Milwaukee or Baltimore

[Milwaukee City]

Ohare 1 hour in a car, really? Wouldn't that require no cops, no construction, 80mph, open road, no toll backup, stars aligning..

I have made it from the Mitchell Interchange down to Roosevelt ave in the south loop in exactly one hour! yes I was driving 80mph!

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by tully

I take this train a lot. I agree it's impractical for commuting due to limited stops and length of trip. There are plenty of business riders but I'd say the majority are pleasure trips or airport trips. (THRONGS of airport trippers.. the Mitchell stop was one of the smarter transport expenditures in recent years..)

For regular commuting, I think 1 hour is a must-have for a lot of people. At least I see it mentioned in realty listings in the Northeast all the time. I assume Chicago residents may have the same psychological barrier

Hiawatha is crowded enough as it is, but if it goes sub-1hr I think they'll need to add an extra car or two from strain of ridership. That's assuming they don't jack the ticket price to pay for upgrades. (they shouldn't, if Fed funds it...)

Ohare 1 hour in a car, really? Wouldn't that require no cops, no construction, 80mph, open road, no toll backup, stars aligning..

There is no reason to not get a toll pass for an Milwaukean that frequents Chicago or vice versa, even if you used it sparingly. I've always had one, though I've lived in both cities, so that answers toll back up. Open road tolling is great.

With that said, all of your other things do need to happen, except for all stars aligning. I've literally done this early-mid afternoon on Friday's even in past years. No, I have not done it during the construction mess this past year in Chicago's North burbs and near the border.

There have always been few cops once you get to the Illinois side of the border. They have other things to do. Cops on the Milwaukee to Chicago trip and back are in Kenosha and Racine mostly. They also exist in the near South Side inner rung burbs. Once you get across the border, cops aren't an issue too much.

Having lived in Chicago, and needing a car and needing to drive for a lot of that time, I always feel bad for the posters who post that they have a new job in Chicago in a West of 294 burb yet they want to live in the city there. And, they also want to drive the commute. It is longer and more stressful than driving from Milwaukee to O'Hare much of the time. Believe me, I'd know. If Mitchell had more direct flights, and had other airlines such as Southwest, etc..I'd be a bigger fan.

The Amtrack trip isn't cheap if you do it often. It is however much, much more relaxing and stress free. ....yeah I have a lot of tricks of the trade down in both cities....like the better places to Park near Wrigley off of Racine, etc...you name it, I've probably done it in terms of driving in both cities and both burbs, i.e...where to park for games at the BC in Milwaukee or wherever.

[Milwaukee City]

There is no reason to not get a toll pass for an Milwaukean that frequents Chicago or vice versa, even if you used it sparingly. I've always had one, though I've lived in both cities, so that answers toll back up. Open road tolling is great.

This comes highly recommended from me, when I first moved back I said why not get an IPASS? back then I would rarely go down to Chicago. But with the Ipass tolls are half off and why stop and pay with change or dollars when you can zip through at 80mph b/c there is never any cops on Chicago area freeways and everyone drives 75-85. I wish Milwaukee sheriffs take up this strategy. Even if you go down to Chicago once a year it's worth it!

[Milwaukee City]

Here's an interesting fact:

Downtown Milwaukee-Downtown Madison 78.2 miles.

Milwaukee City Limits-Madison City Limits 63.0 miles.

Downtown Milwaukee-Downtown Chicago 90.3 miles.

Milwaukee City Limits-Chicago City Limits 68.6 miles.

I would say if your going to spend an hour in a car you might as well just drive to Chicago if you live in Milwaukee.

[Fishtacos]

I don't agree with your last comment across the board. It is MUCH less stressful to drive 43N from Milwaukee to Sheboygan WI, zero to little traffic almost always, than even driving the hour to O'Hare.

Again, time of day is a huge factor. The worst time to drive from Milwaukee to Chicago or to O'Hare is 7-9 AM or so. 10am-2pm is the best day time. And, after 7 or 8pm, Sun-Wed or so generally speaking.

[thisteensy]

Hey can someone on this thread compare some neighborhoods in Milwaukee with neighborhoods in Baltimore? I used to live in Milwaukee, and now I'm moving to Baltimore (after a 4-year layover in The Netherlands).

I'm looking for something walkable and kind of funky, so:

Milwaukee/Baltimore
---------------------------
North Point (Downer Ave.)/?
Lower East Side (Brady Street)/?
Bay View (KK)/?
Riverwest/?

[militarymom]

Im in the DC area now and grew up in a suburb of mke. The weather is about the same. Same type of summers, same amount of humidity, warmer winters though and shorter as well--not as much snow. They are two totally different cities. I would say the crime is similar however a previous poster pointed out specifics. I know mke isn't the 'safest' either so it really depends on what area of the city you live. There is a HELL of a lot more to do in baltimore than in mke however so if you're into going out (other than to places to shop or eat) you might want to look into baltimore. Significantly more options for daytrips/weekend getaways. The traffic near and around dc is worse. It all comes down to what you like, what you enjoy doing in your free time, what your style is.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by militarymom

Im in the DC area now and grew up in a suburb of mke. The weather is about the same. Same type of summers, same amount of humidity, warmer winters though and shorter as well--not as much snow. They are two totally different cities. I would say the crime is similar however a previous poster pointed out specifics. I know mke isn't the 'safest' either so it really depends on what area of the city you live. There is a HELL of a lot more to do in baltimore than in mke however so if you're into going out (other than to places to shop or eat) you might want to look into baltimore. Significantly more options for daytrips/weekend getaways. The traffic near and around dc is worse. It all comes down to what you like, what you enjoy doing in your free time, what your style is.

I don't agree with your weather comments nor your things to do comments. But I do agree that it comes down to what you like and want.

[jonjj]

I have lived in both and here is my take.
Nothing in Baltimore can come close to Milwaukee's lakefront. That is truely a jewel for Milwaukee and I really don't think many cities have that great kind of parkland and space for the public like Milwaukee has. I used to love riding my bike all along it and through all of the parks on the eastside.

For weather, I miss Milwaukee summers. Baltimore is hotter than hell and it is consistent all summer long. Milwaukee has some hot humid days but you get a break every now and then. In Baltimore-no breatk. It's hot till the middle of September. But, I would still take Baltimore because the hot summers pay off with much better springs, falls, and winters than Milwaukee. I used to hate Milwaukee in March-April-May-grey and cloudy all the time. Stuff starts growing and blooming here the first week of March. Now I also have to add that the HOT summers of Baltimore give me lots of excuses to head to the ocean or the mountains. So, for weather----Baltimore all the way!

Things to Do? Milwaukee is downright boring at times. That may be nice if you are a boring kind of person but I'm not. Baltimore is always busy; people walking everywhere, better transit-(metro, light rail, MARC trains, even water taxis. The downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods are always bustling with people and stuff to do. Lots more theater in Baltimore, music, etc.

In terms of crime, even though Baltimore is set to break another record this year in terms of lower homicides, etc.; it still has a high crime rate and caution is necessary at night. Both cities have their tough neighborhoods and I avoid them. I will say Milwaukee's tough neighborhoods are like kiddy-lands to Baltimores. I mean some of Baltimore's are downright frightening. Hence, "The Wire".

Location-Baltimore. (ocean, mountains, convenient train service everywhere). But I do love the lakes of northern Wisconsin. I have a cabin up near Three Lakes and still love to go there.

Having said all that, I guess I agree with the above poster: It boils down to what you like and want.

[bmoregrk24]

If you are not in the drug game and don't plan on moving to the deep inner cities neighborhoods of East and West Baltimore then you'll be safe. In addition, if you don't sell drugs, guns, etc you'll be safe. Most of Bmore's crime is fueled by the drug trade. If your not a corner boy, middle man or consumer of dope then your safe! Ok now that crime segement is out of the way lets focus on Charm City's attractions.

First, the Baltimore area has a bunch of great schools from good public schools to top notch college prep and private schools. IF you want to live in the city then the trendy neighborhoods like fells, canton, federal hill, brewers hill are all close to the bars and fun things to do but those areas tend to be over priced. Outside Baltimore city is Baltimore County, which basically is a horse shoe around the city. Areas such as White Marsh, Perry Hall, Rosedale, Essex, Towson, Arbutus, Lutherville are close to the city and offer access to a variety of locations such as shcools, bars, sporting fields, malls etc. Furthermore, most neighborhoods in the county are close to the city but far enough to avoid the heavy crime. We have 4 seasons and the summer heat will be picking up soon. Although it has resembled more of Seattle latly, cold and wet for the past few weeks. Also consider that DC is only 40 mins to the south, Philly is 90 mins north and NYC is about 3 and half hours north, Atlantic City, NJ is 2 hours. All straight shot up 95.

Charm City!