Here at Milwaukee Record, we employ a sentient machine known as the Great Job, Milwaukee! Bot to keep track of the city’s many appearances on dopey online lists, as well as any time a national publication deigns to acknowledges our Midwest existence. Today’s bot report comes courtesy of the editors at Condé Nast Traveler, who, in their urbanist-minded benevolence, have included Milwaukee on their list of “6 U.S. Cities to Watch in 2017.”
“When it comes to American cities, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles dominate the market—and the conversation,” begins the piece. “Yet the Big Three continuing to grow more crowded (and more expensive) has proved advantageous to other cities across the country, which attract people with cheaper rents, space to create, and local cultural and culinary movements.” The bit on Milwaukee goes like this:
Long overshadowed by its Midwest neighbors Chicago (92 miles), Minneapolis (337 miles), and state sister Madison (79 miles), Milwaukee has many, if not all, of the same qualities that make these sister cities buzz—and then some. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, and at the convergence of three rivers, Milwaukee is, ironically, a water city in the middle of the country. Its ecologically diverse location makes it a hotbed of locavore cuisine, and a spate of award-winning restaurants have helped the city shed its beer-and-cheese reputation: Pay a visit to restaurants Ardent, Wolf Peach, Odd Duck, and the Vanguard to see what we mean. New hotels are arriving, too: A Kimpton hotel opened in the historic Third Ward in June 2016, and in June 2017, a 220-room Westin Hotel will open downtown—the first one in Wisconsin. Come summer, the city is an endless party, with more than 40 festivals between June and September. Don’t miss the Milwaukee Art Museum, which, with 25,000 works of art, is one of the biggest in the country; bar-hopping the “tied” houses; or the Pabst Mansion and Theatre, both named after the famed beer family.
Also included on the list are the usual suspects: Baltimore, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Fort Worth, and Detroit. What makes them all “watch”-worthy, besides nice restaurants and hotels? Who knows! Great job, Milwaukee!