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Post by mikeyd on Jan 11, 2021 8:45:36 GMT -5
My daughter is considering attending Marquette U in Milwaukee next fall. For those who live in/near, or know about the area, tell me your thoughts on the city. The good, bad, fun, 'good to know' kind of stuff. Thanks!
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Jan 11, 2021 9:31:09 GMT -5
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Post by HeavyDuty on Jan 11, 2021 9:46:07 GMT -5
Milwaukee is probably my favorite full blown city - I’ve lived most of my life two hours or less away, and have regularly used it for getaways. It’s a foodie town, and has several trendy areas that appeal to kids - Marquette really isn’t in one of those unless things have changed, but it is certainly close enough to the Third Ward to enjoy. Milwaukee has some very rough neighborhoods, but outside those I’ve never felt particularly threatened anywhere I’ve gone. The lakefront is a spectacular string of parks, a new streetcar system is being built out that would give her easy access to the lower East Side restaurants and bars. It’s a young city with an appreciation of its history.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Jan 11, 2021 9:49:06 GMT -5
Too bad JimmySee isn’t around any more - he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the city and surrounding area.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 11, 2021 10:00:35 GMT -5
Jimmy was last online 1/1/21. Did I miss something?
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Post by Laker on Jan 11, 2021 10:56:59 GMT -5
I’ve lived an hour’s drive from Milwaukee most of my life and have played at many locations in that area, enjoyed dining there, and have enjoyed the many festivals that occur during the year. Because of the current Covid situation most activities have been temporarily suspended, but hopefully things will begin to open up with the introduction of the vaccines. The Third Ward offers several performing arts venues and a popular area for music (and bars) is Brady Street on the lower East side. There is the Pettit Ice Center offering indoor ice skating, the Harley Museum, Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, Milwaukee Art Museum, and much more. It it is a short drive from Milwaukee to the Kettle Moraine area, Holy Hill, Madison, and Chicago. In their seasons there are also Milwaukee Bucks games and Brewers games.
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Post by Ricketi on Jan 11, 2021 11:38:07 GMT -5
I grew up in Milwaukee and live in a suburb of Milwaukee. I passed this along to my daughter and asked for her input as she is more wiser to what's happening. This is her input. It is a bit long.
As I've not attended MU I can't speak to the college specifically. A lot of folks that send their kids to/attend MU from out of town are surprised to learn its location. It's in an urban area, rather than rural and situated very near the heart of downtown Milwaukee so I would encourage you to research the location and perhaps find some forums that give more detail to dorms, the campus experience, tips etc. I do have many friends who have attended this school and are great success stories (Dentists, orthodontists, Milwaukee circuit court judge, lawyers, and so on) and often speak to their time in college and the great culture which they're still very much a part of. And if you're into sports (playing or spectating) it's a great experience, especially basketball.
All that said, the city of Milwaukee and its surrounding neighborhood community has a lot to offer, you can find activities, like-minded people (or not like-minded, if that's what you prefer) for whatever you're into. It's a little different at the moment due to the pandemic, but hopefully it will start to return to 'normal' in the coming months. The food scene is very underrated in Mke - often referred to as Chicago's little sister. Neighborhoods like Walker's Point, Bay View, Third Ward and the East Side have no shortage of amazing local restaurants/coffee shops. Those areas are a short cab/uber/lyft away - I'm sure there are some locations on campus that are a student favorite (I've not been on the campus scene with friends in nearly 20 years so I'm sure it's changed, haha) Our winters can feel long and cold, so we take advantage of the 'warmer' months (which can mean anywhere from 55F-90F) - in my, and many others' opinions, summer in Milwaukee cannot be beat. There are festivals nearly every week/weekend, everything from literally the largest music festival in the world, Summerfest, to ethnic festivals, smaller street festivals, beer gardens and beyond. Plus lots of events organized by local bars/restaurants, sports leagues, sand volleyball...which leads me to: Lake Michigan - people who've not visited here (or Chicago) before are usually shocked to see how large Lake Michigan is - it seems like an ocean (if you're from FL or CA that might not be super impressive) - Bradford Beach is usually packed on hot summer days and there are tons of boat cruises and on-the-water events throughout the season - even surfing. Even through the cold, there are some festivals in the winter, Bay View's Mittenfest for example. Outdoor food/drink/music - in February! Also several ski/tubing hills (official and unofficial) within driving distance. Perhaps there are even some I am unaware of that the students use. I personally love the culture in Milwaukee as a whole, as with any city you have to make an effort to find what suits you. I would encourage looking into downloading any apps and/or finding the social media accounts of some of our community organizations to find info on local events, activities, groups etc. Newaukee Milwaukee Record Visit Milwaukee My friend Judge Derek Mosley who is our very own, very loveable city influencer
I'm sure parts of Milwaukee's reputation precedes it, but every city has its areas of improvement and thing about Milwaukeeans is, they love to make sure people see its many positives.
Last but not least, Dear MKE has produced some AMAZING videos about Milwaukee. - this features a student at MU specifically - general - Milwaukee Film Festival - surfing Now that I've written a novel - good luck in your decision and I'm sure you'd love Milwaukee! -- Nicole designsteinmke.com
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matryx81
Wholenote
I think I know the reason but I can't spell it.
Posts: 771
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Post by matryx81 on Jan 11, 2021 12:23:08 GMT -5
This is the first thing I think of when I hear Milwaukee.
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jellybones
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Formerly Known As: Gelee Bon (en francais)
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Post by jellybones on Jan 11, 2021 12:50:53 GMT -5
Great town, especially in the summer. Affordable and the people are welcoming. You can hop on the Amtrak and be in downtown Chicago in 90 minutes if you want to attend music events, etc. here.
By the way, Marquette has a great alumni network, especially in MKE and Chicago.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Jan 11, 2021 13:48:00 GMT -5
Jimmy was last online 1/1/21. Did I miss something? Wait - did he take a new name?
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Post by Ragtop on Jan 11, 2021 13:59:16 GMT -5
I've been there a couple times. The people are very friendly. And they call the drinking fountain a "bubbler." Weird, eh?
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Post by Mfitz804 on Jan 11, 2021 14:38:12 GMT -5
Jimmy was last online 1/1/21. Did I miss something? Wait - did he take a new name? No, he has been and still is fkaJimmySee. Member in good standing.
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Post by NoSoapRadio on Jan 11, 2021 15:16:08 GMT -5
Back in the 90s I was traveling a lot to Milwaukee for work. By chance, every trip I made there was in the dead of winter -- I've only seen the city when it was frozen and gray, so that's my impression of the area.
I ended up there on the Friday before the Superbowl between the Pats and Packers. I was headed back to Boston and got dropped off at the airport -- General Mitchell I think. At the time it was pretty tiny compared to the airports I was used to. My flight was delayed so I had a couple hours to kill. I parked myself at the bar -- as I recall, it was the only one in the terminal, and ordered some lunch and a beer. You couldn't ignore the fact that dozens of people in the terminal were wearing Cheesehead hats -- including the barmaid. I thought this was hilarious and said so to the young lady. During the ensuing conversation I made the mistake of admitting I was from Boston -- which *she* thought was hilarious considering the circumstances.
Evidently she was pretty popular there and people were dropping by to say Hi. She took every opportunity to introduce me as her "friend from Boston" which generally was followed by tongue-in-cheek condolences for the ass whipping my team was going to take on Sunday. This was the Parcells/Bledsoe era. While there was hope, we had not yet grown Brady balls and had no reason to think the Pats would prevail. So I had to take it -- people were stopping by, sporting cheese hats, just to trash talk the guy from Boston -- and then buy me a beer. It was like being at home trading crap with my friends. By the time I had to board my flight, I was half in the wrapper and I still had about six full beers in front of me.
It was the most fun I've ever had on a business trip -- and it was just in an airport bar. This is my impression of the people of Milwaukee.
The Packers beat the Pats, 35 - 21.
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Post by dadzmad on Jan 11, 2021 15:40:07 GMT -5
I live about an hour from downtown Milwaukee. My wife worked for Sinai Samaritan including the former hospital just north of Marquette. She also did in home pre natal care coordination on the north side for many years with only one bad incident with shooting involved. That said she loves going to Milwaukee. Two of my kids graduated from UWM on the east side. They grew up in a very rural area and I think the urban exposure did them a lot of good.
As said above Marquette is in the heart of the city and areas can go from good to bad in a block or so but not worse than any other city of the size. Seems like urban life in many cities has gotten better in the last decade but taken an edgier tone in the past year or so.
Milwaukee is a great place with fine folks, food, music and "lake effect" climate.
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hilltop87
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My Strat is my friend
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Post by hilltop87 on Jan 11, 2021 17:56:48 GMT -5
I enjoy Milwaukee. I miss the old County Stadium. Best MLB tailgating ever.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Jan 11, 2021 18:02:34 GMT -5
Wait - did he take a new name? No, he has been and still is fkaJimmySee. Member in good standing. Ok, apparently member search doesn’t work even if you wildcard. Searching “jimmy”, “*jimmy” and “*jimmy*” (no quotes) doesn’t turn up anything. My apologies, fkaJimmySee!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2021 18:15:54 GMT -5
I grew up in Milwaukee, went to Marquette High, then MU. I will never leave the area. I will admit to being outside the metro area now by about 40 minutes SW, and a lake home/cabin 3 hours north. I personally avoid highly urban areas when I can. Theres tons of green space/parks and beer gardens. I think it's way more interesting than it was when I was young/in university, more great restaurants and stuff to do. The youngsters I know who live downtown (one son included) just love it. The lakefront, festivals, are all great and getting better. Incredible amounts of millions have recently been dumped downtown ie. Fiserv Forum, the Calatrava and much, much more. There are issues, not unlike any other city, Milwaukee has been and continues to be one of the most segregated cities in America, gun violence every day, there are many ugly stories, but I've never lived anywhere else, so who knows? Compared to other cities, maybe this is Shangra La. I think your daughter will like it here (except winters maybe), Marquette is great. Wisconsin is superb. If you find fun ways of being outside in winter, then you win. They make clothing for that.
ps, I still call them the Warriors
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krrf
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Post by krrf on Jan 11, 2021 18:41:11 GMT -5
Milwaukee is a pretty cool town with lots to do. I lived two hours north and went there many times (there is a good Polish restaurant on the south side). If anyone is a fan of motorcycles, the Harley Davidson museum is a must see. That being said, there are some super rough parts of Milwaukee that are up there with the nation's worst (I grew up in Los Angeles near Compton so I know bad neighborhoods). But much like any big city, steer clear of those areas and you really don't have much to worry about.
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Post by guildx700 on Jan 11, 2021 20:01:13 GMT -5
Although there are some nice areas, overall I never cared for Milw.
I was born and lived in a suburb in Milw. county, St. Francis for 25 years, St. Francis was nice, clean, safe.
Milwaukee as was said does not take very much traveling at all to go from a decent area to very bad/dumpy/high crime/gun shots at night being a regular thing.
I moved 35 miles farther south almost 30 years ago and never looked back.
Other than the occasional trips in to the art museum, Mitchel Park Domes, Botanical Gardens and a few other areas of interest (the public museum SUCKS!) I avoid Milwaukee like the plague.
The lake is cold, smelly & dirty, the park system is unkept, parking is at a premium in downtown proper, the music scene is fair at best, streets are in poor repair, Summerfest which was great decades ago is now simply WAY too crowded to bother attending, the Milw. drinking tap water is horrible, air quality not so good, I don't know where to stop.
For me? No thanks. I avoid Milwaukee. YMMV.
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BillytheKidder
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Post by BillytheKidder on Jan 11, 2021 20:36:18 GMT -5
I don’t know anything about the town, but I suspect that having a Jesuit education on your resume never did anyone any harm. A friend went there in the early ’70s and was very glad he did.
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Post by Ricketi on Jan 11, 2021 23:11:37 GMT -5
Although there are some nice areas, overall I never cared for Milw. I was born and lived in a suburb in Milw. county, St. Francis for 25 years, St. Francis was nice, clean, safe. Milwaukee as was said does not take very much traveling at all to go from a decent area to very bad/dumpy/high crime/gun shots at night being a regular thing. I moved 35 miles farther south almost 30 years ago and never looked back. Other than the occasional trips in to the art museum, Mitchel Park Domes, Botanical Gardens and a few other areas of interest (the public museum SUCKS!) I avoid Milwaukee like the plague. The lake is cold, smelly & dirty, the park system is unkept, parking is at a premium in downtown proper, the music scene is fair at best, streets are in poor repair, Summerfest which was great decades ago is now simply WAY too crowded to bother attending, the Milw. drinking tap water is horrible, air quality not so good, I don't know where to stop. For me? No thanks. I avoid Milwaukee. YMMV. I'm sorry your experience and time in the Milwaukee area was like that. In my 61 years of living in Milwaukee and Milwaukee county it has been the opposite . And thats why I chose to remain here in retirement.
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Post by HenryJ on Jan 12, 2021 8:21:38 GMT -5
I enjoy Milwaukee. I miss the old County Stadium. Best MLB tailgating ever. I've never been to Milwaukee, but I have seen pictures of County Stadium. The exterior looked like baseball was to be played there. It looked less like an office building and more like a baseball park than most of the other Major League stadiums. But I thought it looked coolest in the early days, when there was a stand of evergreen trees behind the center field fence. I would think the green trees would make a great batter's eye. I suppose the tailgating was due to the fact that, when the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953, they were the first team to move after everyone had an automobile, and County Stadium was the first MLB park located in a sea of parking spaces.
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jellybones
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Formerly Known As: Gelee Bon (en francais)
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Post by jellybones on Jan 12, 2021 8:54:13 GMT -5
Tailgating is also big simply because it’s Wisconsin. There’s a reason the Brewers are called the Brew Crew.
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Post by K4 on Jan 12, 2021 9:08:26 GMT -5
I went to 2ng grade in Oak creek and then moved to Milwaukee for 3rd through 9th. I lived on Hampton Ave next to Timmerman field. Me and my buddies used to get chased by airport security all the time. Only got caught once.
I remember it being real cold and lots of snow.
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Post by Ragtop on Jan 12, 2021 11:19:45 GMT -5
I enjoy Milwaukee. I miss the old County Stadium. Best MLB tailgating ever. I went to a game there after sitting in a training class all day. All I wanted was a nice cold Budweiser. Nothing better at the ballpark, that and a bag of peanuts. The Miller Lite guy came around, then the Miller Draft, then the Miller High Life. No Bud. I got impatient and headed down the concourse to get my own Budweiser. Couldn't find a Bud stand. Then it hit me- what an idiot! Duh! I told this story the next day in class, got a big laugh from the locals.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Jan 12, 2021 19:27:26 GMT -5
I went to 2ng grade in Oak creek and then moved to Milwaukee for 3rd through 9th. I lived on Hampton Ave next to Timmerman field. Me and my buddies used to get chased by airport security all the time. Only got caught once. I remember it being real cold and lots of snow. Not knowing your age, but do you remember a Nike site near you?
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Post by K4 on Jan 12, 2021 19:31:47 GMT -5
No Nike. There was a par 3 golf course..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2021 19:48:47 GMT -5
The Nike site was at 51st and Silver Spring. Timmerman is between Hampton and Silver Spring, the eastern boundary being Appleton or 92nd St.
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Post by K4 on Jan 12, 2021 19:53:10 GMT -5
I don't remember Nike, but I never cared for shoes so.......
Still don't. They just are something to protect my feet. I usually wear one pair till they fall apart.
I was at 88th and Hampton, 58 years old.
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Post by HeavyDuty on Jan 13, 2021 9:24:13 GMT -5
The Nike site was at 51st and Silver Spring. Timmerman is between Hampton and Silver Spring, the eastern boundary being Appleton or 92nd St. I was at 88th and Hampton, 58 years old. I need to get back up there and look. My late wife’s father was Army and was stationed at that Nike site in the late 50s or early 60s. They lived nearby off base in a small area of (I think) duplexes that were .gov owned, about two blocks south of Silver Spring. She showed me once many years ago, I bet if I pay attention to the family papers I’m going through I can find the address. She was born in ‘55 so she would have been quite young, and they were only there a year or two before he was moved to Ft. Sill in OK. I don’t know what he did there, but she remembered him bringing her to work and putting her up on a missile. She remembers it moving up and down, but I’m sure that would have been a maintenance lift or similar - she always thought it was on a launcher, but I don’t see that as being very likely. I can’t imagine someone getting their little girl into the actual launch silo. No one in her family is left, so if I don’t remember these things they will be lost. That will happen eventually anyways, we didn’t have kids - but not on my watch.
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