A High Bar
Back in the day (and I mean way back in the 1940s), my Grandpa Bill owned a tavern in East Chicago, Indiana, called The Canteen. It was apparently a very popular spot, due in part to Bill’s outsized personality and welcoming spirit, and in part to my grandmother’s prowess in the kitchen.
Grandpa Bill’s death preceded my birth, and all I know about him are some random facts. He was an immigrant from Poland. He served in the U.S. Marines in World War I. He placed a high value on education for his three children, although his own schooling ended early. He believed in the American dream. And he liked to have a good time.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The Canteen was long gone before I was born, but it certainly exists in my imagination. When I enter one of Milwaukee’s many neighborhood bars, it breathes life to this fanciful vision. For a moment, I can picture what my grandfather might have been like. And I can totally understand why he wanted to be the proprietor of a neighborhood bar.
A tavern is the community room of a neighborhood. For a civic-minded guy like Grandpa Bill, it might have felt like a forum for the exchange of ideas. And on a lighter note, it might also have felt like having a house party on a nightly basis. What’s not to like about that?
What used to be a tavern or a neighborhood bar might now be deemed a dive, but I would like to think that this term is affectionate. Whatever term you prefer, I think we are very fortunate that our city is home to so many of these hyper-local institutions. In an age of increased isolation, we need our dive bars more than ever. I hope that you enjoy our ode to them as much as we enjoyed researching it.
There is so much else to enjoy in this issue, but I’ll leave it to you to dig into all these gems of stories and find your favorites. You may even want to bring your copy down to your own favorite watering hole, order up a drink and read to your heart’s content. And I say cheers to that, from me and Grandpa Bill.
– Carole Nicksin, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
carole@milwaukeemag.com, @CaroleNicksin
Features
- High Dive: Belly up, shell your peanuts and slam down the dice cup! Let’s pay tribute to Milwaukee’s beloved dive bars.
- The Home + Design Awards: Get ready to be inspired – and for your jaw to drop – as you page through the winners of our annual Home + Design Awards!
- The Big Story: A MilMag Interview with Evan Goyke, who stepped into the city attorney’s office with a mess to clean up and bridges to rebuild.
Your 414
- Theater: The history of a Milwaukee institution, as told by 30 nearly life-size puppets
- People Places Things: A traveling dance troupe takes over Harley-Davidson’s new park, behind the laughs at Milwaukee Comedy Festival, and more.
- Hot Spots: Relax to wax – vinyl records, that is – at theselistening lounges.
- Sports: The late soccer great Jimmy Banks made history and inspired others.
- Halloween: Spice up your spooky season by visiting some local haunts.
The Dish
- Taste: Pepperpot’s Dwight Jackson sure knows how to make an eggroll. The key is that filling.
- Tidbits: The pasta flight that went viral on social media, a cross-cultural culinary celebration, and more food news
- Excerpt: Local food blogger Erin Clarke shares a recipe from her latest cookbook that leans into the flavors of fall.
- Old Favorite: How Mason Street Grill defined hotel dining
Insider
- Ukraine: A Tosa man reflects on his two volunteer trips to the war-torn nation.
- We Were Wondering: Why do the airport concourses start at C?
- Redevelopment: Meet the big player in Milwaukee’s biggest teardowns.
- Flags: A look at the symbology as the city considers swapping out its official banner.
Explore
- Cruise: Door County’s curvy Highway 42 invites you to slow down and take in the explosive fall colors.
- Travel: Amtrak’s new train makes a trip to the Twin Cities an adventure.
- Wine: A Wisconsin winemaker makes complex wines from local grapes.
- Tall tale: A fabricated story of a mythical beast has become Rhinelander’s biggest tourist attraction.
