It used to be that you could find a friendly, no-nonsense tavern anywhere in Milwaukee, even downtown. And it wasn't that long ago, either. Thanks to one place that still hangs on despite the encroachment of chain restaurants, conventioneers and glitzy one-syllabled nightspots, there is still a place you can go and commune with the people after work.
That's Jim's Time Out, at 746 N. James Lovell St., across from the Westown fire station.
As unassuming on the inside as it is on the outside, Jim's Time Out is time-tested. You won't find thumping dance music, or even much room to dance at Jim's, but the jukebox is almost always jamming a range of classic rock and other hits and, best of all, there's always someone there ready to shoot the breeze or take you up on a game of darts.
The downtown tap is definitely a dying breed, with its dark, smoky and, okay, occasionally a little somber, atmosphere. But at Jim's the townie tap is alive and well in the shadow of the IMAX theater, Library Hill apartments and the Midwest Express Center.
Belly up to the curvaceous bar and order something home-grown. This ain't the place to ask for a wine list or even get snooty about that obscure import or East Coast microbrew.
It's the kind of place your grampa went to after he got off the late shift at Pabst. It's the kind of place where folks like things just the way they are.
When contacted recently to talk about his establishment for this story, owner Jim Pappas declined to participate, saying, "it's been fine without anything like that (a story in the media). I'd like to keep it the way it is."
So, it looks like we fans of Jim's Time Out don't have to worry about our Westown watering hole importing brass curtain rails for the windows and hanging ferns and adding Kenny G. or Train to the jukebox.
They can change the neighborhood, even the name of the street, but like the name says, Jim's Time Out will (hopefully) thrive in a state of suspended animation, reminding us of a simpler time.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
