I swear, this has been the longest week. We had snow on Tuesday that the county did not handle well, so the commute into school was awful for everyone. Then on Wednesday they had a delay for ice and on Thursday one for cold. Thankfully I work from home, but it has definitely messed with my week. Perhaps that’s why Madison jumped to mind when I heard that the Friday Five topic today was 5 things you like about your favorite city. They at least know how to handle cold and snow LOL.
1. The people – there’s just something about the midwest. People actually say hi to you on the street. And when they ask you how you are, they are actually looking for a conversation. After living in DC for {gulp} 20 years, it still amazes me when I go someplace in Wisconsin and someone not only looks me in the eye as I walk by, but actually smile and say hi.
2. The beer – For many years, Wisconsin was the mecca of, umm, bad beer. But that is so not the case now. Madison has several brew pubs, all of whom make really good beer. Plus, in Wisconsin, I can buy New Glarus beer (a Wisconsin brewery that makes AMAZING beer but does not sell outside of Wisconsin) AND Alaskan Brewing beer because they sell in few states, one of which is Wisconsin. (Yes, my parents did drive out an entire minivan full of beer one time…) Also, the BEST beer festival I’ve ever been to takes place there every August.
3. The running/biking options – There are trails everywhere and Madison also has a city bike share like DC does. With lakes galore, the views are stunning. While I’ll admit that the winters are a bit rougher than DC, the summers don’t get quite as hot and they don’t stay hot for as long. Nights tend to be cooler than DC, so getting up early to run actually makes sense LOL. Madison also has a number of awesome races including the Madison Mini, Crazy Legs, and Ironman Wisconsin. I even wrote an article for RunHaven about the best places to run.
4. The food – OK, I’ll be the first to admit that my favorites are not the healthiest: brats and cheese. But, OMG, they are sooo good. And who doesn’t love fried cheese curds (or even just regular fresh cheese curds AKA squeeky cheese?) But not all the foods in Wisconsin are bad for you. Madison is starting to have a nice little restaurant scene. Don’t want to go out? Madison is surrounded by farm land and the Saturday morning farmer’s market by the Capitol is amazing. Anything you can think of, you can find. And certain foods just taste better when they are grown in Wisconsin. I’m convinced it’s the soil.
5. The university – I love the University of Wisconsin. I’m a badger fan from WAY back, even though I did not go there. Also, the university brings opportunities (jobs and activities) that you might not otherwise find in a small city like Madison.
Don’t get me wrong, I am happy in the Washington DC area and it does have lots of great things to do year round, but Beer Geek knows that I’d move him to Madison if he gave me the slightest opportunity. (Doesn’t hurt that a huge percentage of my family lives near there…)
[Tweet “Madison Wisconsin is my favorite city! Want to know why I love it so much? #fridayfive #wisconsingirlindc”]
What about you? What’s your favorite city? Do you actually live there?
I’m linking up with Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia – go check out everyone else’s favorite city.
We had bad snow and cold this week in Iowa too. Thankfully we home school, so we weren’t affected by late starts and cancellations at the public schools. However, getting to the gym and running errands was no fun.
BTW-I love brats too!!! 🙂
Amy
Very cool. I’ve never been there but sounds like it would be a cool place to visit. Can’t go wrong with brats and cheese though. So worth it.
I’ve never heard do fried cheese curds but that does sound delicious!
I have never been to Wisonsin and really had no plans to ever visit, but you make it sound so appealing. Plus I need to try a fried cheese curd!
Never been to Wisconsin before, but I do love cheese curds! Also, if you go into VA just a little further south, people will look you in the eye and smile. You just have to get out of the Northerner mindset that’s creeped in to DC/Northern VA.
Have never been…but it definitely sounds like a worthwhile city to check out!
I’ve never been to Wisconsin but I love midwest people because yes they are so friendly and helpful. We will be “Hoosier” fans when my daughter heads to IU this fall and look forward to spending lots of time out there
You had me at beer.
The running options sound pretty good too 😉
madison sounds like a really fun place! i love DC but agree the cost of living is out of control!
I would assume that if it didn’t have good beer, you wouldn’t be caught dead living there!
The biking jumped out at me!
I live 2 hours south of DC and love to go on the trails.
Does Madison have a mountain biking crowd as well?!
Great post! My boss went to school in Madison and loved it there.
I have never been to Wisconsin, sounds like a great place though!!
I went to Madison years ago and really loved it! My fav is NYC.
I ALMOST posted about Madison. If I could pick anywhere to live, besides Chicago, it would be Madison. We spend a lot of time up there in the summer…and always come home with a case of New Glarus….I’ve run a few races there too.
Ugh I think the Mid-Atlantic region in general totally dropped the ball on that snowstorm. Major fail around here too!
I’ve never really thought too much about visiting Wisconsin, but Madison sounds like a great place! (I love that they have awesome beer there.)
My husband actually wants to go for the Dallas Cowboys game but he will freeze his little fine butt off over there. LOL. I think you may mention beer in at least 1 post a week on the blog. I don’t blame you – I used to drink beer until I had my son and then that changed my taste buds.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! Duh 🙂
When I graduated high school in Wausau, WI I moved to a few different towns/cities after. When I landed in Madison I said “This is it, I’m staying!”
I am always a fan of great beer festivals! Also nothing wrong with that food. It looks great!
I’ve never been to Madison Wisconsin but have heard it is such a wonderful city. They have a fantastic rowing program. The beer festivals sound like a blast!
Yes! This is all so true! =) I don’t get to Madison to see my family as often as I should, but when I do, it’s always good times. =)
You watching this crazy Packers/Cowboys game? Yowsers.
#6?
carla almost went to school here.