Top Tens, 2nd Edition

The Top Ten Best Things About Living in . . . Madison, WI

10.) Culver's Wisconsin is the land of Culver's and Madison is no exception. They have many locations there, some better than others. (Eastowne Culver's = Highly recommended, Beltline Culver's = Not). The bottom line, however, is that a butterburger and some frozen custard is a beautiful thing. And the best part of many different Culver's in one place is that on any given day, one of them is bound to have a flavor-of-the-day that you'll enjoy.

9.) State Street & Capitol Square I'm pretty sure the stretch from Memorial Library at UW on one end to the Capitol Building on the other could accommodate pretty much any craving a person might have. There is the super fancy (Harvest), the super cheap (Taco Bell), a million different ethnic places (Russian dumplings, Nepalese, Afghani, etc.), a million coffee shops (from Starbucks to Esspresso Royale), and of course the institution that is State Street Brats. Not to mention the fact that there are a million stores from pricey, to cheap, to hippie, to kitschy. So if you're hungry or want to buy something, you know where to go. Only, try to go in summer, because it's cold in the winter :)

8.) Navigation The first thing I ever appreciated about Madison was the ease of navigation that it offers. Not to say that I never got lost, because I did, quite a bit in fact. What I'm saying is that you only have to know a minimal number of roads in order to be able to successfully negotiate your way through the main parts of town. Start with Washington, that's the most important one. Add in the Beltline and University, and you're in pretty damn good shape. Thank you, Madison, for being so user friendly!

7.) Fish Fry What is more delicious than fried fish? Not much, especially if that fish happens to be walleye. I'm pretty sure that every single person in the Badger State goes to a fish fry every single Friday. Or at least that's what it seems like. Depending on where you're going, you might need to make a reservation. But once you're there, it's all worth while. Delicious fried fish, some cole slaw, and beer. It doesn't get any better than that. A couple to try: the Avenue Bar and Wando's. By the way, every Tuesday night Wando's supplies those drinking there with free bacon. How cool is that?

6.) College Sports Madison is a serious college sports town. It is THE college sports town. They take football, basketball, and hockey very seriously. Hell, they have a bigger student section with more spirit at their volleyball games than most schools do at their men's basketball games. Anyone who has ever laid eyes on Camp Randall Stadium knows that these people mean business. At at the end of any University of Wisconsin athletic event that you attend, you will hear the "time-honored tradition of the singing of the varsity." U-Raw-Raw Wisc-on-sin.

5.) Ice Cream One of the main benefits of moving to America's Dairyland is the ice cream. It is superb and there is plenty of it to be had in Madison. UW's Babcock Hall ice cream is damn good, but my favorite by far is the Chocolate Shoppe on State Street. Oh so delicious. Of course, if you want frozen custard there's always Culver's (see #10) or Michael's Frozen Custard. Madison is a great place for frozen goodness.

4.) Bikes The Trek factory is located just minutes away in Waterloo, WI. There are two Trek stores in Madison, not to mention about a million other bike shops. I ought to know, because when Pete would visit me there I think we averaged about three per weekend (Machinery Row was the closest, so we went there the most). There are lots of people who love to ride there, not to mention lots of bike trails. The Capitol City Bike Trail was a favorite of mine, but the ride out to Picnic Point and the trails around Lake Monona were great, too. Basically, if you're like Pete and love to ride, Madison is a great place to be.

3.) Lakes Most notably Lake Mendota (the one UW is located on) and Lake Monona (the one south of Lake Mendota) feature prominently in Madison. I can't count how many days I spent walking the Fredo along the shores of one of the lakes, enjoying the smell of lake on the wind. Well, that was when it was warm. In the winter I walked along freezing my ass off because there is nothing colder than the wind off of a frozen lake. Whatever the season or the temperature, lakes make things prettier. Yay for lakes.

2.) Beer It's Wisconsin, so of course the beer is good. When I first moved into town, the local brewery I discovered was Capitol Brewing. I enjoyed their Oktoberfest and a selection of their other offerings at Taste of Madison Labor Day Weekend. I didn't take me long, however, to discover some far superior local offerings. Don't get me wrong, the Capitol stuff is good, but it doesn't hold up to the other brews I found. First, I happened upon the Great Dane Brew Pup by the capitol. The have yummy food (I heartily recommend the brats and mash) and good beer ( I recommend the Crop Circle and the Devil's Lake Red Porter). The holy grail of Wisconsin beer, in my humble opinion, is not to be found in Madison, but in New Glarus. That's right, New Glarus Brewing offers some of the best beer this girl has ever enjoyed. How can anyone who drinks beer not enjoy Spotted Cow? I have no idea. Fat Squirrel, Road Sludge, Hop Hearty, Raspberry Tart, Yokel, and on, and on. I have yet to taste a beer they make that I don't like. And the town is a super cute little Swiss town with a sweet bakery. Good stuff.

1.) Hockey I will always remember Wisconsin as the state where I learned to love hockey. While I was there, both the men's and women's hockey teams at UW won national championships. On Wisconsin! I spent some awesome time at the Kohl Center and lots of good time on the couch learning to love an amazing sport. As an big fan of basketball, baseball, and football, I can honestly say that there is nothing finer than a good hockey game, and I have Madison to thank for that. The fans in Madison are great, and it is without hesitation that I can say that hockey was my favorite thing about my time in Madison. Thanks to Pete for patiently answering all of my amateurish questions ("What's the five hole?"), a process that still continues.

A Few Good Updates

It has been super hectic lately and I haven't had much chance to update the old b-l-o-g. But now I have a minute, so here you go.

Hockey Update:

I know you've all been waiting for me to issue my verdict on the changes to NHL rules following their strike. Well, here it is: THEY ROCK!! In the last week I have seen the Minnesota Wild (my official favorite NHL team) win two games in shootouts. Holy excitement, Batman. I think it's kind of weak when games can end in ties. Plus shootouts are super intense. You get to see some sweet moves and some crazy saves. Yay NHL!! Yay MN Wild!!

Something else you've been waiting for...Last year's best name in Gopher Hockey (Kris Chucko) departed for the ranks of the NHL. While I wish him all the best, it is time to crown a new best sports name on the Gopher Hockey team. Without further ado I bring you...Alex Goligoski #10. His name has flow.

Weekend Update:

I'm fending for myself this weekend, as Pete has left me behind to go play paintball. I was planning to accompany him, but given the cold weather and the sinus infection I'm nursing, he didn't think it was a good idea. I hate it when Pete's right :) Plus the Fredo would have been pretty cold, I think.

Recommendation:

If you live in the metro area and have not been to Tandoor in Bloomington, you must go. They have some delicious Indian food. If you heed my advice and do go, you should get the Chicken Madras. It's so good. You can eat in their dining room, or order it to go. Yum, yum, yum.

And now I've hit my blogging wall for the day. I'm all blogged out.

Top Tens, 1st Edition

Top Ten Best Things About Living in . . . Missoula, MT

10.) Big Dipper Ice Cream The best ice cream in Missoula since 1995. They have a menu full of classics (vanilla, chocolate), some oddballs (green tea, black licorice), and also a rotating selection of specialties. This time of year they are sure to have pumpkin on the menu. My favorites ever: their rocky road and raspberry white chocolate. Aside from the yumminess of their product, the best thing about Big Dipper is location, location, location. They're ideally situated to buy a cone and walk along the riverfront path while eating. All the makings of a beautiful summer evening.

9.) Casual Beauty There is no place in this town where you can't wear jeans. Black tie means wear your black tie, but wear it with jeans if you want. Jeans are okay at the nicest of restaurants, and there are some nice ones. The Montana idea of beauty is clean-scrubbed and fresh. With glowing skin and hair pulled back in a ponytail you're good to go anywhere. For guys, scruffy is totally acceptable. If you dress up too much, or look too fussy, people will probably think you're trying too hard. Montana chic = beauty in all things natural.


8.) Western Montana Fair The "Great Minnesota Get-Together" it's not, but that's not a bad thing. The fairgrounds are right in the middle of town. The food booths are all run by local groups as a fundraiser (like Sons of Norway offering Vikings, Native American Youth offering frybread, or Missoula High School Bands offering nachos and snow cones, etc.) The food is great, but the buildings with all the photography, huge ass vegetables, 4-H projects, etc. are a blast, too. And here's the best part of all: there are always places to sit, often in the shade. You don't have to wait in line hours for food. The rodeo is pretty damn fun, too.


7.) The M Located on Mount Sentinel, the M is the Missoula landmark. You have not visited Missoula until you have hiked the zig-zag path up to the M. Many other towns in Montana feature a large M on the hillside (Butte, for example), but Missoula's is by far the nicest. Incidentally, on the mountain to the left (north) of Mount Sentinel is a giant letter L. Not as cool as the M. And no, the mountain to the right of the M does not have a giant N on it :)


6.) Bernice's Bakery The best hippie bakery in the whole entire world. It started out as a little hole in the wall. It has expanded a bit since then, but it's still delicious. Their most perfect pastries are their croissants. They are super hearty and filled with things like raspberries and cream cheese. These are some serious croissants. They have expanded into desserts, and their white wine cupcakes are divine. Soooo good.


5.) Beer Three local breweries of note: Big Sky Brewing, Bayern, Kettle House, and Glacier Brewing. Beers of note: Moose Drool, Trout Slayer, Bong Water, and Flathead Cherry Ale. Not to mention the wider regional beers available here: Fat Tire, Black Butte Porter. Beer-licious!



4.) The Wilderness You don't have to go far from Missoula to be totally by yourself with nature. For example, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, affectionately known as "the Bob" or Glacier National Park. That's right, glorious scenic beauty and not very many people. It's easy to go someplace where you won't see anyone all day long.


3.) Griz Football Games A stadium located at the foot of the mountains and the mouth of Hellgate Canyon. A pair of national championships. Just shy of 24,000 screaming fans (that's like a million people in Montana :). Nothing better on a Saturday in fall than a Griz football game. Make sure to sneak in your hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps. Key moments in the game: any time two-time national mascot of the year Monte takes the field, when they play "cotton-Eyed Joe" and John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." When they play the school song, "Up With Montana Boys," everyone sings along. Most notable line in the school song: "And the squeal of the pig will float on the air from the tummy of the grizzly bear." Damn right it will.


2.) The Perfect Day on the River Nothing is better than the perfect day on the River. And if you live in Missoula, there are several very appealing options available to you, most notably the Clark Fork, the Bitterroot, and the Blackfoot. The perfect day on the river is warm, but not too hot. There's just the hint of a gentle breeze (not enough to interfere with casting). And most likely, you catch some trout. If it's really a perfect day, maybe you catch a monster Brown Trout, but that's just icing on the cake. At the end of a day such as this, the best thing to do is to enjoy a hearty local brew and put your feet up, enjoying the sensation of still being on the water long after you're back on dry land.


1.) The Mountains Missoula is nestled into a nice little valley. For people who aren't from around there, I've heard it can feel a bit claustrophobic. For the rest of us, it just feels safe and protected. Visiting my family in South Dakota and Nebraska growing up always made me feel very vulnerable and exposed. Plus, the mountains are pretty to look at on a daily basis.

And now I will conclude with the finest quote about Missoula that has ever been penned. As a disclaimer, I will state ahead of time that I know this quote is not entirely true. I know many fine people in the Midwest. I still like the quote, though. It's brought to us courtesy of Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It.

"There are a lot of bastards in the world, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana."

Emma Krumbee's

"I'm not coming home without a pumpkin." This is what I said to Peter this morning as we were on our way to Emma Krumbee's apple orchard in Belle Plaine. And guess what? We didn't have to come home without a pumpkin; we came home with two of them. Pete tried to limit me to a very small pumpkin, but we negotiated and agreed on a medium sized one for us and a very small one for the Fredo.

We went with Corey and Mel and Aimee and got there about right when it opened. We forgot our camera, so this picture taken of "Scarecrow Pete" with my camera phone is the only picture we have.

I must say, that is quite a complex they have there at Emma Krumbee's. We looked at the scarecrows and other attractions, we went for a ride behind a tractor, and we ate lunch at their restaurant. Very tasty. In addition to the pumpkins, Pete and I came home with some apple butter and some apple cider.

And now I have a paper to write for my class tomorrow. Next weekend is paintball and the weekend after is SoDak pheasant opener. Hopefully I'll be able to find some time to post up again in the not-too-distant future, but we'll see how it goes.

Happy Birthday to Summit!/Yay Twins!!

Saturday evening Pete and I made our way to Harriet Island in St. Paul to help Summit Brewing celebrate its 20th birthday. There were about a bazillion people there, but it was still fun. We braved long lines to eat some Famous Dave's, and then braved even longer lines to enjoy some of the tasty brews we were honoring. The beer lines were unbelievably long due to the fact that there were only 2 points of sale for any and all beverages: beer, water, and pop. Poor planning there on someone's part. To the folks at Summit: Nice party, but next time, more places to buy beer, please! We enjoyed the musical stylings of Soul Asylum and Cake, as well as the EPA, ESB, and Scandia we consumed. All things considered, it was a super fun, perfect fall evening. One more picture:


This weekend my cousin's husband returned to Sioux Falls, SD from his deployment in Iraq. Welcome home, Blake! Here is a picture from the Argus Leader (the Sioux Falls paper) of my uncle Win and his granddaughter Cami.


And now in sports news: The Twins clinched their division title tonight. Wahoo!




What a sweet season. Pete thinks he helped them with his "Mauer" sideburns. I think that their turnaround came when I moved to Minnesota. Either way, Go Twins! A win over the White Sox, and a Kansas City victory over the Tigers, and we're starting the playoffs vs. Oakland at home instead of the Yanks on the road. Everyone grab your homerun hankies and sing it with me now:

We're gonna win Twins
We're gonna score
We're gonna win Twins
Watch that baseball soar
Let's hit a homerun
Shout out hip-hooray
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!



How fitting that they did it with #34 on their sleeves and the field. I love that they chose to wear his number instead of a black band, etc. We miss you, Kirby!

And now I will conclude my post and return my attention to Season 1 of "Arrested Development." :)