Milwaukee and Madison, WI
 

I just got back from my first trip to Wisconsin and I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised! Being a staunch Southern gal, I wasn't sure what I would find in beer-and-cheese country..given that I don't like beer or cheese, lol!

Anyway, as soon as we got off the plane in Milwaukee, I was surprised at how green (grass, trees, etc.) and how warm (okay, hot at times) it was.

We had dinner at a Mil. Mexican rest..nothing impressive. Off to Madison!!

Boy, Atlanta and Madison are soo unalike as being capital cities!! You see downtown Atlanta and mostly what you see are tall buildings, concrete and traffic. Madison is on an (okay, I know I'll misspell it) isthamus (think of a road/bridge over 2 lakes between 2 mainlands).

Hubby's bro lived on the eastside. It seems no matter where we went, the houses were basically the same - 20-40+ years old, ranch style. We did go over to the West side which seemed to be newer, but we didn't go into the residential areas.

I realllly loved the fact that Mad. has a "small town" field. The UW Madison is right next to downtown. We went to an outdoor concert at the local botanical gardens. I can see why Madison was ranked one of the top US cities for families.

Downsides..
No AGD chapter at UW..maybe it will come back!.
Pepsi!!! (I drank water alot since the rest. don't serve sweet tea either!)
"That" mustard!! I think it was a Gulden's type..not yellow mustard which has a stronger taste.
Brats! (bratwurst not kids, lol) We went to the annual Bratfest and I had hotdogs and warm Pepsi, yuck but it was 50 cents for a dog and drink.)
Houses..Wierd to think that brother's house and our house cost about the same but about 2-3 decades difference and ours has a lot more room.

The number one reason I would never move to Madison of things I CAN'T change...the winter weather!! Other than that, it is a terrific city!

Do you remember the name of the mexican restaurant that you ate at while in Milwaukee?

You should have spent more time in Milwaukee, it really is a very nice city....

Yea, the grass up here is green! Who woulda thunk? The cows don't trample it all down!!!!!

LOL at damasa...I think a lot of people are very surprised at what they find in our little corner of the state.

I heart Milwaukee!!!
The zoo, Summerfest, I'll be visiting you guys frequently :D

Ahh yes, that's right, Summerfest - rated North America's #1 festival :)

Even just seeing Miller Park. As much as the Brewers suck, it's a great stadium.

You could always go down to Miller Valley and take the Miller tour and see where they made the beer in the old days. The Sprecher tour is ideal as well.

I had to do a websearch but I think that the Mex. rest. was named Jose's. It is next to the Water Street Brewery (which was my 1st choice..2nd was the BBQ place). I get Mex. food a lot but my hubby's bro and g/f wanted Mex.

Yea, too bad we didn't get to see a lot of Mil.. It did seem like a nice place. Marquette had a pretty campus.

On the way to the airport when we were leaving, we did stop at a hole-in-the-wall BBQ place called Speedy Queen (or something like that). Suprisingly good! Not many places you can order a PAN of BBQ pork, beef, etc., lol! Hubby's bro's friend introduced him to it. ;)

How is madison? I'm thinking bout going there for my PhD. What is the vibe?

Aurora,

I had the pleasure of running into TONS of your sisters when I was eating lunch in the Grand Avenue Mall last weekend. It was great to see so many wonderful greek ladies in an unexpected place!

Thanks Ginger...
 

Milwaukee and Madison, although very different, are great places. We lived in Milwaukee from 1975 to 1977 and loved it. I worked at a local TV station at the time.

Great neighborhoods and neighborhood bars. Wonderful friendly people.

Our oldest daughter was born there. Mrs. DeltAlum was a docent at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

And, if you run out of things to do or can't find something, only 90 minutes by car from Chicago.

Sugar and Spice will probably be all over this question, she is from there AND goes to school there - I personally like Madison a lot and would consider grad work there, it's a very fun town...and I love the State Street area.

AGDLynn -- being the space cadet that I am, I just checked my PMs today and found the one from you! I'm sorry I didn't get back to you before you left, but I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. The botanical gardens you went to are really close to my house!

Madison and Milwaukee are not at all like the impressions most people have of Wisconsin. And Summerfest is great . . . I can't wait to go out there this summer.

No problem!

I was in a SUV-type vehicle which meant I didn't get a very good look at some things, lol! I didn't know we were even on campus until I looked up and saw the DDD house!! He was driving quickly so I didn't get a good look at all the houses, but they looked very nice!

Arya-- The vibe? GREAT! I'm from Madison (don't go there, but grew up there) and I LOVE the city. The school's awesome, too.