By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Aug 08, 2007 at 11:39 AM

I guess I don't fly to Chicago much, because I just noticed that Midwest Airlines (or Skyway) doesn't appear to offer that as an option.

 While checking out potential long-haul flights out of O'Hare and the possibility of avoiding the bus ride between MKE and ORD, I went to Midwest first, as I usually do. But, I was surprised to find that Chicago isn't listed among the airline's destinations. 

Surprised, in part, because I know that I've flown them through O'Hare in the past. But I guess it's been a while now.

This dawned on me as I prepare to take a long trip. I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to actually be able to fly out of Milwaukee, instead of spending 9 hours in the air dreading the bus ride back home after landing at O'Hare."

But, having said that, the last time I had that flight booked, I didn't use it because the layover was so long that taking the bus home got me back to my family before the plane would even have begun boarding.

I discovered that United and American fly between MKE and ORD. While American has a few direct flights daily, they also offer an option connecting in St. Louis that takes more than nine hours! What does that say about the airline industry?!  I could rent a bike and get home from O'Hare in 9 hours!

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

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.