Today a friend and I had breakfast at Amaranth Bakery and then departed the city for a much-wanted day’s vacation. Knowing we had only eight hours to be out of town, we chose a nearby-area we seldom frequent: the North Shore suburbs of Milwaukee. We spent the day walking by Lake Michigan (photo), perusing a modest farmers’ market, tasting at Cedar Creek Winery, and wandering the kinds of independent shops people set up on stroll-worthy main streets.