I stayed in the Upper East Side neighborhood, and it was wonderful! I was a short walk to the beach and a slightly longer walk to downtown. The neighborhood was filled with restaurants and amenities and was very walkable. I was right around the corner from both a great bodega serving criminally cheap and delicious sandwiches and a Japanese restaurant with excellent poke. Grocery stores weren’t far: a Whole Foods was closest and a Pick and Save, which turned out to be a Kroger.
The entire city seems to be dotted with wonderful parks. I found one that was a small park on a hill near where I stayed. I got a bubble tea from the place close by and took it to sit on a bench in that small park overlooking the marina and the lake. It was very relaxing, even though there was a road running below. Also below was a great greenway that seemed to be pretty long and well-utilized. I took it to get back to my apartment.
On my walk to downtown, I found a veteran’s memorial which has an amazing view of the lake. I spent some time here taking pictures. In the yard of a building next door, a large group was doing yoga.
The weather here was pleasant. It was warm but with a nice breeze. I stayed in an apartment without air conditioning which was unpleasant, but it was actually much more pleasant outside.
I didn’t get much chance to try out the public transit… but I didn’t need to. Everything was very convenient!
I would consider Milwaukee if not for the politics. They just finished up with a very conservative governor (Scott Walker) who I wouldn’t have wanted to live under. It’s a very nice and affordable place.