Though we as a city seem to have collectively moved past requiring validation from outside sources in order to justify our existence, it’s still nice when people sing Milwaukee’s praises. Following a particularly nasty Midterm Election advertising cycle with oodles of anti-Milwaukee sentiment and a Brewers World Series run that inspired shortsighted (if not downright awful) commentary from mainstream media turds and engagement-farming social media idiots alike, we must admit it’s refreshing to witness an outside source visiting our misunderstood metro and almost instantly falling in love with it.
That outside source is Wendall, a British travel vlogger who visits places all over the U.S. and beyond to provide viewers with visual accounts of what cities are really like—warts and all. The latest adventure posted on the @WendallExplores page finds him spending a day right here in Milwaukee. Though its title—”Just An Englishman Day Drinking In America’s Drunkest City”—might make you question the tone and intent, the near-40-minute video gradually turns into an effusive love letter to Milwaukee, its people, and the lower East Side neighborhood (and yes, one place in Riverwest) in general.
The video begins with Wendall preparing to board The Hop (“You know a city is doing well for itself when it provides a free tram system around the city center.”), then walking to the internationally famous likes of Wolski’s. From there, he bounces around iconic neighborhood haunts like Y-Not II, The Standard, Thurman’s 15, and Jamo’s. At each stop, he seems to grow increasingly enamored with the neighborhood, the city in general, and the dirt cheap drink prices as he interacts with friendly bartenders and charismatic, down-to-earth bar patrons who all sing Milwaukee’s praises. “I think the American dream is still alive here in Milwaukee,” Wendall says at one point.
Before video’s end, Wendall also encounters Urban Milwaukee columnist Michael Horne, who takes him to his house, shows him around his basement, and asks him to help bring his trash bins to the curb before sending him across the river to finish his day drinking jaunt at Uptowner. It’s a fun video that shows some places many of us have been to in a new light. If you want to watch an English guy experience Milwaukee’s rich tavern culture in real time, check out the video below.