We both loved the concept of the walk. Bette and I bought things for our kids and she purchased a beautiful sweater for her mother. We had lunch at the Safe House which was a spy-themed restaurant. It was great fun, starting with the fact that it was secretly hidden inside the International Exports building with an unmarked entrance on a side door in the alley. Once inside it turned into one of the coolest hangouts we had seen in a long time.

A secret agent greeted us inside but before we could go in we had to give a password. Chuck knew it, since he said they went through hell and high water not so long ago to find out He whispered it into his little eight year old’s ear and told him to whisper it to the agent. He did and we were all allowed to go in. After that we had to find a revolving bookcase to move on into the interrogation room, then down a spiral staircase, into a fallout shelter and finally the underground club

Once we entered the club we were trusted into a breathtaking atmosphere that knocked our socks off with its outlandish décor and hidden treasures. There were signs and suggestions of international espionage and covert intelligence. Some of it was serious as hell and most of it was tongue in cheek.

The menu was called the Intelligence Report. It had a section in it seeking double agents, triple agents, black baggers, moles, legals, illegals and seduction specialists.

The fare was light but the pricey drinks were exotic and well worth the cost. Bette and I ordered a “Top Secret” that was such a secret, even the bar tender did not know what was in it. Melissa requested, “the Spy’s Demise”, Chuck got a “Leinie’s” and the kids had soda, also with cute names.

Behind the bar hung a world map with red lights marking secret spy locations and clocks that kept time in Moscow and Hong Kong. Photos of celebrities, spies, world leaders and travelers covered the James-Bond-plastered walls. The whole place was teeming with artifacts accumulated throughout the past 40 years, showing proof of countless missions around the world.

It was a fascinating place. We spent several hours there, investigating nooks and crannies after lunch. I must say, Bette and I were genuinely intrigued by all that Chuck’s kids knew about such things as the Berlin Wall, for example. There was a chunk of it in a Plexiglas box on display. They had been here several times and apparently retained some of the details.

When we were ready, we found our way out by way of a secret exit.

We got back to our hotel around 4 p.m. We had asked Chuck and Melissa if they would let us take them out to dinner. When we gave them their choice of places to go, they said they had never eaten in the Hyatt’s Polaris Restaurant. Chuck said it was the only revolving rooftop restaurant in all of Wisconsin and they had heard the food was excellent. It was agreed then. They were going to take the kids home, get them settled with a sitter and meet us in our room at 7 p.m.