Milwaukee, WI

I went into Honeydip Donuts on South 27th Street expecting nothing more than a good Bavarian Creme doughnut and some hot coffee. What I got, however, was an unexpectedly wonderful experience.

Honeydip Donuts has a short counter seating area that immediately reminded me of an old time drugstore soda fountain. My companion and I took our place at the crowded counter and ordered our coffees and doughnuts. The counter and tables were populated by the over fifty-five set - some husbands and wives, some just older gents by themselves - all enjoying coffee and conversations about the day’s news. CNN was playing on the television, but most people were so engaged in the conversations among themselves that the news went ignored.

We were there for just a few moments when a white-haired gentleman sat by us and commented on my companion’s “Vietnam Remembered” jacket. As it turns out, the gentlemen was himself a veteran of Vietnam. A wonderful discussion about the state of the military both then and now ensued, as did the nearly obligatory swapping of service stories. Before long the gentleman’s lady companion joined the conversation and put in her two cents on St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy’s decision not to march in Milwaukee’s Veterans Day Parade. What was supposed to be a brief stop for doughnuts turned into a very nice exchange between strangers.

I suspect that sort of thing used to go on a lot, back in the “good old days” that existed long before my memory. I also suspect that sort of thing continues to go on daily at places like Honeydip Donuts where people can gather comfortably and enjoy coffee and company without being rushed or pressured by the worries of the day.

If you go:
Honeydip Donuts
3506 S 27th Street, Milwaukee
Open 24 Hours
Friendly staff, great coffee and doughnuts