October 18, 2005

Madison, right now.

What's it like in Madison, in the beginning of the second half of October? Is it snowing yet? You may wonder. Well, no. It's a brilliantly sunny day with the temperature near 70. You can tell it's getting close to winter by the very long shadows at midday. But State Street is full of young people in short sleeves, strolling along and lolling about in the sidewalk cafés that are everywhere:

Madison, Wisconsin.

Madison, Wisconsin.

Ooh, and rounding the corner -- quick, get a shot -- it's the Bucky wagon, honking the tune "On Wisconsin":

Madison, Wisconsin.

8 comments:

Ann Althouse said...

Brendan: The Humanities Building is actually slated for demolition! And there are many different cafés, most locally owned, more than back in the 80s. There's one Starbucks on State Street and at least six local places. The local cafés easily outcompete Starbucks, with better coffee, better atmosphere, and free WiFi.

reader_iam said...

Oh, I do enjoy your pictures, but especially the ones from downtown, because we do so like visiting Madison. In fact, we're overdue! Often, I've stood or sat at the places you've photographed.

And the local coffee bars ARE great. I've traveled all over, and I must say that Madison is one of the few places where I've actually never gotten a bad coffee drink. Rare. Completely the opposite of Davenport (although, you trip over chiro's every two feet here--home of Palmer--could there be a connection? Smile).

Bennett said...

Reader Iam:

Is that Davenport, IA?

I've enjoyed a good latte or two at the Starbucks at the Barnes & Noble at Northpark Mall. It ain't Ground Zero or Michelangelo's, but...

Susan said...

What's it like in Mount Dora (FL), in the beginning of the second half of October? Is the hurricane season over yet? You may wonder. Well, no. It's a brilliantly sunny day with the temperature near 80. You can tell it's getting close to winter by the increase in snowbirds. But Donnelly Street is full of old people in short sleeves, strolling along and wondering if the weekend will be nice or if Wilma is going to pay us a visit.

reader_iam said...

Anselm:

Yep, that Davenport (is this your part of the Midwest, too?). And there are a couple of consistently good places, but for some reason, that doesn't seem to be the norm.

When it first opened, the B&N coffeebar was pretty good, but then quickly deteriorated, as frequently happens here. Maybe it's because it seems that many of the baristas working at the various coffee bars here seem not to actually like espresso, etc. (for example, amazing how often they ask my husband if he'd like cream in his espresso). Or, more likely maybe, that a lot of people living here don't actually like strong brews? Well, whatever. We finally bought a machine for use at home--cheaper in the long run, as a bonus.

Anyway, I stopped going to the BN coffeebar, but I should go again, because maybe it's improved now. (Thanks for the tip.)

Or ... just plan our next trip to Madison right away!

Andy Kaufman said...

Awesome. Thanks for the photos.

Fall in Madison is without comparison.

It must be especially sweet after the thrilling Badger game last Saturday.

Eli Blake said...

Well, heck, it is a late frost in the arctic, too.

But I prefer your pictures to that one, at least yours are something to feel good about.

Judith said...

NYC was very warm and sunny, too, until 2 days ago.