Madison
Lake Mendota
Madison, is exciting, vibrant, lively, young, energetic, educated, and outdoorsy.
It's a small city, where you have access to lakes, hiking trails, boating, yet
is large enough to demand plenty of entertainment. The lifestyle is relaxed and
image is less than important.
Everything is close, even if you live in the suburbs and traffic is not much of
a hassle. The worst traffic is in winter when the snow falls and the city is hesitant
to sand the streets because it washes into the lakes and kills the fish.
The city is surrounded by four lakes, however the two major lakes are Mendota and
Monona forming an isthmus, on which much of the city stands. In the middle of the
isthmus's narrowest and highest point stands the state capital, which is the
tallest building in the city... by law. From the shores of either lake you can see
the capital building towering above the rest of the city's "skyline."
Around the capital building area is the downtown filled with political offices,
business offices, and Monona Terrace, the city's convention center designed
by Frank Lloyd Wright. The best part of this area however is the Saturday mourning
farmer's market and Wednesday evening's Concerts on the Square®.
The farmer's market is filled with all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and other
food like honey and my favorite, fresh cheese curds. The cheese curds are made fresh
on most farmer's market mornings and if you arrive early you can get them warm
and squeaky. Typically a trip to the farmer's market turns into a meal while
there and enough food for another meal or two for later in the day.
Concerts on the Square® involve the symphony orchestra playing outside on the capital's
steps each Wednesday during the summer as people sit on blankets eating and drinking.
Even though the music is playing, the atmosphere is informal and people wear whatever
they'd like as the music only slows the conversations, acting more as background
music rather than a stage concert. There are plenty of food vendors, however most
people just bring their own picnic lunch, blanket, and sometimes lawn chairs.
Capitol Building
Capitol Building
Interior of the Capitol Building
Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace
From downtown, State Street takes you straight to the University of Wisconsin campus,
one mile later. The street is pedestrian and consists of shops, restaurants, and
bars. The quality of each of these drastically evolves as you move in either direction.
As you approach the capital the restaurants and bars start enforcing dress codes,
prices increase, however so does quality. Closer to the campus the food and drinks
are cheap and the atmosphere loud and young.
The UW campus sits on the shore of Lake Mendota, starting with the old Red Gym and
Union in the east to the UW hospital in the west and the sports stadiums forming
the southern border: Camp Randall in the southwest and the Kohl Center in the southeast.
The campus is hilly and many buildings provide great views of the lakes or downtown.
The union is a favorite hang out on Friday and Saturday nights, when people grab
a beer and sit on the terrace until the band stops playing and the bar stops serving.
Union South doesn't provide as much entertainment other than a bowling alley
and bowling leagues, which occupied many evenings for me during my time at UW.
Bascom Hall on UW-Madison's Campus
View from Bascom Hall
Most students are sports fans here, either because they love the sports, love the
atmosphere the sports provide, or a combination of each. Football games are an event,
which typically begin as early as 7 or 8am. The streets around Camp Randall start
pouring drinks and the two-story Drink-O (a play on the Price is Right's Plink-O)
and two-story bongs begin, as passers-by are strongly encouraged to play, only occasionally
being interrupted by chants pestering opposing fans, until they pass and are forgotten.
The city seems to swell as fans pour in, taking every side street they know of to
get to the stadium. Then the rush for parking begins, typically found in someone's
driveway for $10, plus a couple bucks to use their grill for tailgating before the
game. As kickoff approaches there's a mass exodus towards the stadium the crowds
grow as you approach and soon the streets around the stadium are only occupied by
the unlucky few without tickets to the game.
Entering Camp Randall from the east you pass under an arch and through the old Civil
War training fields before reaching the stadium. The students always are tardy due
to trying to finish one last drink before leaving or cooking one more brat for the
road and they slowly arrive over the course of the first quarter. As soon as the
game begins the audience is captive to the events on the field, however the student
section seems to bore easily and soon finds themselves occupying their time with
the wave, chants, or what at times resembles a drunken dance party.
After a victory, the bars and restaurants on State Street reap the rewards.
Camp Randall Stadium
Hockey games aren't as popular, however much more out of control. The student
section is smaller and more rowdy. Having only night games only encourages a longer
pre-party and at times one wonders how these people even found their way to the
game or if they have any idea what's going on. This adds to the volume however.
Basketball games are followed with a passion, much like football, but the smaller
stadium and frequency of games discourages most students from even considering season
tickets... not that they ever have problems selling out. Since the crowd is smaller
at basketball games the fans seem to be well educated and know every rule of the
game and can recite stats of most of the players.
The highlight of Wisconsin basketball came in 1941 when they won the national championship,
however highlight number two was in 2000 when they went to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
After their first victory the fans seemed satisfied that they accomplished what
was expected of them as an 8 seed. After getting into the Sweet Sixteen the students
got extremely excited, but it wasn't until they reached the Elite Eight that
the city spontaneously exploded. State Street was packed and there seemed to be
no control by the police present. Fans were climbing trees then jumping into the
crowd below and body surfed back to the tree for another jump. After getting one
more victory Wisconsin found themselves in the Final Four for the first time and
the city's anticipation grew as everyone tried to get tickets for the Final
Four, but most were left disappointed. Unfortunately, the disappointment continued
as they lost their first game to eventual national champions, Michigan State.
Kohl Center
Chaholy Glass in the Kohl Center
I lived between Camp Randall and the arboretum for two years. Each street from campus
to the arboretum shifts from undergrads to grad students until eventually they are
phased out and the student population disappears However life re-starts near Lake
Wingra and the zoo at the arboretum. This area is great for running, fishing, and
canoeing. It makes you feel completely removed from the city, although you're minutes
away from everything.
Driving thought the arboretum makes it look like a painting
As you head west from the campus you eventually reach the location of Brat Fest,
one of the world's greatest events held every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend.
Once I ate 8 brats in a single sitting and 21 during the three-day event; I was
very impressed with myself.
Throughout the city there are pockets of rough neighborhoods, something most people
don't see. I didn't see it either until I became an AmeriCorps VISTA for
two summers. It's amazing how a city can be so rich, educated, and lively, yet
still have poverty. Madison has relatively little poverty, however like everywhere,
it exists. Working with the children from these areas for two summers you realize
how similar we all are, what makes us so different is opportunities and upbringing.
Brat Fest; this is brat number 5 for me on the day.