Everyday Heroes

There’s something amazing about twitter. It’s so easy to find and connect with people who share similar interests with you. And every once in a while, you’ll create lifelong friendships and find everyday heroes too. A few new names were added to my list of heroes this weekend.

Betsy Decillis and I went on #geekcation this past weekend. We had our first #geekcation, May 2010, in Chicago when we worked on acquiring Foursquare badges. This #geekcation was a little different as it was based on a visit to AJ Bombers, a mecca for social media geeks.

The first stop in Milwaukee was the Safe House, a cute spy-themed restaurant. We were seated at a little table behind beaded curtains and enjoyed lunch. If you go here, be sure to save extra time to explore all that the restaurant offers.

Leaving through the secret exit via a phone booth, we set out to find the Bronze Fonze. Searching Google for Fonzie’s location only provided articles about the statue being unveiled in 2008 and Google Maps wasn’t very helpful either. But never fear, Foursquare came to the rescue! The GPS on Foursquare led us directly to this somewhat zombie-ish photo-op.

Next stop was a FREE tour of the Miller Brewery. Yes, free. And there were samples too. We then headed back downtown to find AJ Bombers, the main reason for this trip.

Betsy and I met up with Sara and Agustin Santiago and their adorable children, the @MobileInterns, at AJ Bombers. They’re such an AMAZING family and a true inspiration. I’m sure you’ve met some people in your life that seem to make the world a better place. Well there are two of them in this family.

Oh, and AJ Bombers was everything I imagined it would be and more. The food, service, atmosphere: all incredible. Even though they were named Champion in Travel Channel’s Food Wars, I was doubtful about having peanut butter on a hamburger but it was surprisingly delicious.

And, of course, our twitter names were added to the booth we were sitting in, the legendary booth #5. But what really made #geekcation special was the company, my new heroes and Betsy, who has been on my hero list for years yet never ceases to amaze me.