Let the Madness begin

After our brief side trip in the Dells, we were back on the road to Mad-town and arrive around 4 PM. From I-94/I-90, we exit onto Highway 151/Washington Ave and decide to drive towards the capitol find the Essen Haus. The road into town is a rather nice wide boulevard with a great view of the state capitol building. Just as I think we’re about to drive on to the capitol lawn and through the front door, Alyssa tells me we have to turn left and the Essen Haus should be just a couple blocks on the right, but as we approach the parking lot we see the weirdest stop sign mounted about 30 feet above the road. We made a point of coming back later to take photos.  Having found the Essen Haus, goal #1 was now accomplished that left the other priority of finding some accommodations.  However, we first decided to check out Olin Park and take some photos of the Madison Skyline across Lake Monona.

While at the park, we hear some music from a concert across the street and decide to drive by and see what’s up.  A security guard informs us that Southern Comfort is putting on some kind of free concert and that there was an Ironman triathlon going on in town this weekend.  This and the Badgers football game could make finding a room rather difficult, so we decided to head back through town on the same road and try our luck at finding some accommodations at one of the several hotels we drove by on our way in to town.  Our first choice was a dead-end and it was getting close to the meetup time, so we quickly lowered our standards and got a room on the next try at the “lovely” Motel 6.  Definitely not one of the nicer hotels, but it would serve its purpose of giving us a place to crash for the night.  We quickly dropped our bags off and head back out towards the meetup and even have time to make a stop at Ella’s Deli for a few pictures of this unique Madison establishment and also cruise around the capitol square. 

 

Before heading into the meetup, alyssa_ob and I walk back to take photos of the stop sign and also a take a few photos of the exterior of the Essen Haus and its surroundings.  Having satisfied our picture taking quota outside, we check into the restaurant for our reservations and find out DCBackpacker (Kim) has already arrived and claimed a nice big table for our meetup dinner.  Introductions are quickly done and we start talking like old friends.  Shortly thereafter,festerwretch  (Jeremy) and HappyJack (Jackie) arrive without Jeremy losing any tires and even wearing a different shirt than in his profile photo.  It was a reunion of sorts with Jeremy, Alyssa and I having met previously at the Twin Cities meetup in August.

  Jeremy introduced us to his niece, Jackie, and beverages for our newly arrive TravBuddy’s were quickly summoned so the meetup conversations resumed.  A short while later, csabo (Carrie) and a couple friends showed after having attended the Badgers football game.  The waitress came to take our orders, but we were so busy talking that I wasn’t ready to order.  I hastily decide on the Weiner schnitzel wishing it would come with spaetzle, but I can get that at my sister’s the next time she decides to cook some German food.  Carrie and her friends tell us about their travels and the highlights of the football before leaving.  Unfortunately, the rest of us must have been too busy talking and stuffing our faces to take any pictures with the group at its peak attendance.  Sorry about that Carrie!  After the rest of us finish eating, we adjourn from the dining area to the bar area for another round of drinks before heading out to the next watering hole.  Now, for some reason, the cameras start coming out!  Jackie decides to be trendy and confuses the waiter by ordering some fruity blue drink called Blue Max Tea or something.   Apparently, it wasn’t worth the hassle as she was very willing to share the drink with everybody else, but it was an interesting conversation piece for a bit.  While we’re sitting at this table, we also noticed that there are personalized beer mugs hanging from hooks on the ceiling. An interesting concept, but I just hope they wash them before using them as they look a bit dusty.  After Jackie’s blue drink is finished and everyone else finishes their round, the meetup is on the move.  The next establishment came as a suggestion from Alyssa’s mom was The Great Dane.  At the Great Dane, we head downstairs to the Rathskeller. On our way to bathrooms, Kim and Jackie break into an unlocked vat room where the house beers are brewed and pose for pictures through the glass. Things were getting interesting! After this little adventure, we find a cozy corner booth and order some samplers of the Great Dane’s various micro brews.  My beer of choice was the German Pilsner.  One of the waitresses volunteers to take a photo, so we finally have our group photo. After a couple of deserts were ordered and shared with the group, it was time to move on to the next Mad-town watering hole.   This time there was no plan, so we just walked a couple blocks and found a suitable establishment when Jeremy spots a bar called the Local. Having gone to the Local during the Twin Cities meetup, it seemed like good reasoning to the rest of us, so in we went.  The Local was an interesting bar with several characters among the patrons including a couple bachelorette parties on scavenger hunts.  It seemed like we were here the whole night and before we knew it, Kim had to leave so she could get up in the morning to attend the Ironman.  And then there were four.  At some point, the girls decided to coasters had alternative uses. I’ll let the pictures explain that one.  Jeremy kept us amused by hiding empty glasses behind a broken stained glass window while I made sure to take photos of even a video of the evening interesting events at the Local.  Throughout our time at the Local, we amused ourselves by taking turns sending odd text messages on Jackie’s phone.  Jackie and Alyssa even graced with a sing-along to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhaposdy”.  At closing time, the bartender was yelling at us to leave, but there were several people not leaving so we didn’t want to leave either because that would have meant the meetup was over.   However, after the bartender yelling a couple more times and then finally his girlfriend yelling, we reluctantly leave and debate what to do next.  Alyssa insists for some reason, she needs to find her M&I bank that we drove by earlier, but of course doesn’t remember where its at.  After walking around a bit, we change plans and decide its time to call it night.  Luckily Jeremy kept his bearings and led us back to the Essen Haus where our cars were parked.  As we get back to Essen Haus parking lot, we pass a bar we saw earlier that was having a foam party. Somehow we forgot to come back for this, but Jackie and Alyssa still managed to have some fun with the foam that was being pushed out the door.  Alas, all fun things must come to an end!  Reluctantly, we say our goodbyes and head our separate ways.  Definitely a fun evening in Madison with new and old friends!!!