Many of us have a love-hate relationship with Milwaukee, but when pressed, love usually wins. Author Thomas Huhti is rooting for love. His guidebook Milwaukee & Madison (published by Moon Handbooks) actually covers a wider swath of Wisconsin than just its two biggest cities. Spring Green and Beloit are included, and Huhti combs the shoreline from Kenosha to Port Washington.
But naturally, the author dwells on Milwaukee, the Badger city with more of everything except community watchdog committees. "The people of Milwaukee, on the other hand"-he contrasts us with Madison-"roll up their sleeves and get to work; they don't have time to debate; things are, after all, 'cooler by the lake.'" Well put.
A Wisconsin native, Huhti has a fair grip on our way of life and even our way of talking. He understands "gemutlichkeit" and knows that everyone calls the Mitchell Park Conservatory "the Domes." He gets the city's socialist past. He even acknowledges the Shepherd Express as the premier guide to what goes on. "Milwaukee is no Manhattan, but there's a lot more music and nightlife than people realize," Huhti writes cheerfully. Who would argue?
His inclusions are astute. He writes about the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Present Music, the Pabst Theater and Shank Hall. What he leaves out will irk the folks who are left out, but that's to be expected. At fewer than 250 pages, covering roughly one-quarter of the state, his guidebook can't be as comprehensive as the Yellow Pages.
