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Around Town
Food, Art, Entertainment
One of Milwaukee’s favorite multi-talented musicians, Klassik, gets his first of many Milwaukee Magazine mentions in August 2015, shortly after the release of his album Seasons.
Today, Aaron Rodgers is … let’s just say a fraught figure in Packerland. But in October 2012, he’d just delivered a Super Bowl title and his first of what would be four NFL MVP seasons. Perfect time for a cover story profile by longtime Packers beat writer Jason Wilde. 
Our November 2016 issue introduced our readers to SistaStrings, the local duo that has since gone on to great things, performing around the country and on “Jimmy Kimmel” and “SNL.” (Although, sadly, they’re based in Nashville now.)
One of Milwaukee’s best-known artists, Reginald Baylor, was profiled in our November 2012 issue, as he grew his Marshall Building studio.
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
Our 2013 profile of Boswell Book Co. owner Daniel Goldin was headlined, fittingly, “Goldin Boy.” Our optimistic take has proven well-founded, as the independent East Side bookstore continues to thrive.
In July 2010, we reviewed a new dining spot, Waterfront, by a young, up-and-coming restaurateur named Ryan Braun. His skills on the diamond unfortunately did not translate – the joint closed after just three years.
Our October 2013 issue covered the rebirth of Milwaukee staple Pizza Man on Downer Avenue after its original North Avenue location burned down three years earlier. (And we chronicled that fiery, still unsolved true-crime saga in the August 2018 issue.)
June 2014 marked the opening of Bay View favorite Goodkind. Diners flooded to the long-anticipated new spot, and it’s still a stalwart eight years later.
What About Bob?
ASSEMBLYMAN BOB DONOVAN was nearly Father Donovan. In a November 2013 profile, we dove deep with the then-alderman and two-time wannabe mayor, known for his “lone wolf” conservative style. As a young man, he spent a year at St. Francis de Sales Seminary before dropping out. He bounced through jobs – plant foreman at Milwaukee Solvay Coke & Gas, newspaper deliveryman, insurance salesman, security guard – and lost two runs for state Assembly before landing a long run on the Common Council in 2000. He finally won that Assembly seat last fall.
A Decade of Downtown Vision
OUR NOVEMBER 2014 cover story, “Downtown Horizons,” opens with a bold statement: “Downtown Milwaukee stands on the brink of a reinvention,” epitomized by the Northwestern Mutual tower and The Couture apartments. The story asked key leaders, “Where do you see Milwaukee in 10 years?” How have their visions played out?
Barry Mandel
“My biggest fantasy is that instead of only having Harley-Davidson’s birthday every five years, that we have 250,000 additional people living and working Downtown in the next 10 years.”
C+ Trending in the right direction, but 250K is a long way away.
Beth Weirick
“We’ll have a great integrated city, a strong school system, a well-balanced parking and transportation plan and a phenomenal public arts program.”
D- We love the wish list, but right now it’s still just that.
John Daniels
“I’d like to see the community appreciate the benefit of diversity more significantly.”
B A vague statement realized to some degree; 2020 reset a lot of perspectives.
Bob Bauman
“We have a new arena close to Wisconsin Avenue, new residential, a major new corporate headquarters and a 3.6-mile streetcar system in operation, with plans to expand, ultimately creating a 15- to 20-mile network.”
A- The arena is a bit north and the streetcar expansion has foundered, but Bauman actually undershot the number of new corporate HQs target.
WE WERE (UH, ARE?) OBSESSED WITH …
Charlie Berens
THE WISCONSIN-NICE COMEDIAN, then just the quirky host of “Manitowoc Minute” on YouTube, made his MilMag debut with an April 2018 Q&A. He’s graced two covers since. What can we say, we like da guy.
Remembering Betty
For nearly 30 years, Betty Quadracci was the publisher of Milwaukee Magazine. She was a towering figure, co-founding the printing company Quad with her husband, Harry, and leading MilMag to over 150 awards – not to mention her decades of devoted work on behalf of Milwaukee’s arts and culture scene.
After she passed in 2013, we devoted a cover to her and filled a feature with memories from friends and family. “Betty Quadracci was a force of nature,” we wrote. “She overcame childhood polio and, with fierce resolve, went on to accomplish great things in her 75 years. … A friend of many and a mother of four – Richard, Kathryn, Joel and Elizabeth – Betty was the straw that stirred the drink, the inspiration that propelled others to do more than they ever imagined.”
In 2019, we took that tribute a step further, launching our annual Betty Awards, which honor Milwaukee women whose remarkable work reflects Betty’s legacy.
Big Debut: Northwestern Mutual’s New Tower
OUR DECEMBER 2018 issue offered an early glimpse inside the gleaming new gem on Milwaukee’s skyline: Northwestern Mutual’s 550-foot, 32-story tower. There were floor-to-ceiling windows, spacious offices and even free lunch. Little did anyone know that in less than two years those desks would be abandoned as workers set up home offices amidst a global pandemic.
‘Crazy About Kohl’s’
WE’LL BE HONEST, the editors who hadn’t seen it before were kind of hoping the September 2011 cover story under the headline “The Kohl’s Mystique” would serve as retroactive affirmation of our own khaki/button-down/cargo shorts aesthetic. Alas, it was instead a deep dive into the Menomonee Falls-based retailer that had opened nearly 800 new stores in the previous decade (a pace that has flattened since then). The hook: the launch of an exclusive clothing line by Jennifer Lopez and then-hubby Marc Anthony.
Oh, and … 2020-22
WOW, WHAT A THREE YEARS! Our slice of a global pandemic and racial justice reckoning, a DNC that wasn’t, a Bucks championship (in six!), an elected Black mayor.
