Ever since about 2015, I have been telling anyone who would listen that the “Summer of 2020 going to be a national unveil of Milwaukee”. This was before the DNC being here was even a concept. The projects simply were all converging at once; highway construction, the new Bucks Stadium, The Hop, The Harbor District… It just seemed like a perfect storm. Then a couple years ago, the Bucks turned into a contender, we had multiple Milwaukee MVPs in Yelich and Giannis, and the Milwaukee was selected to host the DNC. The planets had aligned… this was kismet, destiny. We were about to introduce ourselves to the country.
I used to travel to conferences for work in New York or LA. The common response in 2017 when I would tell them I was from Milwaukee was: “oof… is it really as bad as I hear?”. It always irked me because I’d hear the same attitude from my friends in Madison. That being said, there is a lot of validity to those perceptions. Milwaukee’s problems are not fictional and it’s history is rocky. At the same time, we’ve made massive strides that most people are unaware of. This was our year to showcase that.
I first noticed Milwaukee was getting some national attention when VOGUE wrote an article in 2018 claiming Milwaukee was America’s “most underrated city”. I may be biased, but I always felt that way. While the common response in 2017 was “oof…”, by 2018 and 2019 it was replaced with “Oh! I am hearing great things about Milwaukee!” The tides were changing. I would meet people in Beverly Hills or New York who had never been to the Midwest, let alone Milwaukee, who knew someone who had a lovely time there. It’s hard to quantify the importance of that, but there is importance to that.
Occasionally we would have potential investors fly in to Milwaukee and I’d have to give a tour. One of my favorite moments that happened repeatedly, was driving over the Hoan Bridge after picking them up at the airport. I would get asked the same question “wait, where is Milwaukee again?” and I’d see them doing the mental math trying to figure out why they were unaware Milwaukee was on the East Coast and they were on an ocean. It’s somewhat amazing how few people are aware of truly what the Great Lakes are.
Now we’re here. Summer of 2020, and the streets are empty. Our downtown is refurbished and the city has never been more ready to show itself off. It’s truly a shame and is one of the biggest disappointments I’ve ever had as someone who truly loves this city. I hope we someday get a new DNC. I hope we get to pull off a Bucks or Brewers championship and have those parades we’ve seen for decades in other cities. I hope the country (and our neighbors in Madison) have at least gotten a little glimpse of what Milwaukee has to offer. While we have a ways to go, there is something beautiful happening here and I’m proud to call this place home.
Brew City Benjamin 