Amanda Friedrich

Amanda Friedrich. Photo courtesy of NEWaukee.

Where do you work and what makes your role awesome?

I work in recruiting at La Macchia Enterprises – a leisure travel company that has been family-owned in Milwaukee since 1974! We own Funjet Vacations and are in the business of creating life-long memories and dream vacations for our customers.

I love my job because I interact with new people every single day – I love to hear the passion in people’s voices on why they chose their certain field or why they love working in the travel industry. Job searching is a very vulnerable time, so I like to build a genuine connection with my candidates and help make the interview process as smooth as possible.

Bonus perk of working at LME – we get great travel discounts to our destinations! It’s my dream job.

How long have you lived in Milwaukee and what brought you here?

I was born and raised in the Greater Milwaukee area, and I graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 2017. I love to travel and explore new cities in the US and around the world, but Milwaukee will always be home. I can’t imagine leaving this city because I am so inspired to see the strides we are making and think we are on the boom of development…especially with the new Bucks arena in 2018 #Bucksin6

What local restaurant is at the top of your list?

When people ask me what my hobby is, I always answer “going out to dinner.” I love trying new restaurants with my friends, finding the best happy hours, and hanging out on patios in the summer. It depends on what type of food I’m looking for, but for pizza it would be Transfer Pizzeria in Walker’s Point, take-out is Fresh Fin Poke on North Avenue, burgers would be Sobelman’s Pub & Grille, and brunch would be Engine 3 Company. The list continues…

What is your favorite Milwaukee tradition?

There is nothing better than the summer and fall months in Milwaukee – this is the time of the year that our beautiful city comes alive! Between the street festivals or different cultural festivals, live music, rooftop bars and patios, there is always something to do. I love any festival with food, drinks, and music….and an occasional 5K or half-marathon race, so I can eat more. My favorite running races have been the Storm the Bastille Run and PNC Milwaukee Marathon.

What does your ideal Milwaukee weekend look like?

There are four things that make for a great Milwaukee weekend: starting Friday night off at Miller Park with my Brewers obsessed family, a Saturday morning run alongside Bradford Beach, live music at a festival or bar, and bloodies on Sunday morning.

What neighborhood do you live in and why do you love it?

I’ve been living in the East Side for four years now. I love the walkability of the neighborhood, and there’s always something to do! I can easily walk to grocery stores, restaurants, bars, Bradford Beach, and coffee shops. The East Side seems to be in a transition right now, and I’m excited about all of the new restaurants that are opening.