Diamond Jubilee: RiverWalk, Milwaukee

Arthur Fonzarelli

July 2021

I had no plan for Milwaukee. Between the limitation on available seats for the Amtrak Pass and the places I could easily travel from Chicago, traveling there was an "easy" choice. After all, I had never been and the whole point of the trip was to discover new places. I arrived to a wonderfully modern station built for the many commuters who travel to Chicago daily. In terms of user-friendliness, Milwaukee's "Intermodal Station" got very high marks from me. I was nervous because I only heard negatives about the city (especially crime) prior to the visit. My background on Milwaukee before arrival was Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Harley Davidson, and beer.

After checking into the hotel (strangely, one of the most expensive on the trip), I set out to explore. Nearby was Milwaukee's RiverWalk which came highly recommended. I soon discovered the reason - it is beautiful. The downtown portion of the Milwaukee River was given a pathway on either side complete with random art and lovely views of the city. No one ever said to me, "Milwaukee? You must visit the RiverWalk". I wondered why? I kept discovering places in the US that seemed to be only regionally well-known.

The river is filled with moving bridges from the days when there was heavy barge traffic = each one an amazing piece of architecture. They were festooned with summer flowers, too. The skies were still leaden (it had rained that morning in Chicago), but the rain stayed away. I didn't mind - I was pleased by the easy walkability of the place. Most importantly, many people were walking along the river - so it didn't feel as abandoned as many places during COVID.

I realized that I had only seen a bit of the city, yet I didn't understand how it had developed such a bad reputation if literally outside the hotel was this most excellent place to stroll and take in the downtown?

I called it a day and retired to the room.

I had the whole next day to explore.