Thanks for the Tips
I love to hear from you, our readers, whether in a personal email (my address is always on this page) or through a Readers’ Choice poll. This month, we share your selections for the Best of the Burbs. I’m excited to see some of my favorites on the list, and I’m equally excited to learn about spots I have yet to try. For instance, I know what a great place the Schlitz Audubon Center is, so I’m very interested to visit Riveredge and Wehr, the other two nature centers that you selected.
Last summer, I vowed to spend an afternoon at Tosa Pool at Hoyt Park, but somehow it never happened. Now that I see it took first place in pools, I’m doubling down on my commitment for 2024. And I don’t typically need a reminder to go clothes shopping, but seeing your top three picks gives me a little nudge to make the rounds to Faye’s, Fifth-Main and Pink Moon Bay sometime soon.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
At its best, this magazine is a conversation between you and our team. Hearing what you like and are excited about helps guide our choices as to what to feature in the magazine and online. So please, don’t wait for the next poll (which, by the way, will be in May); email me anytime. I love to hear about places we may not have discovered yet. And I also like to hear what you’d like to see more – or less – of. Your input is always welcome.
The other half of our Suburban Special package is a very informative feature on the real estate market. You’ll find a comparison of what your dollars will get you in various areas, and real-life stories about how three house hunters found their dream homes. That one begins on page 46.
Also in this issue is our semi-annual Home & Design section, a personal favorite of mine.
As always, I hope that you find some things in this issue that inspire you to get out and explore – not just Milwaukee, but also the surrounding area. It’s a wonderful place with so much to offer, so enjoy!
– Carole Nicksin, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
carole@milwaukeemag.com, @CaroleNicksin
In the Issue:
Features
- Buying in the Burbs: Our guide to suburban real estate in 2024: a market report, what you can expect to find in your budget, a deep data dive and more.
- The Best of the Burbs: We asked you what’s tops in suburban living, from restaurants and bars, to parks and recreation, to shopping and beauty services. It’s all in the results of our second annual Readers’ Choice survey of suburbia.
- Home & Design: Find inspiration, expert tips and more in our semiannual guide to styling your living space.
- The Big Story: A massive Microsoft data center turned into an escape hatch for the Foxconn debacle in Racine County. Was it all worth it?
Your 414
- Baseball Bats: A father and son turn ash wood into wonders.
- People Places Things: Pottery artist Jennifer M. Stevens revitalizes an ancient craft, plus an influencer making auto care accessible, a sheepshead champion and more.
- Milwaukee Film Festival: Artistic director Cara Ogburn conducts a movie marathon to build out the fest’s lineup.
- Opera: The Florentine brings La Bohème to 1940s Bronzeville.
- Gardening: What a USDA zone change means for your spring planting
The Dish
- Treat: Bakehouse 23 doesn’t have a set-in-stone menu but still offers something for everyone.
- Tidbits: Walker’s Point cheesemaker Hill Valley Dairy brings the fun, a “Happy Days” cookbook, and the tastiest bits of food-and-drink scene news
- Review: This Indian spot makes it easy to eat your vegetables.
- I Tried It: Why you need to a take the pie-making classes taught by the Honeypie team
- Q&A: Bartender Jo Drew is the colorful reason you should sit at Odd Duck’s bar.
Insider
- Public safety: Wisconsin is investing in education to battle reckless driving.
- Housing: How the Milwaukee VA is helping homeless vets
- So What Do You Do? Meet Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, the locally based chief of the American Medical Association.
Explore
- Family: Piglets! Lambs! Chicks! This Wisconsin farm invites you to hold the adorable babies.
- Outdoor Adventure: What you need to know about foraging for wild food
- Travel: Cool ways to spend a rainy day in Lake Geneva
