Milwaukee, WI

We Milwaukeeans can be a prideful bunch. Take us on a trip to any other city and you’re likely to hear an awful lot of, “In Milwaukee, [insert bragging comment here].” Sure there is the occasional person who longs for the likes New York or San Francisco, but we generally stand firm in our convictions.

Of course, this tends to cause some friction every now and then with our state’s other well-known city - Madison. The Milwaukee vs Madison debate is an old one, but also one in which everyone seems to have an opinion. I have had some experience living in both cities, and I have a few thoughts of my own. I never intended to bring up the topic, but after taking a trip back to Madison this weekend, I just can’t help myself.

So here it is, my unofficial list of ways in which each city tops the other.

Milwaukee

Mass Transportation
It’s so easy to get around Milwaukee by bus that I plan on selling my car soon. About the only time you’ll ever have a complaint is when trying to get home at 2 am. Other than that, you can get all the way across the city in just 45 minutes. Compare that to an hour long trip to go four miles in Madison.

Grid System
Drop me just about anywhere in Milwaukee that you please. All I have to do is walk to the nearest street corner to tell you where I am and which way I’m going. As long as you know the cross streets, you can just head in a direction and get where you need to go. I can’t imagine who in Madison thought that filling a city with winding roads, one way loops, and dead ends was a good idea. Even when I go out for walks, I stick to a strict path for fear of getting lost in my own neighborhood, which has happened, frequently.

Coffee
“How can you count coffee?” If you have to ask this question, you may need to count yourself among the 48% of Americans who don’t drink coffee on a daily basis. For the rest of us, I have one word - Alterra.

Music
In Milwaukee, music is everywhere. Sure we have Summerfest, the US Cellular Arena, and The Rave, but we also have numerous clubs, music venues, and basement shows galore. If there’s a spot for a stool, someone’s strumming a guitar. If there’s room on a bar for turntables, someone’s spinning records. Even the street corners are fair game. In Milwaukee, the question is not when the show will be, it’s what show will you go to. Whether a pro or con, this also means that Milwaukee is home to an excessive amount of self-proclaimed music snobs.

Art
The Milwaukee Art Museum is known nationwide, so it seems a little unfair to bring it up. Even so, Milwaukee is absolutely overflowing with artistic impulses. It seems like everyone and their mother is a painter, writer, graphic designer, or so forth. Don’t forget Gallery Night, when nearly two hundred galleries, schools, businesses, and even homes open their doors to put the works of local artists on display.

Parks
If you’re in the mood for walking, biking, golfing, frisbee, or just grilling out, Milwaukee has a park for you. Milwaukee doesn’t have nearly as many “official” parks as Madison, but the ones we have are spacious and usable. When I lived in Madison, one of the nearby parks was quite literally a drainage ditch with a sign.

Madison

Biking Community
Biking is one of the loves of my life, so having a good biking community is absolutely key. Milwaukee’s scene is nothing to joke about, but Madison has it beat. The number of bike shops is absolutely staggering. It’s not just weekend warriors either. Madison has some of the most hardcore custom builders in the state.

Fine Dining
Look for a cheap meal in Madison and you generally get what you pay for. I have yet to find any restaurant where a meal for under $10 proves to be anything above average. Open your wallet a little wider to the $20-40 mark, and get ready to taste some of the best dishes the state has to offer. I especially recommend The Casbah and Cocoliquot as two places that everyone in Madison should try at least once.

Crime Rate
I suppose this might be an unfair comparison to make. After all, Milwaukee is a larger city with a much more compact urban area. Even so, Madison is a far more safe place to be at night. Recently, the media splatterd “mugging spree” across papers and TV screens after four people were mugged in a two month period. Back in Milwaukee, the tenth mugging by the same men in two months didn’t even make the headlines.

Downtown
Remember the Petula Clark song?
“Downtown, things will be great when you’re
Downtown, you’ll find a place for sure
Downtown,everything’s waiting for you”
This doesn’t apply to Milwaukee, where it’s practically a ghost-town after 8pm. Go downtown in Madison, from morning to bar time, and there is guaranteed to be something to do, somewhere to go, or someone to talk to.

Conclusion
So there you have it. My personal Milwaukee vs Madison debate. As for the verdict, I have to give the win to Milwaukee. Madison may have it’s advantages, but they don’t lack as much substance in my mind. The biking community barely even applies if you live west of the capitol, you can only spend $20+ for food so often, the crime rate issue is unbalanced to begin with, and the downtown area is fine if you don’t mind the hordes of drunken college students at every turn. Conversely, Milwaukee always has something to offer, regardless of your location or budget. I only lived in Madison for two years, versus seven in Milwaukee, so I can admit that I might be a tad biased. Remember, this is just one man’s opinion.