How cosmo is Milwaukee and how does its cultural amenities rank? (West Allis: consignment, home)

[sandwiche]

Hi, I'm looking at Milwaukee as a potential home and wondering if it has all the big city cultural amenities to satisfy me.

I'm vegetarian and love eating out. Is Milwaukee's cuisine scene veg friendly? Is there an abundance of authentic ethnic restaurants?

Are there any independent movie theatres?

Does Milwaukee go to sleep at midnight or are there places to have a drink or grab a bite to eat in the wee small hours of the morning?

Any areas offering a selection of record stores and consignment shops?

How walkable, bikeable is Milwaukee?

Is it possible to find an affordab le aparment in the city within walking distance to local grocery stores and cafes?

[EastSideMKE]

Originally Posted by sandwiche

I'm vegetarian and love eating out. Is Milwaukee's cuisine scene veg friendly? Is there an abundance of authentic ethnic restaurants?

While that's definitely not our specialty, there are several restaurants that serve vegetarian and vegan fare.

Beans and Barley, Hotch-A-Do, Palomino, Comet, Riverwest Co-op, Fuel, Roots, and West Bank Cafe are a few that immediately come to mind.

Originally Posted by sandwiche

Are there any independent movie theatres?

Yes. There's the Oriental and the Downer, both located on the East Side.

Originally Posted by sandwiche

Does Milwaukee go to sleep at midnight or are there places to have a drink or grab a bite to eat in the wee small hours of the morning?

Is there a place to grab a drink in Milwaukee?

They don't call us the Nation's Watering Hole for nothing.

There's tons of restaurants that stay open late like Real Chilli, Chopstix, George Webb, Dogg Haus, Hop Sheng, Oakland Gyros, Jalisco, Ma Fischer's, Brick 3 Pizza, StreetZa, etc.

Originally Posted by sandwiche

Any areas offering a selection of record stores and consignment shops?

That one I'm not too sure of. Most of the DJ's I know use Serato now. There's Exclusive Company on Farwell, otherwise IDK.

Originally Posted by sandwiche

How walkable, bikeable is Milwaukee?

Milwaukee is very walkable and bikeable IMO. Most of our neighborhoods exceed 10,000 people per square mile.

Originally Posted by sandwiche

Is it possible to find an affordable aparment in the city within walking distance to local grocery stores and cafes?

Very. Whether you're on the East Side, Riverwest, or Bay View, you're never more than a couple blocks from a grocery store, coffee shop, or bar.

[brewnik]

As far as record stores, The Exclusive Company is the last of the "big" independently owned record stores in Milwaukee (Peaches, 1812 Overture, Atomic, etc), but there's plenty of smaller ones that survive mainly on word of mouth. My favorite is Bullseye Records on the Eastside, which I found by literally stumbling into it one day.

Anyway, you sound like you'd fit right in on the Eastside/Riverwest or in Bay View. I'd suggest the Third Ward too, but you might have a hard time finding something "affordable" there nowadays.

[just1paul]

I'd opt for the eastside myself, but I live here and may be biased. Consignment shops for clothes etc., I believe there are a few on Brady Street, but I can't speak for Bay view or Third ward.

[milwaukeeproud]

KK between Russell and Potter have a nice stretch of record stores (Rushmor), fashion type places (Luv Unlimited), places to eat/drink (Honey Pie, Hue) and coffe shops (Svens, Hi-Fi). Plus it's only a couple of blocks from there to a bunch of other bars/restaurants/coffee shops.

[ladyblue09]

I am also vegetarian and like dining out. I don't think you would have any problem finding places to eat here. So far I've tried Palomino (a bar that serves vegetarian and vegan fare that is really good) and Bombay Sweets (all-vegetarian Indian food that is also extremely inexpensive). There are numerous other vegetarian and ethnic cuisine options here that I just haven't had the time to get to yet.

I would also add that there are some good farmer markets in the area (check out the West Allis farmer market). We also have stores like Whole Foods here. Then there's the Outpost Natural Foods Co-Op, which is a nice veggie-friendly option too.

[claudelle]

Since you mentioned cultural amenities, I will comment briefly on the visual and performing arts scene. First you always have to keep in mind that being so close to Chicago has its advantages and disadvantages.

Milwaukee has many professional theatre companies --the number varies from season to season as some of the smaller companies struggle for survival. There is an excellent Repertory theatre built in the old power company located along the Milwaukee River. The Milwaukee Symphony has a full season as well. The Milwaukee Art Museum, located along the shores of Lake Michigan is now known for its exciting architecture, with the addition designed by Santiago Calatrava, with a collection of around 20,000 objects from the earliest periods to current art. In addition, the Milwaukee Public Museum, at the other end of Wisconsin Avenue, is a museum of human and natural history, and also has traveling exhibits. There are art galleries scattered through a number of areas in the city, and there is a fairly vibrant community of artists.

When you tire of what Milwaukee has to offer, Chicago is 90 miles away...but increasingly, we have Chicagoans coming to Milwaukee to enjoy some of our cultural venues as they have easier access and are less expensive.

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by claudelle

Chicago is 90 miles away...

Keep in mind this is downtown Milwaukee to downtown Chicago. Milwaukee city limits to Chicago city limits is only 64 miles and Caledonia to state line is 20miles.