02.02.22

USA Today: You can walk from these 3 unique Milwaukee hotels to awesome attractions

Three distinctly different hotels and cool sights present visitors with win-win choices

Saint Kate is nothing if not cool. On the west side of East Town and near the river, it draws a sophisticated crowd, especially to the trendy lobby bar where cocktails are sipped to the sounds of live jazz. Art is everywhere, including in a well-curated lobby-level gallery. It informs the hotel’s aesthetic but isn’t highbrow, with pieces ranging from serious to humorously quirky. You don’t need an art degree to enjoy it, but do take the Champagne Art tour for interesting insights.

The 219 guest rooms are art-centric, too. Bathrooms are elevated by elegant Kohler design elements and playful room amenities add pizazz, like the turntable, old-school vinyl records and a bright red ukulele that I didn’t play but loved looking at.

Some art is functional. A lamp in my room was visually intriguing but how to turn it on remained a puzzlement (perhaps the guest was the dim one). Saint Kate is a dazzling collision of immersive art experience and upscale hotel – a treat for art lovers, sure, but for everyone else, too.

Nearby sights that you can walk to:

• Pabst Theater – Opened in 1895, it’s still the place to catch a performance. Walk time: 2 minutes.
• SafeHouse – This spy-themed cocktail joint requires a password. Don’t ask locals to tell you; they won’t. Walk time: 3 minutes.
• Milwaukee RiverWalk – Stroll along the river; find the Bronze Fonz statue. Walk time: 4 minutes.
• Old World Third Street – Hip hub of Milwaukee nightlife with concert venues, sports arenas and trending bars. Walk time: 5 minutes.
• Deer District – A happening sports and entertainment area that includes Fiserv Forum, home to the Milwaukee Bucks. Walk time: 10 minutes.
• “Heart & Sol” mural – Another Mauricio Ramirez work making Milwaukee more colorful. Walk time: 14 minutes.