Milwaukee Rising

Often eclipsed by swaggering Chicago, Milwaukee’s charms are easy to miss. It’s more a patchwork of neighborhoods than a big city, but it’s worth the attention. The former industrial powerhouse is rebuilding from the bottom up, the outside in, rejuvenating commerce and culture while retaining its Victorian look. (“We didn’t have the money to tear things down and start from scratch,” one native told me.) Take a weekend to wander and sample the specialties of Milwaukee’s urban renaissance.

Historic Third Ward
Start in the Historic Third Ward, perched on a peninsular patch south of downtown along the Milwaukee River. The artfully restored 19th-century warehouses hum with art galleries, fashion and vintage boutiques, bistros, bars, and brewpubs. The Milwaukee Public Market (400 N. Water St., 414-336-1111), open since 2005, houses a wine bar and shop, coffee roaster/cafe, Middle Eastern deli, specialty grocer, and a spice shop stocked with wares, including a few teas from local merchant Rishi Tea, North America’s leading importer of organic loose-leaf tea.

During Gallery Night and Day, a quarterly event, this small 10-square-block enclave is packed as shoppers rove through its galleries, restaurants, and shops. There are plenty of high-end shopping offerings here, but if you’re up for a bargain, check out Goodwill’s flagship enterprise, Retique.

The Historic Third Ward is also home to the one-of-a-kind Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design (208 N. Water St., 414-847-3290), featuring exhibits that cover the history of marketing and advertising design. Nearby, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (273 E. Erie St., 414-847-3200) shows up-and-coming artists in its gallery.

East Town
East Town’s lakeside walk, near parks and high-rise condos, is a good example of the amenities AARP magazine raved about when it named Milwaukee one of the five best cities in which to live (and retire) in 2007. This downtown area is also home to a variety of cultural hot spots. In summer, everyone flocks to jazz concerts in Cathedral Square Park. Year-round, residents and visitors head to the Milwaukee Art Museum, with its stunning Santiago Calatrava building and works by Degas, Renoir, O’Keeffe, Miró, Arbus, Sander, and others. Discovery World (a hands-on science museum and aquarium) and the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts are also nearby.

Westown
Just the other side of the Milwaukee River, in Westown, the golden Usinger’s Sausage sign (1030 N. Old World 3rd St., 414-276-9105) is easily spotted from the pretty Hoan Bridge. There’s often a line out the door of this white-tiled store that sells more than 70 different German sausages, including 10 different bratwursts, 20 liver sausages, and several blood sausages. Next door, the Wisconsin Cheese Mart (1048 N. Old World 3rd St., 888-482-7700) proffers the pride of the state, with a huge selection of farmstead and artisan fare. Along with bandaged Cheddars are hard-to-find cheeses such as the much-sought Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Marieke Gouda. The Cheese Mart’s bar hosts local cheese and craft beer events.

The Pabst Mansion
This former home of Captain Frederick Pabst (2000 Wisconsin Ave. W., 414-931-0808) is a museum and shrine to Blue Ribbon drinkers everywhere. The epitome of America’s Gilded Age, it boasts splendid original furnishings, elaborate wall coverings, handcrafted wood, stained glass, rare art, and defines the 1890s as the “Pabst Decade.” Its Wisconsin Avenue neighbors, with manicured lawns and soaring views of Lake Michigan and the city, give a sense of how the other half lived and still lives today.

Brady Street
Once an Italian and Polish parish, Brady Street has evolved into a funky, kind of disheveled bohemian quarter without changing its low-slung architecture or quirky independence. The main drag is lined with coffeehouses, nightclubs, and antique shops. Around Humboldt Avenue North, Peter Sciortino’s Bakery (now in its 62nd year) and Glorioso’s Specialty Food Center (selling great olive oil, prosciutto, and Parm at terrific prices) bespeak the community’s strong Italian presence. But everything from Ethiopian eateries to Irish pubs now round out the ethnic mix. Where the Historic Third Ward feels gentrified, Brady is edgier and eclectic.

Walker’s Point
The Walker’s Point neighborhood is one of Milwaukee’s best-kept secrets. Upstart chefs dish out innovative food in tiny, elegant eateries. Not since Al Capone made moonshine in his Brookfield basement has Wisconsin distilled its own spirits. Here the Great Lakes Distillery (616 W. Virginia St., 414-431-8683) crafts wheat and malt into Rehorst vodka and gin, and makes artisan brandy (Kirschwasser, eau-de-vie, and grappa) and botanical absinthe. The distillery offers tours and tastings through the week.

The Latin Quarter
Spiced with nightclubs, taco joints, and panaderias, this area near the river and I-94 can be a little spotty, but its unkempt storefronts are interspersed with wonderfully bright finds. Look for authentic Central American and Mexican restaurants, such as Botanas (816 S. 5th St., 414-672-3755), as well as supermarkets stocked with exotic fruits, vegetables, moles, and homemade tortillas. Buy a refreshing paleta (ice pop) on the street, or shop for Latin music instruments and CDs at E & J Record Shop (1242 Cesar E. Chavez Drive S., 414-383-6002).

Home of the Harley
Not far from the Latin Quarter, the Harley-Davidson Museum (400 W. Canal St., 1-877-436-8738) emerges like an oasis in a sea of vacant land off downtown. It’s grey and red, a fortress of ingenuity, framed by a park of prairie grass and native flowers. Its galleries honor more than 100 years of the Milwaukee-made bike with photos, ads, trophies, videos, and interactive displays. Upstairs a chronological procession of motorcycles runs the building’s length.

Brewer’s Hill
From the ashes of Schlitz, Blatz, and Pabst rise Lakefront, Water Street, Stonefly, Milwaukee Ale House, and Sprecher microbreweries. Lakefront Brewery (1872 N. Commerce St., 414-372-8800), in the emerging Brewer’s Hill area near the river, makes lagers, bocks, ales, stouts, and pilsners, and was the first out with certified organic and gluten-free brews. You don’t have to wait to taste, since beer is served before the tour of this historic building, which has been renovated with state-of-the-art green technology. On Friday, Lakefront puts on a Wisconsin fish fry in the Palm Garden, an authentic beer hall.