Month: June 2018
Location: Madison
When I first mapped out the various states into zones, I had
labeled “Zone 1: Driving Distance”. This included places such as all the
neighboring states of Illinois, and even places such as Ohio and Michigan. After 44 visits, I was yet to drive anywhere,
having taken the train once and flown everywhere else. When it came to Wisconsin, I debated taking a
train to Milwaukee, and spending a night there.
But then everyone told me how great Madison was and the only way to get
there was by car. So, with just a few
states left, I would finally be driving to a State.
I got up early on a Saturday morning – well, early by my
standards – and walked to “Enterprise”
to pick up my car at 8 am. There was
lady in front of me and I heard her mention that she was headed to Wisconsin as
well. She then proceeded to regale them
her reasons for going there and got into other details of her life, which all
of us could have done without. Perhaps
impressed by my patience, or because they realized that I too was going to
Wisconsin - but without the story - they upgraded me to a “SUV”, and with a built-in “GPS”. With the address entered, I set of on a
journey that would take approximately 2 hours.
 |
| The always present 'Capitol' |
As far as drives go, expressways in Illinois make “New Jersey Turnpike” look like a “National Park”. So, the route to Madison wasn’t exactly
making me stop to take pictures. Plus,
most of the drive in Wisconsin was through roads under construction, meaning
lower speed limits. But I finally made
it and the first view of Madison is the ‘Capitol’.
As I would soon discover, this building
was literally the center of the city, with all streets radiating out like
spokes. It was positioned at 45 degrees
to the normal and located on a narrow strip of land between 2 lakes. There were circular streets around the building where all the restaurants and bars were
located, making this the place to be at in the evening.
 |
| Busy Saturday on the streets |
There was some traffic getting into the downtown and after a
few turns, I found myself entering the garage of ‘The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club’. The lobby was buzzing and the lady at the
reception mentioned that there was some “Marathon”
being run the next day. I dropped off my
things and set off to get some brunch.
As soon as I emerged from the hotel, just around the corner was the
imposing ‘Capitol’ which truly
dominates the skyline. The narrow
streets around it were crowded and it was a beautiful day to be outside. I walked to ‘Bassett Street Brunch Club’, which turned out to be a bright, popular
spot. There were people waiting for a
table and it would have been a 30-minute wait for me, unless I could snag a
spot at the bar. That was full as well,
and I saw a lady with a bag on a stool.
I assumed her companion was in the washroom, but later I learned that
she was just too lazy to bend down for her bag and so took up 2 seats on a
whim. Well, shame on me for not
asking. After 10 or so minutes, I found
a spot and after some terrible coffee but decent food, I set off for the
afternoon.
 |
| Great view from the art museum |
It was a busy time with the narrow streets crowded as I got
closer towards the city center. I was
going to ‘Madison Museum of Contemporary
Art’, a very modern looking glass building at the corner of a 6-street
intersection. It was a 3-floor building
with some nice galleries, but for me the most impressive part was the edge of
the building that was almost triangular like a ship’s “bow”. With the building
having a glass exterior, one could get a nice view of the busy streets below. One of the more interesting rooms had some
colorful boards and strings on the floor with a painting of a sidewalk at the
end. Visitors were encouraged to place
the paraphernalia in any pattern that they chose in front of the painting. Either that or the room needed cleaning! I guess the marketing worked since a family
with kids was playing with the stuff in there.
 |
| Inside the 'Wisconsin Historical Museum' |
Nearby was ‘Wisconsin
Historical Museum’ and the walk there took me past street side vendors
operating through tents and people enjoying this fine Saturday afternoon. The museum was across the ‘Capitol’ and a relatively simple
building when compared to the one I was coming from. It was a multi-floor museum celebrating
Wisconsin’s heritage. This included
exhibits on the food industry – of course – archaeological history, political
history and its emergence from once being a “frontier”
into an industrial age. There were some
models of early automobiles – always a popular ploy with kids – and overall it
was a decent museum. Plus, it had good
views of the ‘Capitol’, though I
suspect it was hard to avoid that in any building in this area.
 |
| View from the "Observation Deck" |
There was 2 pm tour of the ‘Capitol’ that I wanted to attend, and I arrived with 20 minutes to
spare. The place was crowded and the
person at the desk told me that there were some other tour groups, including
one in French! Well, I wasn’t going on
that one, so I asked if there was anything to do while I waited. The gentleman told me that I could take the
elevator up to the “Observation Deck”. Well, that would do just fine. There was one flight of stairs after exiting
the elevator and while it was not all the way to the top of the dome, it was
high enough. With water bodies on either
side and long stretches of road on the other sides, it was a very decent view. I walked around the “360 degree” viewing terrace and even tried to figure out where my
next stop of the afternoon was located!
 |
| And inside the 'Capitol' |
I came down just before the start of the tour and tried to
locate the right group. There were
several people who would be joining me, and our guide told us to stay close to
him. As with other similar buildings
that I have visited over the last few years, this one was extremely ornate,
with it's design, materials and art. Also, like my tours in other cities, this one covered the history of the building and took
us to some of the meeting rooms as well as the main chambers of the “House” and the “Senate”. Looking at some of
the interiors, it is amazing to think that this is a functioning government
building and not just some preserved historic display. It got crowded in places where we ran into
the other tour groups, but that did not take away from this tour, which was quite
good.
 |
| Starting at the 'Avenue Club' |
The tour ended just before 3 pm and I wasn’t planning on any
other stops for the afternoon, well not any “tourist
attractions” in any case. I saw a
charming coffee shop nearby and stopped to get some water, sitting by the
window and watching people go about their business around the ‘Capitol’. Then I set off on one of the long roads
leading away from here, for a mile walk to my first bar of the evening. There wasn’t much to see on the way, other
than some sort of festival in a park.
There were some residential buildings and small cafes, but it was mostly
a busy road with 2-way traffic. After
what seemed like a long time, I finally reached ‘Avenue Club and the Bubble Up Bar’. At first glance of the dining room, I felt
that the name sounded way fancier than the interior. But there was another, cozier room, with a
long bar, which I was sure would be quite popular at night. Presently however, there was just another
group besides me.
 |
| 'Gib's' located inside a house |
I like places that on the menu, show the picture of the
actual glass which carries the drink, and this was one of them. I must admit that sometimes it influences
what I get. I picked a drink which
sounded good and while it was, there were several places on my list for this
evening and so after a few sips, I left.
My next destination was about half a mile away and it took me through
some desolate places, but eventually put me on a street which had several “artisanal” shops. It was a complete contrast to where I had
come from, as was the bar. I had to look
twice, but ‘Gib’s’, the place that I
was going to, was located inside a house.
I have been to several restaurants in a house, but this was just a bar. As I entered it felt as if I was walking
through someone’s living room. The bar
counter itself had no seating arrangement, just a place behind which the
bartender made the drinks, and which you then took to a couch or something. I got a drink called “Boozy Cola” and sat by the window looking at this interesting
setting, which was more like a coffee shop than a craft cocktail bar.
 |
| Seat next to the "microgreens" in 'Forequarter' |
I stayed for a bit and the called a ride for my next
destination, which was bit further away than I was prepared to walk. On a street which looked residential, was a
place called ‘Robin Room’. It described itself as a “neighborhood bar”
and an “emporium of fine potables”. The menu was small but included cocktails, which besides being their own creation, also elevated classic drinks. I was the only person there and after a
while, set off for the next spot which was just down the street. It was called “Forequarter” – perhaps because it was located on “708 ¼ E. Johnson Street”. Unlike the earlier place, this was also a
restaurant and apparently a good one at that.
They even had “microgreens”
growing in boxes next to me, and which chefs used in their dishes. I ordered an interestingly titled drink
called “I said Brandy” and it was
quite good. The staff here was very friendly,
and I had a good time discussing my travel with them. I apologized to the bartender that I would
not be finishing my drink since I had several other places to visit and she
gave me her thoughts on some of them. So
far this evening, this had been my favorite stop.
 |
| Lovely evening in downtown Madison |
I was going back towards the main part of downtown – read,
near the “Capitol square” – and very
soon the sight of the building was upon me.
On one of the narrow streets was ‘Merchant
Madison’, which looked like a sparsely populated “sports bar” and which made mediocre drinks. Not finishing the cocktail was not a problem
here. Nearby was another place called ‘Graft’ and this one was a busy
restaurant with a bright décor. The bar
area was quite good, and I was lucky to get a seat. With all the food around me, I ordered a
snack and what turned out to be a good drink, “Elder Fashioned”. I enjoyed
my time here, and based on the noise level, so did the other folks around me.
 |
| Another great view of the 'Capitol' |
It was a beautiful evening when I walked towards ‘Cask & Ale’, which was located on
the busy “State Street”, with all its
shops. This one looked like a tiny “dive bar”, with a focus on
Whiskey. Well, that suited me fine and I
sat there amongst other locals, who have probably spilled a lot of drinks on
the bar over the years. My final stop
before dinner was supposed to be a place called ‘Heritage Tavern’, but as I walked past it, a sign said that they
were closed for a “Private Event”,
though nothing much was happening inside.
 |
| But this one was better |
Since I had time, I went to the nearby ‘AC Hotel’, on the 10th floor of which, was ‘Eno Vino Downtown’. It was nice bar and I had a spectacular view
of the dome of the ‘Capitol’ behind
several amber colored bottles. It wasn’t
a bad way to wait for my dinner reservation.
That was in a restaurant called ‘L’Etoile’. It was a “fine
dining” restaurant and for being in a small market, they acquitted
themselves very well. I enjoyed my time
there, including chatting with the staff.
At the end I asked for directions to my hotel and walked back around the
beautifully lit ‘Capitol’. Despite my busy evening, I hadn’t had enough,
so I stopped at the hotel bar called ‘The
Bar’ for a nightcap before finally calling it a day.
 |
| The beautiful 'Olbrich Botanical Gardens' |
The marathon was over by the time I went to the lobby for
check-out, and the place was busy, with some of the participants now posing for
pictures. I was going to ‘Olbrich Botanical Gardens’ and even
though I had a car, I wanted to avoid having to find parking in downtown later
in the day. So, I left it at the hotel
and took a ride to the gardens. And I am
glad that I did so, because despite the location of the gardens on the map, the
entrance was at the very end and it took longer than I expected to get
there. It was a beautiful day for a
stroll and this place was as good as any of the other gardens that I have
visited. Besides the lawns, the paths,
the ponds and the inevitable waterfall, there was a pavilion that seemed to
have been inspired by east Asia. It was
a nice way to spend the morning and now I was ready for some brunch.
 |
| The campus of the 'University of Wisconsin' |
I took a car back to downtown and on one of the streets near
the ‘Capitol’ was a place called ‘Marigold Kitchen’. It looked to be quite popular with the locals
and after devouring a breakfast sandwich, I was ready for the afternoon. I was going to ‘Chazen Museum of Art’ and I decided to walk the mile to the
place. Besides being the capital of the
state, Madison is a famous “college town”,
being the home of ‘University of Wisconsin’. The museum was on the campus of the
university and as I got closer, I could see the students going about their
Sunday chores as well as the typical campus “take-out”
food places. I reached the museum which
was deceptively larger than appeared from the outside. The galleries were big and there were a lot
of them. Plus, the museum extended to an
adjoining wing, with a fantastic view of the walkaway lined with University
buildings and leading up to the lake.
 |
| Ice Cream by the lake |
I enjoyed my time in here and the final thing on my agenda
for this visit was to see more of the campus.
It was a warm afternoon and all the students had decided that the lake
was the place to be. People were in the
water, on the boats, or just soaking in the sun on the deck. There was a “Student Union” and I entered in to see a food court and
immediately spotted a line at the ice cream counter. It seemed like a perfect day for that and
armed with a scoop, I went outside on the ‘Memorial
Union Terrace’ and found a table and chair to enjoy the view and of course
my ice cream. However, it was quite hot
and after a while I sought refuge inside the building. There was more to it than just the food area
and I found one large hall where there was a big crowd watching a “World Cup Soccer” game between Poland
and Columbia. There were supporters on
both sides, meaning the decibel level inside the room fluctuated depending on
the flow of the game. It had been a long
time since I had experienced something like this and I had forgotten how much fun
it is to watch sports in such a setting.
 |
| Sunday by the water |
I stayed in there and watched the game for a while and then continued
my exploration of the campus, which took me up a hill, with a central lawn and
buildings on either side. It was your
typical college campus and with all the students either watching the game or by
the lake, it was quite empty. It was nice view
of the campus from up there and I wondered if students could laze on that
lawn. I walked through the campus a bit
more and then decided to head back. I
was planning to call a ride and the challenge was to find a spot that I could
enter on my phone. I returned back to the
‘Memorial Union Terrace’ and was soon
picked up and on my way to the hotel. I
retrieved my bag and my car from the garage and left for my ride back to Chicago,
driving past the imposing ‘Capitol’
for the last time.
 |
| Final look at the campus |
With the traffic, it took me as much time to get to the
outskirts of Chicago as to get into the city.
But that was a small inconvenience in what had been a very charming
trip. It was almost like a tale of 2
cities, with last night being an exploration of the “night life” and today showcasing Madison as a premier “college town”. I was glad to have taken this drive and not
settling for the easy train trip to Milwaukee.
Plus, it allowed me to justify the label of “Driving Distance”.
