1. Our Foodie Scene
The people who actually bother to spend some time in Milwaukee (ahem) are inevitably surprised to find a dining scene worth bragging about. A national spotlight in “Top Chef”? Check. James Beard Award winners? Check. A growing, diversifying scene that still pays tribute to Wisconsin’s traditional foodways? Check.
2. We’ve Got the Water, Baby
What business wouldn’t want to grow right next to an enormous supply of clean fresh water? (Like, besides Foxconn, we guess.) It’s pretty great now and it’ll look even more appealing in 10 years.
3. Flourishing Arts and Culture
If you look around this city, you’ll see Milwaukee’s radiant arts scene in all its corners. From the public art that brings life to our streets, to the year-round performances that light our stages, to the cultural heavyweights and newcomers that put our city on the map. There’s no shortage of vibrant creativity here. But, of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
4. Our Great Neighborhoods
Yesterday Visit Milwaukee official Bryan Kubel tweeted a story about an Uber driver who lives in Shawano and regularly drives in Milwaukee. He had to warm up to Milwaukee but came to appreciate the city for its diverse neighborhoods. “The people love it here because it’s a city of neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has everything they need, and it’s all under one unified government. And now I get it,” he related.
Just took a Lyft home from an evening out on the town and got to meet my driver, Bubba. He said he’s been driving for 1.5 years and lives in Shawano. He drives in Milwaukee because he wants that “big city money.”
— Bryan Kubel (@bkubel) June 14, 2024
5. The Beer Scene Isn’t What You Think
Miller, yeah, and if you don’t love High Life, you’re fooling yourself. But our craft breweries stretch the boundaries of what beer can be in just about every way – while paying tribute to the long traditions of the beverage.
6. The Calatrava
Look at that big winged sucker out there! What more needs to be said? Just look at it!
7. The Recombobulation Area
How many international airports are flavored with whimsy and boyish insouciance? The answer is one, and only one, and that is Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, which lessens the irritation of passing through security with an overhead sign reading “The Recombobulation Area,” indicating the area in which you are meant to recover from your discombobulation. It doesn’t matter how many times we see it – it still makes us smile.
8. Giannis Likes Us
You think you’re cooler than Giannis? Sorry, but we can pretty much guarantee you’re not.
9. ‘Top Chef: Wisconsin’
We hosted a much better reality show than “The Apprentice” this year – and our hometown chef Dan Jacobs might just win it in next week’s finale!
10. Our Community Pride
Yesterday was a microcosm of why Milwaukeeans love Milwaukee. When someone takes shots at us, we rise up. We see our community’s warts – crime concerns are legit, and that was one of the many explanations of Trump’s reported comment – but we also see its myriad strengths and a commitment by its residents to make it better. And there might be more energy around that than there’s ever been.
