After reading the recent Forbes Magazine article proclaiming Milwaukee “America’s Drunkest City,” I don’t know who I’m madder at; the magazine or the city. One thing is certain, ending up on this list would easily have been preventable -- and no, this is not going to be about the evils of alcohol.
While Forbes painted Milwaukee in pretty bad light, using those who have had at least one drink in the last 30 days as the impetus for their study, we as a city as just as much to blame for the never-ending image of staring through beer goggles.
We do little to promote ourselves in a positive light. Sure, there are groups like Spirit of Milwaukee and the Convention and Visitors Bureau that go out and try to sell the city, but what do we actually do to make it an attractive destination, or at the very least, to keep from being the butt of jokes.
Every time an article like this pops up, the powers that be here talk about shedding the “Laverne & Shirley” image of Milwaukee. Blue-ribbon (natch!) panels are created to come up with the next marketing strategy that -- no offense -- just won’t do a thing.
A few years ago, the good folks at the Milwaukee Art Museum decided to think outside of the box and commissioned Santiago Calatrava to design a beautiful, thought-provoking and awe-inspiring addition to their building.
While Calatrava’s briese soleil is a thing of beauty, it’s also a perfect example of why Milwaukee continues to get little, if any respect, from the rest of the country. What, since the Calatrava, has Milwaukee done to re-brand itself? Designing a new logo -- that figures the MAM addition -- has done little to help, although I suppose it looks cool on a lapel pin.
Around here, we do something great and then we brag about that thing for 25 years before deciding that it’s old, stupid and outdated. It gets demolished, and the next big thing to hit Milwaukee is built. In the time that passes, another 10 cities have jumped ahead of Milwaukee in the national pecking order.
PabstCity wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction. Not building Miller Park downtown wasn’t the problem; failing to properly develop the valley was a colossal failure. Light rail, the Summerfest lease battle of a few years ago, regionalization and other short sighted decisions have left this city in a rut it desperately needs to escape from.
Discovery World and the Pier Wisconsin project are nice additions to the community, but their eventual success will be cast in the shadow of the Public Museum’s financial collapse. That aside, sitting around and basking in the glow of the new lakefront destinations will do little to showcase the city.
In order to really raise our profile, beautiful buildings, successful projects, and other such works need to come more than once every few years. Milwaukee needs thinkers. Milwaukee needs idea people. And most importantly, Milwaukee needs some leadership that will actually embrace those who prefer to look at the big picture, as opposed to the status quo.
The college kids of Milwaukee will boast about their drinking prowess, while the adults will go out of their way to explain that Milwaukee is so much more than beer and brats.
Talk is cheap. The only way to really make Milwaukee a respectable, big-time urban setting is to think big, think outside the box, and actually get something done.
In the meantime, don’t be surprised if Milwaukee keeps getting named fattest or drunkest city in the U.S. while places like Salt Lake City, Des Moines and Columbus are touted as the cities of tomorrow.
While Forbes painted Milwaukee in pretty bad light, using those who have had at least one drink in the last 30 days as the impetus for their study, we as a city as just as much to blame for the never-ending image of staring through beer goggles.
We do little to promote ourselves in a positive light. Sure, there are groups like Spirit of Milwaukee and the Convention and Visitors Bureau that go out and try to sell the city, but what do we actually do to make it an attractive destination, or at the very least, to keep from being the butt of jokes.
Every time an article like this pops up, the powers that be here talk about shedding the “Laverne & Shirley” image of Milwaukee. Blue-ribbon (natch!) panels are created to come up with the next marketing strategy that -- no offense -- just won’t do a thing.
A few years ago, the good folks at the Milwaukee Art Museum decided to think outside of the box and commissioned Santiago Calatrava to design a beautiful, thought-provoking and awe-inspiring addition to their building.
While Calatrava’s briese soleil is a thing of beauty, it’s also a perfect example of why Milwaukee continues to get little, if any respect, from the rest of the country. What, since the Calatrava, has Milwaukee done to re-brand itself? Designing a new logo -- that figures the MAM addition -- has done little to help, although I suppose it looks cool on a lapel pin.
Around here, we do something great and then we brag about that thing for 25 years before deciding that it’s old, stupid and outdated. It gets demolished, and the next big thing to hit Milwaukee is built. In the time that passes, another 10 cities have jumped ahead of Milwaukee in the national pecking order.
PabstCity wasn’t perfect, but it was a step in the right direction. Not building Miller Park downtown wasn’t the problem; failing to properly develop the valley was a colossal failure. Light rail, the Summerfest lease battle of a few years ago, regionalization and other short sighted decisions have left this city in a rut it desperately needs to escape from.
Discovery World and the Pier Wisconsin project are nice additions to the community, but their eventual success will be cast in the shadow of the Public Museum’s financial collapse. That aside, sitting around and basking in the glow of the new lakefront destinations will do little to showcase the city.
In order to really raise our profile, beautiful buildings, successful projects, and other such works need to come more than once every few years. Milwaukee needs thinkers. Milwaukee needs idea people. And most importantly, Milwaukee needs some leadership that will actually embrace those who prefer to look at the big picture, as opposed to the status quo.
The college kids of Milwaukee will boast about their drinking prowess, while the adults will go out of their way to explain that Milwaukee is so much more than beer and brats.
Talk is cheap. The only way to really make Milwaukee a respectable, big-time urban setting is to think big, think outside the box, and actually get something done.
In the meantime, don’t be surprised if Milwaukee keeps getting named fattest or drunkest city in the U.S. while places like Salt Lake City, Des Moines and Columbus are touted as the cities of tomorrow.
