Milwaukee

Introduction

Milwaukee

© Bwinky

Milwaukee is the big city in Wisconsin. It is the major urban center for the state and is also the economic center for the state. Although many people forget about Milwaukee because of its big neighbor to the south Chicago this is an amazing city in its own right. There are several great museums, restaurants and a very good night life. During the summer months the lake front is lit up with summer festivals that even put Chicago to shame. Just remember this is a Miller town so don't ask for a Budweiser.

Sights and Activities

• Basilica of St. Josaphat, 2333 S 6th St (at Lincoln Ave; Bus 80 from Downtown), ☎ +1 414 645-5623. Weekly tours on Sunday after the 10AM mass. On the city's south side, it was built by the city's Polish community from the dismantled materials of the Old Chicago Customs House and Post Office. Each block was carefully measured and numbered for a best fit in the new design so that hardly any stone was re-cut or went to waste. In the end, even the original ornamental bronze railings, lighting fixtures, and doorknobs of the customs house were used for furnishings. Opulently decorated and designed, it is perhaps one of the finest examples of the so called "Polish Cathedral" style of church architecture in North America.
• Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 Art Museum Dr (on Lake Michigan at the end of Wisconsin Ave), ☎ +1 414 224-3200, fax: +1 414-271-7588, e-mail: [email protected]. Tu-W, F-Su 10AM-5PM, Th 10AM-8PM. Also open M 10AM-5PM during summer. Santiago Calatrava-designed addition is another of Milwaukee's most recognizable landmark, and the bird-like wings of the building's Quadracci Pavilion open and close several times each day, depending on the weather. The War Memorial which the museum is connected to was designed by the architect Eero Saarinen. $15 adults, $12 students and seniors (65+), free for kids 12 and under. Free for active military and veterans (w/ID) and up to five family members with them, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Free for everyone the first Th of every month.
• City Hall, 200 E Wells St (at Water St). Possibly city's most important landmark before the completion of the Calatrava addition to the museum. The architecture is heavily German influenced, and is a symbol of Milwaukee's large German immigrant population at the turn of the century.

Breweries

Breweries are integral to Milwaukee's image. Although the number of large scale operations has dwindled in the last decade, the nickname "the Brew City" still rings true, and microbreweries are booming. In several spots around the city, the smell of yeast from the beer factories is quite strong. Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest breweries: Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller. For many years it was the number one beer producing city in the world. Of those four only Miller remains.

Events and Festivals

• Summerfest, also known as the Big Gig and Beerfest, is a large music festival held every year on the lake front at Henry Maier Festival Park. Live music is offered on 11 stages across the park ranging in size and interest. The festival features smaller and bigger bands and usually has a major superstar every night in the main concert venue. Over the 10 day period of the festival attracts between 800,000 to 1 million people! It runs from noon to midnight.

Holidays

• New Year’s Eve - The US celebrates the outgoing of the old year and incoming of the New Year quite dramatically. Every state boasts its own parties to ring in the New Year, but none is more extravagant than New York’s Time Square, which sees people overflowing into the neighboring restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and neighborhoods.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
• St Patrick’s Day - March 17 celebrates the US’s large Irish population. Many cities around the country boast boisterous parades and Irish-themed parties, especially New York and Chicago, where the river is dyed green. Be wary of the drunkenness that dominates as this is definitely a party-day.
• Memorial Day - Memorial Day is an important holiday throughout the United States, but not for crazy festivities. Parades commemorating wartime heroes are often held and the day is also the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Most visitors follow the crowds to parks and beaches, which are capped off with informal BBQs.
• Independence Day - Also known as the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebrates the US’s break from the British during the 18th century. Barbecues, street parties, beach trips, and weekend getaways are commonplace to appreciate freedom.
• Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
• Halloween - Halloween is a fun holiday on October 31 for all generations to dress up in costumes and relive their youth. Children walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for candy, while adults attend parties. Other seasonal events include haunted houses, pumpkin farms and carving, and corn mazes.
• Thanksgiving - On the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is held in almost every home in the US. Tourists will have a hard time finding anything to do as the country essentially shuts down in observation. A typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie commemorating the original Pilgrim’s feast at Plymouth Rock.
• Christmas - On December 25, Christians celebrate Christmas as the pinnacle of their calendar by attending church and opening gifts from Santa Claus. Almost everything shuts down to promote family togetherness. The northern regions hope to experience a “white Christmas,” with trees and festive lights blanketed by snow.

Sport

• Super Bowl Sunday - the world’s most watched sporting event and one of the highest grossing TV days of the year, Superbowl Sunday is a spectacular extravaganza. Held the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl is the final playoff game between the NFL’s top two teams. The venue rotates every year around America, yet the local parties seem to remain. Pubs, bars and restaurants are great places to enjoy the Superbowl or locals throw their own parties with different variations of betting.
• The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.

Weather

Milwaukee's location in the Great Lakes Region often has rapidly changing weather, producing a humid continental climate, with cold, windy, snowy winters, and warm, humid summers. The warmest month of the year is July, when the 24-hour average is 22.1 °C, while January is the coldest month, with a 24-hour average of -5.4 °C. Of the 50 largest cities in the United States, Milwaukee has the second-coldest average annual temperature, after Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Because of Milwaukee's proximity to Lake Michigan, a convection current forms around mid-afternoon in light wind, resulting in the so-called "lake breeze" - a smaller scale version of the more common sea breeze. The lake breeze is most common between the months of March and July. This onshore flow causes cooler temperatures to move inland usually 8 to 24 kilometres, with much warmer conditions persisting further inland. Residents refer to this phenomenon with the phrase "cooler near the lake". Because Milwaukee's official climate site, General Mitchell International Airport, is only 5 kilometres from the lake, seasonal temperature variations are less extreme than in many other locations of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

As the sun sets, the convection current reverses and an offshore flow ensues causing a land breeze. After a land breeze develops, warmer temperatures flow east toward the lakeshore, sometimes causing high temperatures during the late evening. The lake breeze is not a daily occurrence and will not usually form if a southwest, west, or northwest wind generally exceeds 15 mph. The lake moderates cold air outbreaks along the lakeshore during winter months.

Aside from the lake's influence, overnight lows in downtown Milwaukee year-round are often much warmer than suburban locations because of the urban heat island effect. Onshore winds elevate daytime relative humidity levels in Milwaukee as compared to inland locations nearby.

Thunderstorms in the region can be dangerous and damaging, bringing hail and high winds. In rare instances, they can bring a tornado. However, almost all summer rainfall in the city is brought by these storms. In spring and fall, longer events of prolonged, lighter rain bring most of the precipitation. A moderate snow cover can be seen on or linger for many winter days, but even during meteorological winter, on average, over 40% of days see less than 2.5 cm on the ground.

Milwaukee tends to experience highs that are 32 °C on or above 7 days per year, and lows at or below -18 °C) on 6–7 nights. Extremes range from 41 °C set on July 24, 1934 down to -32 °C on both January 17, 1982 and February 4, 1996. The 1982 event, also known as Cold Sunday, featured temperatures as low as -40 °C in some of the suburbs as little as 10 miles to the north of Milwaukee.

Getting There

By Plane

General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is located about 5 miles (8 kilometres) from the central business district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It mainly serves other US cities, though there are international flights to Toronto and seasonal flights to Cancun.

To/from the airport
Badger Coach has frequent trips between Mitchell Airport, Downtown Milwaukee, Madison, Johnson Creek, and Goerkes Corners. Milwaukee County Transit System Route 80 serves the Airport with a $2.25 fare to anywhere in the county. Amtrak has a station platform 3/4 of a mile from the airport and uses the Wisconsin Coach Lines operates frequently to the two Chicago Airports: O'Hare Airport (ORD), Midway Airport (MDW) and to Waukesha, Milwaukee (Downtown Amtrak/Greyhound Station), Racine, and Kenosha.

By Train

Two trains, operated by Amtrak travel to and from Milwaukee:

• The Empire Builder, operated by Amtrak, travels between Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington, stopping en route in a number of places in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee.
• The Hiawatha travels between Chicago and Milwaukee, also stopping on the international airport of Milwaukee.

By Car

I-94 comes in from Madison to the west, and continues to Chicago to the south.
I-43 will get you to the city from Green Bay from the north, and continues south-west to Beloit.
I-41 approaches the Milwaukee area from Fond du Lac and other Fox Valley cities to the north.

By Bus

Milwaukee is served by several interstate bus lines daily, there is competition on most routes as well as onward connections. Book a few weeks ahead online for the best prices. Most buses stop at or across the street from the Milwaukee Intermodal Station (where all trains stop as well) on St Paul Street on the south edge of Downtown Milwaukee. Chartered tours of Milwaukee are also arranged from cities in the region, and there are casino charters from across the Midwest.

By Boat

Lake Express high speed ferry operates several daily trips across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, MI. The ferry docks on the south side of the port near Bayview. No winter service.

Getting Around

By Car

Getting around in Milwaukee is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the city, including most of the suburbs, starting roughly where the Milwaukee and Menominee rivers meet. All numbered streets run north-south, increasing in number as you head west from 1st Street. Most named streets go east-west, with the notable exception of streets east of 1st St. Standard blocks are 1/8th of a mile long north to south, and 1/12th of a mile east to west.
Parking outside the Downtown/East Side is overall a non-issue. Traffic conditions vary.

Parking Downtown and in some business districts (on the East Side, in some suburbs) costs money. Keep an eye out for electronic meters: there will be a number on a post at each space, and you need it to pay at a machine down the block (cards accepted). Visitors parking overnight on city streets should call the City at +1 414 286-8300 by 1:00am to request parking permission.

Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.

For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.

By Public Transport

Milwaukee's bus system, MCTS, has an extensive coverage area (85% of Milwaukee County) and core routes with very frequent service. Outlying suburbs have shorter hours, slower and less-frequent service. Express buses called "Freeway Flyers" provide excellent service from park and ride lots across the county to Downtown as well as to Brewers games and festivals saving you the hassle of traffic, parking and worries of drunk driving. Express buses called "UBuses" offer service to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. MCTS also serves Mitchell International Airport with both a local bus and a new, more express route; see Get In for details. Most routes run from about 5:00am until at least midnight.

By Bike

Milwaukee was awarded bronze status from the League of American Bicyclists in 2004 and again in 2009. A bike map is available from the city or for sale at local shops. Weather permitting, Milwaukee is a very pleasant place to bicycle. There are several separated bike lanes and network of leisurely trails called the Oak Leaf Trail. Some are even limited access paths (think: bike freeway) as well as 105 kilometres of on-street bike lanes and 120 kilometres of signed bike routes (the city aims to raise that number to several hundred miles of on-street bike lanes as streets are re-paved).

Bublr Bikes is Milwaukee's bikeshare system. Bike stations are mostly concentrated in the greater downtown area and the East Side. Single rides cost $3 for 30 minutes and can be paid for with a credit card at any bike station. Bublr also sells 30-day passes online for $15, which allows for unlimited free rides in 60-minute increments; you can avoid additional charges by returning a bike within that time frame and hopping on a new one.

Eat

With its immigrant heritage, Milwaukee is a major restaurant city. Good local restaurants serve almost every kind of food imaginable, usually quite cheaply. Different neighbourhoods have different specialities when it comes to food. The majority of mid-range, non-chain places within Downtown are located on Milwaukee Street or near Cathedral Square east of the river.

On the East Side, you can head over to the intersection of North and Farwell Avenues, where you'll find local favorites like Beans & Barley (healthy/organic), Pizza Man (burned to the ground in early 2010), Von Trier's (German), the BBC (bar & grill), and the Twisted Fork (pasta). Louisa's is also a great Italian restaurant. A bit farther up Oakland Ave, near Locust Street (near the UW-Milwaukee Campus), you'll find an exciting variety of restaurants including the Oakland Trattoria (Mediterranean), Sharazad (Middle Eastern), Lula's Cafe (East African), Thai Kitchen, and Oakland Gyros (Greek).

The Third Ward has many places, some with river-side seating in the summer (such as the Milwaukee Ale House on Water Street). Coquette Cafe, on Milwaukee Street, is the owned by the same chef as the critically acclaimed Sanford.

Kinnickinnic Avenue in Bay View is also lined with different places, including local favorite Lulu (at Howell), and Honeypie (Midwestern comfort food with locally sourced ingredients).

National Avenue around 6th Street has several Mexican restaurants, although they can also be found throughout the entire south side.

Drink

Milwaukee has a strong culture with a large number of unique local places despite the onslaught of Starbucks. Some are open late, until Midnight or so.

There's no shortage of night life in the Brew City. Milwaukeeans spend more (per capita) on entertainment than the citizenry of any other major American city, and you can bet that a good percentage of that entertainment is served in liquid form. Despite the amount of money spent on it, drinking is still very cheap. Expect to pay $4 for a decent local beer or import, $2 for a Pabst, Hamm's, Old Style or Schlitz. Read the specials boards, there are often great deals, for instance, a pint of a dark local micro-brew for $2 several places on Thursday and many places have $1 PBR or Old Style. Cover is only charged at some places with live music, bigger clubs, or if there is a special very cheap drink night. Every bar can serve you mixed drinks, but wine is less popular. Closing time is an early 2AM during the week and 2:30AM on Friday and Saturday. All retail alcohol sales stop at 9PM.

With 957 licensed taverns its hard to go thirsty. There is a corner bar at least every few blocks, no matter where you are in Milwaukee. Plus there are several handfuls of licensed dance halls (what kids call clubs and venues these days), if you want to get your groove on. Other popular nighttime activities include bowling (black-light bowling at midnight), movies, concerts, and theater.

Many of the main places to go out in Milwaukee are concentrated in a few different areas, which are easy to walk around and bar-hop within. Cabs are also easy to hail Downtown and on the East Side.

Downtown the biggest bar street is Water St with a heavy drinking scene. Across the river to the west is Old World 3rd St with some German-inspired taverns and sports bars (it's near the Bradley Center arena). Back across the river and up the hill to the east is Milwaukee Street, hosting a wide range of classier, more upscale small bars.

The East Side has two of the city's main bar areas: on Brady Street and on North Ave between Oakland and Prospect.

Brady Street is full of people outside during the summer and has a mix of different bars, cafes, and restaurants.

Sleep

Visitors to Milwaukee find it easiest to stay in or near downtown, where most of the city's hotels are located. Milwaukee doesn't have any youth hostels, but the city has an array of hotels to meet most budgets. There is a hostel being developed in Walkers Point called Third Coast Inn. There is a small bed and breakfast district on the Westside.

Cheap hotels can be found on the Near South Side as well as the North Side, the quality of these tends to reflect the average quality of life in the areas these are in, hence may not be up to the standards of relatively affluent travelers.

More generic cheaper hotels are located outside the urban city. For instance, there is a strip of budget hotels on College Ave near Mitchell International Airport. Near most interstates you can also find chain hotels.

• Aloft Milwaukee Downtown, 1230 N Old World 3rd St, ☎ +1 414 226-0122, toll-free: +1-866-716-8143. On the Milwaukee River. Sleek new hotel.
• Ambassador Hotel, 2308 W Wisconsin Ave. On the Westside, just west of Marquette University and Downtown on Wisconsin Ave. Once infamous as the temporary residence of the serial killer Jeffery Dahmer, the Ambassador was painstakingly renovated to its former art deco glamor. Milwaukee's most grand affordable hotel. Premium cable, refrigerator, microwave and Wi-Fi included.
• Ambassador Inn, 2301 W Wisconsin Ave, ☎ +1 414 342-8400, toll-free: +1-800-325-3535. Just across the street from the more elegant but more expensive Ambassador Hotel listed above. Free internet.
• AmeriSuites, Airport - 200 W Grange Ave, West - 11777 W Silver Spring Dr, ☎ +1 414 744-3600, +1 414 462-3500.
• Hampton Inn Milwaukee, 176 W Wisconsin Ave, ☎ +1 414 271-4656, toll-free: +1-888-271-4656. Right on Wisconsin Ave in the heart of Downtown. Free internet, newspaper, breakfast.
• Knickerbocker on the Lake, 1028 E Juneau Ave, ☎ +1 414 276-8500, fax: +1 414 276-3668, e-mail: [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. $100-200.
• MainStay Suites, 1001 W College Ave, ☎ +1 414 571-8800, fax: +1 414 571-8820, e-mail: [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. At the southern edge of the city, near the airport.
• Wisco Hotel Group's Milwaukee Airport Hospitality Park, toll-free: +1-888-522-WISC (9472). Four hotels (Candlewood Suites, Comfort Suites Milwaukee Airport, Fairfield Inn & Suites, and Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites) within 2 mi of the airport. Park and Fly packages. 24-hr free shuttle. Free wifi.
• Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 509 W Wisconsin Ave, ☎ +1 414 271-7250, toll-free: +1-800-445-8667. An Art Deco tour-de-force built in 1927, a grand hotel of legendary proportions. It has ballrooms with vaulted ceilings, city views, and period fabrics. Fully restored, with modern amenities. With 730 rooms in the heart of Milwaukee's Westown, the Hilton is adjacent to the Midwest Express Convention Center.
• InterContinental Milwaukee, 139 E Kilbourn Ave, ☎ +1 414 276-8686, toll-free: +1-888-424-6835, fax: +1 414 276-8007. In the heart of downtown. Newly remodeled lobby with modern accents, guest rooms, restaurants, meeting and banquet rooms. Great views of the Milwaukee River, the bustling Theater District, or nearby City Hall.

2* Iron Horse Hotel, 500 W Florida St, ☎ +1 414 374-4766, toll-free: +1-888-543-4766, fax: +1 414 755-0084, e-mail: [email protected]. 100-year-old warehouse in one of the last intact warehouse districts, transformed into a modern boutique hotel. Between downtown, the vibrant restaurants and bars of the near south side and the happening fifth ward. Across the impressive 6th street viaduct from the new Harley-Davidson Museum. A one of a kind upscale hotel geared for business travelers and motorcycle enthusiasts alike.

• Hotel Metro, 411 E Mason St, ☎ +1 414 272-1937, toll-free: +1-877-638-7620. A boutique hotel with Deco accents. They offer a variety of different room types (including luxury spa suites, pet-friendly suites, and meeting suites), as well as amenities such as 24-hr concierge and room service. A very central yet quiet location just blocks from the Milwaukee and Water Street entertainment areas, downtown museums, the theater district, and the RiverWalk. Green certified. Great rooftop garden/bar in summer.
• Pfister Hotel, 424 E Wisconsin Ave, ☎ +1 414 273-8222, toll-free: +1-800-472-4403, e-mail: [email protected]. Milwaukee's most famous and luxurious hotel, which has been serving visiting VIPs since 1893. Blocks from all of downtown's most exciting attractions, including the Art Museum and the Third Ward. Even if you can't afford to stay, it's worth your time to take a walk through the building and explore the spectacular lobby, or check out the museum's impressive art collection.

Work

Milwaukee is home to several Fortune 500 companies; in fact, the metropolitan region (defined as the Milwaukee-West Allis-Waukesha area) was "ranked number five in the nation when measuring the number of Fortune 500 companies as a share of the population - just behind the number four Minneapolis-St. Paul region in Minnesota". The area has a wide employment base, with companies ranging from high-tech and specialty manufacturing firms (GE Medical, Harley Davidson) to retail and finance corporations (Kohl's, Northwestern Mutual).

Learn

The largest university is the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee with around 30,000 students. Other schools include Marquette University, Alverno College, Cardinal Stritch University, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Mount Mary College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Concordia University Wisconsin, Lakeland College, and Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology.

Keep Connected

Internet

There is a very small internet bar/cafe culture in the USA. Even then most of the internet bars/cafes tend be located in major urban centers. Accessible WiFi networks, however, are common. The most generally useful WiFi spots are in coffee shops, fast-food chains, and bookshops, but also restaurants and hotels more and more have a network to connect on. Some of them might require you to buy something and you might need a password too, especially in hotels.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The general emergency phone number is 911. The USA has a great landline phone system that is easy to use. The country code for the U.S. is +1. The rest of the telephone number consists of 10 digits: a 3-digit area code, and a 7-digit number. Any small grocery store or pharmacy has pre paid domestic or international phone cards. These phone cards are very cheap and offer good rates. The once ubiquitous pay phone is now much harder to find. Likely locations include in or near stores and restaurants, and near bus stops. The cellphone network in the states is slowly getting better but is still not as good when compared to other western countries. Cell phones tend to operate using different frequencies (850 MHz and 1900 MHz) from those used elsewhere in the world (2100 MHz). This used to prevent most foreign phones from working in America. Phones must be tri- or quad-band to work in the U.S. Fortunately, technology has meant that most phones should now be able to pick up one of the U.S. networks. Prepaid phones and top-up cards can be purchased at mobile phone boutiques and at many discount, electronics, office supply and convenience stores. A very basic handset with some credit can be had for under $40.

Post

The US Postal Service is a very good and well priced mail system. There are post offices in every small and large town for sending packages internationally or domestically. Although some might keep longer hours, most are open at least between 9:00am and 5:00pm. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. First-class international airmail postcards and letters (up 28.5 grams) cost $1.10. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS, TNT and DHL, which might be better value sometimes and are generally very quick and reliable too.

External Links

• Official Website