location) is on Wisc Ave at 14th St. (which doesn"t really exist any longer). The parking garage is located on 16th, a half block north of Wisconsin Ave. There"s another parking garage at 13th & Wells (Wells is one street north of Wisc, parallel), which might be a shorter walk to Straz, and about the same to Raynor. If you"re staying at Straz, I would suggest loading yourself into Straz, parking the car, and leaving it. Figure 10 blocks to a mile for walking. Ask the people at the desk at Straz for a parking permit to go with your room. It should allow you to leave your car overnight.

From the Airport:

If you are flying in to Milwaukee, MU is close by, so a taxi is probably the better choice. Airport limos are available when you get to Ground Transportation (go thru baggage claim area), but the price difference isn"t much and taxi would be more direct. If flying in to O"Hare, and you don"t have a connecting flight, the bus depots are located just outside the terminal bldg (go thru baggage claim), one or more will go to Milwaukee. If you use Grayhound Busses, their Milwaukee terminal is on St. Paul & 5th Sts., (2 blocks south of Wisconsin Ave.) you might want a taxi to Straz or OK to walk if you"re traveling light. If flying to O"Hare, and renting a car, get on the Tri-State (I-294) NORTH. I-294 merges with I-94 close to the Wisconsin border. Continue north about another 55 minutes from the border. Follow signs and web directions for the final landing

RESTAURANTS: -- Quick Summary

Lunch around Raynor - There are four places at the corner of 16th and Wells (1 block west and 1 block north) - Italian, Mexican, Jimmy John's, and Marquette Grill, which specialized in Greek food. On the next block north on Wells is Real Chili and the Dog Haus.

Miss Katy's Diner - 19th & Clybourn - 1 block south and 4 blocks west. Classic Diner atmosphere was the location of a famous lunch for Presidents Bill Clinton and Helmut Kohl in the mid-90s. Bill and Hemut recommend the mixed grill, chicken & ribs.

More places are dotted through the city heading East of Straz Tower.

Dinner - Old World 3th Street, just off Wisconsin and down a couple blocks - King and I and Thai Palace are two great Thai restaurants next door to each other. Calderone Italian is further down the street, closer to Kilbourn Ave.

Wisconsin & Water (2-3 blocks further east) go NORTH past the performing arts center and you'll find a cache of restaurants and pubs. Water Street Brewery brews their own. Go SOUTH to the Third Ward - a kitch rehab district with lots of restaurants of all types (e.g. Italian, French, Japanese); check FOOD SPOT to pick your favs.

Wisconsin & Broadway (1-2 blocks further east of Water) - There's more. New ones have popped up very recently. Have fun. Explore.

CHAOTIC ART EXHIBIT

-- JUMP CUT POP, Opens 7/22 at the Haggarty Museum on MU Campus. Explores the strategies of 6 artists who juxtapose photo-based images drawn from popular culture with text or seemingly unrelated images. Artists draw from a confluence of sources, exerting a degree of compositional freedom with little conscious regard for historical continuity or visual hierarchy. The juxtapositions often suggest that images are interesting unto themselves, divorced from their inherent meaning by their proximity to other completely unrelated imagery.