Madison, WI (Nov 8, 2025)
Took the bus from Chicago to Madison, WI for a short one-day trip! Thanks to Shane for hosting me!
FRIDAY NIGHT
The traffic entering Madison was insane - it felt like I was in Midtown Manhattan. Turns out there was a college basketball game.
We had dinner at a Laotian restaurant Ahan. While we waited for our tables, we walked around Williamson St (colloquially called Willy St). We wandered into a Story Slam at Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, where people told stories about their archnemeses. Stories were fun to hear - ranging from encounters with police to a heartwarming bicker between two sisters!
Along the street, it was very cool to see former factory buildings turned into storefronts. The restaurant itself is in the historic building of the former Madison Candy Company.
After too long of a wait (90 min...), we were finally seated. I really liked that Khao Soi Luang Prabang - super flavorful! Instead of the yellow-curry, coconut based Khao Soi at Thai restaurants, this was made with tomato, fermented soybean, and lots of garlic!
The Khao Tod though not traditional was delicious as well - like arancini but with red curry flavor!
SATURDAY
Saturday is the day for the farmer's market in Madison. All sorts of vendors and political groups set up tents around the Capitol square. Some highlights included cheese curds, "kale flower" bouquets, apples / cider, spicy cheesy bread, cinnamon rolls, and pastries!
I got a sourdough pistachio croissant from Origin Bread...
...and a Pesto Feta Croissant from Crest Spring Bakery (made with whole wheat and rye flour)! I was going to head back after to try their sweet potato goat cheese muffin, but the line was too long.
I also wandered into the State Capitol Building, which was surprisingly open to the public. Clean restrooms, pretty marble and mosaics, and some cool historic documents.
The Capitol Square became quite packed by 9am, so I headed off to UW Arboretum. It was rather chilly (30s Fahrenheit plus wind) but it was very enjoyable to bike past nice homes and pretty trees.
Then, I headed towards UW campus for lunch. There are lots of food options for a college town. And yes there's Asian food in Wisconsin...
Had some loaded pelmeni at Paul's Pelmeni - curry and siracha actually work pretty well with the dumplings!
I also wanted to try the pollo a la brasa from Estacion Inka. The sauces (aji verde and aji panca) were very tasty.
Walking and biking around, State St definitely felt more like a college town than Willy St.
After lunch, I strolled around the Chazen Art Museum on the UW campus. While it wasn't very large of a museum, there was a diverse collection from Medieval to contemporary art from different parts of the globe.
My cycling friends clamor over the nice bike paths. So I decided to brave the cold and the rain/snow on the forecast and circle Lake Monona. Once I made it onto the path and had pretty trees & houses on either side, I didn't mind the cold or the rain that started halfway through.
Overall, a pleasant excursion! I'll return when the weather is nicer...
Comments
Post a Comment