If you haven’t been to Madison, Wisconsin, you should go. Make sure you go in the warmer months as things tend to get a bit cold up there in the winter, but on any given Spring or Summer day you will find the city filled with bicyclists and pedestrians, walking and riding the greenways, enjoying the two (big!) lakes that sidle up on either side of the downtown, and living in the great urban environment that Madison has become.
There are so many things to like a about Madison that it is hard to choose what to do if you only have a long weekend to be there. The essential list for someone interested in experiencing some great urban life would probably include:
1. Staying in one of the downtown neighborhoods. The city is built on an isthmus between lake Monona and lake Mendota and that’s where all the best urban action happens. The terrain is flat which allowed the planners to smack down a grid which makes for some great traditional neighborhoods.
2. Renting a bicycle and using that as transportation. It won’t take you long to figure out that about half of the town does the same thing, every day. Make sure to ride over to the Capitol Building on a Saturday morning during the spring and buy some fresh local produce from one of the Nation’s largest farmer’s markets. Also, don’t miss the beautiful, bike-friendly greenways down by the lakes.
3. After the Farmer’s Market, take a tour of the Wisconsin Capitol Building, a beautifully designed building that will have you walking around with your camera glued to your eye. You see a couple pictures of it here, but exploring the building is half the fun. This is one of the few examples of a great public building that you can still enjoy without getting searched as you enter and without feeling like you are limited to only a few interior vantage points. So much of the building is open to explore…don’t miss the viewing patio at the top.
4. For Frank Lloyd Wright fans there are plenty of his works nearby, including the Unitarian Meeting House directly in Madison.
5. Last, but not least, the Terrace at the University of Wisconsin offers a taste of the European square right in the heart of America. Take an afternoon to slow down a bit, grab a beer from the Student Center, play cards, wax philosophical and watch the sailboats float by on Lake Mendota. You won’t regret it.
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