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Madison, Wisconsin

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8,666

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The college girls look the hottest at the end of August/start of September when they still have their summer tans and they haven't put on their winter weight yet.

The capitol building is cool.

Good beer & Milwaukee is only a couple of hours away.

College girls.

Beer.

State capitol.

College girls.

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tokamak

tokamak 6,395

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This is some advice that was passed along to me by friends (native Texans) who did 6 or 7 years there. They left a couple years ago but loved it there AFAIK. This advice would probably apply best to 30-something couples with young kids or kids in the plan soon.

 

Marquette neighborhood on the peninsula is good. Easy to get around town. Fancy houses along the water and more rentals the farther inland you go. Sweet spot is between the water and Williamson.

Schenk-Atwood is gentrifying. Cool shops and restaurants. East of the Yahara River and west of Atwood pricier, east of Atwood more affordable.

Vilas and Greenbush are very nice, walkable, close to everything. Sucks on football game days.

Cheaper option would be Westmorland. Not as charming as all of the above, but still an easy spot to get around town.

For 'burbs (and schools), look at Monona, Middleton (nice downtown area), or Fitchburg (if you want a McMansion). Don't live north because getting around the lake sucks.

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sidis

sidis 9,825

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1 hour ago, 4th&Five said:

If you’re a bourbon drinker know that they have their own version of the Old Fashioned and it’s disgusting. 

Cool town, friendly people, a lot of drinking. 

god damnit...you just triggered my ptsd.  listen to this man, they make old fashioneds with korbel and it will make you kill yourself if you drink it.

great town otherwise.  if you have never lived in the cold, you will be cold.

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Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday 199

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winter weight is no joke.  it's easy to fatten up while eating out up there.

some good restaurants around downtown area.

state street is like a 6th street for the college.  fun to go to and it does turn into amateur hour.

the lake is fun during the summer and you'll see ice fishermen in the winter.   they also do the wind buggies in the winter which are awesome to watch.  something I want to do at some point in my life.

fly fishing in the spring after the thaw is legit. 

lots of good beers up there and a few vineyards around the area.

Wisconsin beef is pretty damn good and you'll find some good greasy spoon spots with good burgers

winter does suck so get ready to shovel snow - last time I was up there it snowed nearly 3 feet overnight.

my favorite (read sarcasm) are the Wisconsin roadblocks...aka 2 minivans driving 55mph and blocking the loop traffic. 

 

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Bartles

Bartles 769

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Been there a few times, though never in dead of winter. My friend lives in Arbor Hills area, he and his family love it. Nice neighborhood and fairly affordable. Traffic is worse than you would think, and as I recall the speed limit is 55 or not much higher.

If you have to travel, I would just drive the 90 minutes or so to O'Hare. Cheaper and overall more efficient than MSN. But I guess that routine might get old after a while.

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Incredulity

Incredulity 11,663

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58 minutes ago, Bartles said:

Been there a few times, though never in dead of winter. My friend lives in Arbor Hills area, he and his family love it. Nice neighborhood and fairly affordable. Traffic is worse than you would think, and as I recall the speed limit is 55 or not much higher.

If you have to travel, I would just drive the 90 minutes or so to O'Hare. Cheaper and overall more efficient than MSN. But I guess that routine might get old after a while.

It is longer than 90 min to O'Hare from Madison.

 

Unless you consider Rockford a suburb of Madison.

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Bartles

Bartles 769

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2 hours ago, Incredulity said:

It is longer than 90 min to O'Hare from Madison.

 

Unless you consider Rockford a suburb of Madison.

I drive fast but you're correct, looks like two hours for sure. Point stands though, most distance flights will connect at ORD anyway

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12,455

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Go to the Old Fashioned on the capitol square.  Great Bloody Marys, for your starter.  All the fixins, and a small (7oz) bottle of Rhinelander for your chaser.  I can't remember if beer chasers with bloodies are a thing in Texas or not.  Order a #37 with fried braunschweiger.  Get a side of curds.  Order something from New Glarus or O'So while there as well.

For breweries, I'm a big Karben4 fan.  Ale Asylum is the big fish in Madison's pond, and I've come around on them, finally.  Both tap rooms are out by the airport, but Ubers are cheap.

State Street Brats are legit.

Capital Brewing used to have a taphouse right on the capitol square as well (no production).

Madison is fun as hell.  Just go into a bar and start drinking.  The Upper Midwest (especially Wisconsin) embraces alcohol in a way the rest of the country just doesn't, for better or worse.

Edited by Al_4_ISU
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12,455

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I just realized you're moving there.  My last set of recs could be dealt with in a solid day.

If you're into the outdoors, Madison sits on the eastern edge of the Driftless Area.  Think the Ozarks with less meth/poverty and slightly smaller hills.  There are great bike trails all over that part of Wisconsin, and across the Mississippi in Iowa and Minnesota.  Both for road bikes and MTB.  There are some great state parks with solid hiking opportunities (Devil's Lake, Governor Dodge, and Blue Mounds off the top of my head).  Wisconsin has tons of lakes for fishing and boating, and there are some great rivers in the 2 hour radius for canoeing/kayaking.  The Kickapoo, Wisconsin, Upper Iowa (Iowa), Rock, and Root (Minnesota) are all highly regarded.

Get ready for 4 legit seasons.  It will be 0 degrees (or worse) at some point in the winter.  It will be 100 degrees in the summer.  You may wake up in the morning, and need to run the heat in your car to defrost it, only to switch to AC by mid-afternoon.  There will be days in January where it's 50 degrees and sunny and you'll feel like you're cheating God with this beautiful weather.  It will snow heavily and April and you will curse the same god.

Badger games are fun as hell.  You're also only about 4 hours from watching the Horns at Jack Trice every other year.  College football is massive, and even though it's Big 10 country, they aren't as up their own ass as SEC fans.  People in the Midwest value modesty above all else in social settings and you likely won't have to deal with chest thumping ego-driven bullshit.

Madison has a lot in common with Austin, in my opinion.  There's something about mixing the flagship university with the state capital that brings a damn interesting scene to a community.

Edited by Al_4_ISU
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Napoleon

Napoleon 8,666

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10 hours ago, tokamak said:

This is some advice...

Marquette neighborhood on the peninsula* is good. Easy to get around town. Fancy houses along the water and more rentals the farther inland you go. Sweet spot is between the water and Williamson...

 

8 hours ago, TornACL said:

*It has an isthmus, which is a fun word to say. Isthmus!


Marquette is the shaded in area on the isthmus.


Madison_Wisoconsin_Marquette.png

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TornACL

TornACL 7,698

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I went up there for a Wisconsin game during a Texas bye week. Walked into a bar wearing a UT shirt, and some fans asked if I was from Texas. When I affirmed, they immediately said "shots of tequila it is!" 

It was 11am.

Good people in Wisconsin. 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12,455

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6 minutes ago, castolon said:

Wisconsin drivers drive slow as hell and look at you like you're the asshole when you want to go 85. That's all I've got. 

They might not be wrong on the asshole front, but be warned. 

I think they still have a 65mph speed limit on interstates, so that isn’t helping anything.

Also, there’s a pretty good chance they’ve been drinking and don’t want to give probable cause for a police stop.

Edited by Al_4_ISU
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JimmyHoffa

JimmyHoffa 1,188

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12 hours ago, TornACL said:

I went up there for a Wisconsin game during a Texas bye week. Walked into a bar wearing a UT shirt, and some fans asked if I was from Texas. When I affirmed, they immediately said "shots of tequila it is!" 

It was 11am.

Good people in Wisconsin. 

 

Yeah I was up there for a game once and two dudes really wanted my friends and I to dance with their wives. Friendly to say the least.

Madison is a great city. A pretty damn nice landing spot if moving based on a job. There are a shit ton worse places you could end up for sure. 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12,455

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21 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

one of the worst drives in america that I can think of. so. many. trees.

I'll never understand people from east of the Mississippi that say Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, et al are terrible to drive across.  Outside of I-80 to Chicago, all interstates east of the river are fucking tree tunnels.

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JimmyHoffa

JimmyHoffa 1,188

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3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'll never understand people from east of the Mississippi that say Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, et al are terrible to drive across.  Outside of I-80 to Chicago, all interstates east of the river are fucking tree tunnels.

 

I-80 west of Lincoln, NE is:

 

 IMG_0930.jpg

 

I can handle long drives but when there isn't shit for miles it becomes a beating. And when you have warnings "next exit in 28 miles" it gets old really fucking fast. 

 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12,455

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11 minutes ago, JimmyHoffa said:

 

I-80 west of Lincoln, NE is:

 

 IMG_0930.jpg

 

I can handle long drives but when there isn't shit for miles it becomes a beating. And when you have warnings "next exit in 28 miles" it gets old really fucking fast. 

 

I've driven to Colorado at least 20 times in my life.  I'll take that over this any day

5a3579e945fe7.image.jpg?resize=1200,800

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Stoogey

Stoogey 219

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On 6/19/2018 at 9:34 AM, sidis said:

... old fashioneds with korbel ... 

The state drink is the brandy old fashioned sweet which has very little to do with an old fashioned except the glass. Served with two pimento stuffed green olives. The orange slices and cherries are not a garnish. They're muddled with the sugar cubes, gomme syrup and bitters. BOFS predates 7 Up or Sprite. Ideally sparkling water to avoid the sodium of club soda. 

Supper clubs, a special type of restaurant often confused with northwoods tavern by people from Illinois, are almost extinct. Similar to a fancy steak house but with a relish tray (four-story lazy susan with appetizers from crudité to hors d'oeuvre included free with the supper so think twice about the shrimp cocktail and bleu cheese wedge salad) entertainment with dancing and ice cream drinks for the ladies for dessert. Brandy Alexander, Grasshopper, Golden Cadillac, Pink Squirrel. Typically open Wednesday through Saturday late afternoons until 10:00pm. A couple was expected to spend the evening. If the menu didn't include surf 'n' turf (lobster and steak) or asparagus with hollandaise, it probably wasn't a supper club. No kiddie menu. The closest thing to the Madison area would probably be Ishnala.

Deer hunting. At Packer games there are those weeks when the stadium is blaze orange.

Fishing. Minnesota only has 10,000 lakes.

Unusual glaciation.

The Statue Of Liberty.

sj3LsNsc_o.jpg

USA most drunken cities based on percent of binge drinking, percent of driving deaths involving alcohol, premature death rate:

1. Appleton
2. Oshkosh-Neenah
3. Green Bay
4. Madison
5. Fargo, North Dakota
6. La Crosse – Onalaska
7. Fond du Lac
8. Ames, Iowa
9. Eau Claire
10. Mankato-North Mankato, Minnesota
11. Wausau
12. Sheboygan
13. Missoula, Montana
14. Grand Forks, North Dakota
15. Racine
16. Janesville-Beloit
17. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis
18. Lincoln, Nebraska
19. Iowa City, Iowa
20. Corvallis, Oregon

Unfortunately, Wisconsin regularly places in the top ten for drunk driving. Alcohol is definitely part of the culture. 

Lots of places with names like Oconomowoc, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, Fond du Lac, Butte des Mortes. Always fun to watch a new anchor on the evening news screw up.

In restaurants, butter is served. Margarine by request. America's Dairyland.

Tiger meat or cannibal sandwiches. Cheese curds. Butter burgers. Frozen custard. Door County cherries. Poutine (technically Canadian but close enough). There are e few orchards with many different varieties of heirloom apples. Worth seeking out. 

Knowing the lyrics to Build Me Up Buttercup and Sweet Caroline.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45,896

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I grew up in Missouri, and my starter wife was from Cleveland OH,  so I am well aware of the northern phenomenon known as "winter weight".

However, it wasn't until I had lived in Texas for decades and went to Wisconsin on a business trip that it seemed so glaring.  Of course, I had been indoctrinated into the glory that is the Texas woman, so my point of view had become skewed.  We were north of Madison, up closer to Wausau, and the vendor we were visiting took us to a "fish camp" (don't ask) for dinner one night.  As I settled into what was essentially a large hunting lodge with waiters and cooks (allegedly THE BEST FOOD WITHIN 30 MILES), I looked around and noticed at least a dozen couples, all of which looked similar:  a fairly normal dude, dressed in bad business casual attire like Dockers, a button down shirt, and loafers, accompanied by what had to be his wife, wearing tight leggings busting at the seams, a very large sweatshirt that reached mid-thigh, and poofed up "mall bang" hair.  Every single guy looked miserable.  Every single gal was at least 30 lb overweight and yacking nonstop.  It was one of the most depressing things I've ever seen.

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kevwun

kevwun 15,772

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My in laws took us to a supper club the last time we visited them.  It was a lounge straight out of the 70's.  The food was awesome though.  I had fried walleye for the first time and it was some of the best fish I've ever had.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12,455

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55 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I grew up in Missouri, and my starter wife was from Cleveland OH,  so I am well aware of the northern phenomenon known as "winter weight".

However, it wasn't until I had lived in Texas for decades and went to Wisconsin on a business trip that it seemed so glaring.  Of course, I had been indoctrinated into the glory that is the Texas woman, so my point of view had become skewed.  We were north of Madison, up closer to Wausau, and the vendor we were visiting took us to a "fish camp" (don't ask) for dinner one night.  As I settled into what was essentially a large hunting lodge with waiters and cooks (allegedly THE BEST FOOD WITHIN 30 MILES), I looked around and noticed at least a dozen couples, all of which looked similar:  a fairly normal dude, dressed in bad business casual attire like Dockers, a button down shirt, and loafers, accompanied by what had to be his wife, wearing tight leggings busting at the seams, a very large sweatshirt that reached mid-thigh, and poofed up "mall bang" hair.  Every single guy looked miserable.  Every single gal was at least 30 lb overweight and yacking nonstop.  It was one of the most depressing things I've ever seen.

Rural Wisconsin brings a level of white trash that I marvel at.  The god damned mall bang hair is everywhere.  A lot of the small towns feature fashions that haven't changed since the footage in Making a Murderer.  It's not like rural Iowa is any kind of pillar of fashion, but once you get up into Wisconsin, and in particular the North Woods (a whole different region, really) it gets reaaaaaaal greasy.  The accents get so thick in places, I can barely understand some of the people (and I'm frequently accused of having the same accent).  They're basically Yoopers.

They're generally pretty good shit, but it's at a different level than what I'm even used to.

Edited by Al_4_ISU
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Doc Holliday

Doc Holliday 199

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1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Rural Wisconsin brings a level of white trash that I marvel at.  The god damned mall bang hair is everywhere.  A lot of the small towns feature fashions that haven't changed since the footage in Making a Murderer.  It's not like rural Iowa is any kind of pillar of fashion, but once you get up into Wisconsin, and in particular the North Woods (a whole different region, really) it gets reaaaaaaal greasy.  The accents get so thick in places, I can barely understand some of the people (and I'm frequently accused of having the same accent).  They're basically Yoopers.

They're generally pretty good shit, but it's at a different level than what I'm even used to.

this hits very close to home as I was pretty sure I found the only attractive lady from Wisconsin who was from a small town outside of Eau Claire

the drinking to the fashion to well, everything is spot on

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texifornia

texifornia 56,897

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On 6/19/2018 at 9:53 AM, tokamak said:

This is some advice that was passed along to me by friends (native Texans) who did 6 or 7 years there. They left a couple years ago but loved it there AFAIK. This advice would probably apply best to 30-something couples with young kids or kids in the plan soon.

 

Marquette neighborhood on the peninsula is good. Easy to get around town. Fancy houses along the water and more rentals the farther inland you go. Sweet spot is between the water and Williamson.

Schenk-Atwood is gentrifying. Cool shops and restaurants. East of the Yahara River and west of Atwood pricier, east of Atwood more affordable.

Vilas and Greenbush are very nice, walkable, close to everything. Sucks on football game days.

Cheaper option would be Westmorland. Not as charming as all of the above, but still an easy spot to get around town.

For 'burbs (and schools), look at Monona, Middleton (nice downtown area), or Fitchburg (if you want a McMansion). Don't live north because getting around the lake sucks.

Oh wow this is crazy useful, thanks. I'm late-20s and my office would be on the Marquette/downtown border so that's looking likely given the amount of bougie new apt buildings which are extremely up my alley.

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texifornia

texifornia 56,897

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On 6/19/2018 at 5:41 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

I just realized you're moving there.  My last set of recs could be dealt with in a solid day.

If you're into the outdoors, Madison sits on the eastern edge of the Driftless Area.  Think the Ozarks with less meth/poverty and slightly smaller hills.  There are great bike trails all over that part of Wisconsin, and across the Mississippi in Iowa and Minnesota.  Both for road bikes and MTB.  There are some great state parks with solid hiking opportunities (Devil's Lake, Governor Dodge, and Blue Mounds off the top of my head).  Wisconsin has tons of lakes for fishing and boating, and there are some great rivers in the 2 hour radius for canoeing/kayaking.  The Kickapoo, Wisconsin, Upper Iowa (Iowa), Rock, and Root (Minnesota) are all highly regarded.

 Get ready for 4 legit seasons.  It will be 0 degrees (or worse) at some point in the winter.  It will be 100 degrees in the summer.  You may wake up in the morning, and need to run the heat in your car to defrost it, only to switch to AC by mid-afternoon.  There will be days in January where it's 50 degrees and sunny and you'll feel like you're cheating God with this beautiful weather.  It will snow heavily and April and you will curse the same god.

 Badger games are fun as hell.  You're also only about 4 hours from watching the Horns at Jack Trice every other year.  College football is massive, and even though it's Big 10 country, they aren't as up their own ass as SEC fans.  People in the Midwest value modesty above all else in social settings and you likely won't have to deal with chest thumping ego-driven bullshit.

 Madison has a lot in common with Austin, in my opinion.  There's something about mixing the flagship university with the state capital that brings a damn interesting scene to a community.

Oh wow didn't realize it was striking distance from I-State. It's always been on my college bucket list. Lots of cute I-State fashion grads in NYC certainly didn't hurt that haha.

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