Angelina Cole

How long have you lived in Milwaukee and why did you choose to move here?
I’ve been living in Milwaukee for just over a year. I moved to our fine and fabulous city when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel made me a job offer I couldn’t refuse.

What about Milwaukee makes it a city where you want to work and play?
Moving to any city in the middle of winter makes it difficult to get off on the right foot, so Milwaukee and I had our share of growing pains. But as spring turned to summer turned to fall, there were more and more happenings that made me want to invite my friends and family from Chicago and other cities to come to Milwaukee so I could show it off. I can’t say how much of a dream this city is for running. In the summer I run home from work along the river and through the Summerfest grounds and it’s just gorgeous. All the different kinds of yoga nestled in the different areas of the city. I love the museums and the exhibits we bring to this city, I think the Milwaukee Historical Society building is one of the most underrated spaces in this city. I love Jo Cat’s more than words can say, even though the first time I walked in I thought I had been transported smack-dab into the middle of a Corona commercial. Conejito’s should also be placed on the list of state landmarks. I don’t know what they put in those chicken enchiladas but it’s nothing short of heaven. Our collected taxonomy of bloody mary’s. The Mitchell Domes are also a spot everyone should check out at least once, especially in the winter, they’re like an indoor vacation. Bay View Bowl also single-handedly rekindled my love for bowling. State Fair is really an experience none of my FIB friends could ever imagine, so showing off a classic Wisconsin cream puff with a side of deep-friend cheese curds was also a real treat. Finally, I love that everything in this city is 20 minutes away on foot. With so many different neighborhoods and interesting nooks in this city, you really don’t need a car to get out and about and see everything Milwaukee has to offer.

What is one thing about Milwaukee you’d like to see change?
How we do our public transportation. I don’t have a car and I don’t really want to have to get one. I like depending on a city’s public transportation as a way of getting around. But today, the bus system is approximately on time, which can be annoying if something is causing the bus to run behind. The MCTS could really benefit from a live bus tracking feature on their mobile, or even a ‘text for arrival time’ feature, that would really cut down on some of the frustrations at “approximate” arrival times. We could also really improve the execution of the bus routes themselves. They’re terribly linear, which causes a lot of people to have to transfer multiple times to get to their destination; adding time and hassle. Finally, I think adding kiosks for reloadable electronic passes like Chicago and New York have adopted would really encourage folks to use the bus more often because unless you have $2.25 exactly it can be a real deterrent to find a place to get a bus pass in a hurry (especially the monthly ones, once they’re out, they’re out).

What is your favorite Milwaukee event?
Summer. We do the entire summer season so well in this city. There is ALWAYS something going on, something to check out, something amazing to eat and someplace to go. From Jazz in the Park and Bastille Days to weeknight pilgrimages to Kopp’s in Whitefish Bay, this city just completely comes alive in the summer.

What do you do?
I’m the Classified Product Manager for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.