Zürich / Switzerland vs. Milwaukee / Wisconsin - part 1 of 3!

For quite some time I've been wanting to share my thoughts on the similarities between Zürich and my three former "homes" - Wisconsin, Tokyo, and New Jersey!  Let's start from the beginning...

The Similarities between Milwaukee / Wisconsin

and Zürich / Switzerland

1. Cows.

   

   The Swiss variety.

2. Cheese.

   

   A selection of "souvenir cheese" at the Appleton, WI airport...

3. Germanic influence.
4. Oktoberfest celebrations.
5. Bratwurst and other sausages...although the Swiss variety isn't exactly "Johnsonville."

   

   A sausage at the Sternen Grill - bun on the side!

   

   Maybe Zürich FC could use some mascots like these?!

   
   
6. Mountains  - but Wisconsin does have "Little Switzerland"...and Holy Hill!
7. A hometown airplane that hands out (or used to!) delicious chocolate treats every time you fly...too bad Midwest isn't around any more. :(

   

   The infamous Midwest Airlines chocolate chip cookies
   (photo taken from travel.usatoday.com)

8. An important building in the central city with an eye-catching addition by Santiago Calatrava - the Stadelhofen train station and the Milwaukee Art Museum!

   

   Stadelhofen's Calatrava addition...

   
   

   

   ...has a lot of similarities with the Milwaukee Art Museum's!

9. An affinity for the color red...

   

   On Wisconsin!!

10. Lots of festivals, concerts, and outdoor activities in the summertime.

    

    (photo from Wikipedia)

11. Per Wikipedia...                                                          According to the 2000 United States Census^[5] the highest percentage of Swiss Americans in any town, village or other, are the following
    1. Berne, Indiana - 29.10%
    2. Monticello, Wisconsin - 28.82%
    3. New Glarus, Wisconsin - 28.26%
    4. Monroe, Wisconsin - 18.91%
    5. Pandora, Ohio - 18.90%
    6. Argyle, Wisconsin - 17.84%
    7. Sugarcreek, Ohio - 17.29%
    8. Elgin, Iowa - 15.79%
    9. Monroe, Indiana - 14.35%
    10. Baltic, Ohio - 12.91%
    11. Brickerville, Pennsylvania - 11.52%
    12. Albany, Wisconsin - 11.51%
    13. Belleville, Wisconsin - 11.25%
    14. Blanchardville, Wisconsin - 11.21%
    15. Shipshewana, Indiana - 10.89%
    only cities, towns and villages with at least 500 people included                                                                                                       That's 7 of the top 15 in Wisconsin!!
12. An awesome lake (although the Zürich See isn't always to the east...)

    

    I'm hoping the mountains are a dead give-away as to which lake this is!

13. An easy-to-reach airport
14. A metropolitan area population of around 1.5 million...(close enough!)
15. Large clocks - St. Peter's in Zürich has the largest clock face in Europe; Milwaukee's Rockwell Automation (Allen Bradley) has the largest 4 sided clock in the western hemisphere!

    

    St. Peter's imposing face.

16. Important architects - Frank Lloyd Wright was a Wisconsin native; Le Corbusier was born in Switzerland.
17. Unpredictable weather...sometimes it snows in October...April...or even...May!

    

    October 2012 snowfall!

18. A business named Pfister! Furniture in Zürich...hotel in Milwaukee.

    

    The beautiful Pfister Hotel lobby

19. Cows
20. Cheese!!  Wonder what it would take for the Swiss to embrace the "Cheesehead" concept...foam alphorn anyone??
    
    Any others???