in madison, wisconsin...

if you order a bloody mary, it will arrive with a complimentary beer chaser (hurrah!)

you can find new glarus beer, penzey's spices (the best!), and squeaky fresh cheese curds.



cow things are everywhere. (and please note that this was taken outside of a wonderful establishment called state street brats. yes, brats are also everywhere.)



the people are exceptionally nice - nicer than anywhere in the world, in my opinion - but the police will not hesitate to give you a parking ticket ...  especially if you have illinois plates (see: fib).



you can buy pretty much anything with bucky badger on it (and i mean anything). we chose these awesome t-shirts.



independent coffee shops outnumber starbucks by... a lot (that's my precise scientific assessment).

it's true; we really do wear cheese on our heads.

cows, too (hey, it gets very cold here).



it's pretty, even in the dead of winter.

this city will always be home to me. not chicago, not san francisco. it's where i grew up, attended college, and got married. it's diverse, tolerant, educated, spirited, liberal, and i love it infinitely. in fact, i would probably live here permanantly if it weren't so dang cold (and if the public trans were better because let's face facts, i'm never going to drive). i'm so happy i got a chance to hang out here for a few days over the holidays.

madison, je t'aime.