Drove from PA to WI this weekend and back. PA had some traffic and road construction, Ohio had some too, but I mean it is Ohio and you can’t drive through there without getting sick due to the 2nd highest paid college football team in America (I think bama is still no 1 even without a good coach).
Indiana decided to work on all the bridges on one half of the state on I80 at the same time. They also decided to pave half the state. What a nightmare of completely stopped traffic. It was nice to see the highway patrol/trooper sitting in the car on the side of the road with the lights on doing nothing. When you get towards Gary, it was at a standstill too, with no construction. Nothing but cornfields and soybean, and dive bombing crop dusters when you could go over 50mph. Of course they dive close to 80 so all the city people who have never seen one pound their brakes…every single dive. It was like 60 miles of construction and one lane roads, with lane changes every mile.
Chicago area is just a train wreck, but the outside wasn’t too bad (they do love a toll there though). 294 is just a construction zone on top of a construction zone.
WI was nothing, but Madison is probably the weirdest town I have been in. Find a tiny parcel of land surrounded by water and put a town there. Then make bus lanes in the middle of the road in the center of town, put pedestrian cross walks every 50 feet with flashing lights, and bike lanes all over, then let people park their cars in one of the two lanes on the road. Not to mention not an ounce of parking to be found. Cheese curds, that is odd, but tasted good fried (not that over the top super greasy frying). No BBQ scene there though (there is BBQ, just not good BBQ). That stella’s spicy cheese bread is worth mentioning.
Cheapest gas, Ohio and Wisconsin (2.75 and 2.78). Indiana beat PA marginally, but Illinois loves some pricey fuel.
Well, that is that. Laid out the facts for you people to enjoy. Aaannnddd…your welcome!
Hey! I’m from Indiana. We have, like most of the midwest, two seasons. Winter and road construction. There’s more to indiana than just corn! Road work!
I saw some dirty barns and a lot of dirty commercial buildings. What are you doing? Get those places cleaned up already …slacker.
I imagine with all those crops and fields that the bugs must coat the houses that have any lights on. I know that is just a snippet of the state, but that road was the worst out of the 5 states I drove through.
Having grown up in Wisconsin and now living in Ohio while still making frequent trips back, I have to agree… hopefully you grabbed some Spotted Cow while there. If not, I feel even worse for you.
No I didn’t, I rarely drink alcohol. I did go to the tipsy cow though. Apparently they like smash burgers up there, whereas I prefer my cow to be tickled by fire. Madison does have some peculiar names for restaurants and bars. E.G. “A pig in a fur coat”, “mint mark”, “The tipsy cow”, “sardine”.
Based on what you’ve mentioned about traffic and the city layout, I’m guessing you might not be from a bigger city? From my experience, what you see in Madison is pretty similar to most larger Midwest cities (i.e. lots of quirky restaurant names) with the smashburger craze really taking off in the past 5 years or so. Not bad by any means, but I agree, if you’re craving a grilled burger it just doesn’t quite hit the same.
I live in the sticks now, have been around, last city I lived in was Philly PA. My wife and kid, who have been all over Europe and the U.S., thought it was an odd town too.
When the tipsy cow was recommended to me I said “I just want a good burger”. They said the Tipsy Cow is the best burger place. I wasn’t impressed. Now the cheeses that they put on the burger were good, but the smash burger was just meh.
Eating a sammich now with that Stella’s Spicy bread and it is awesome. Got my butt kicked cleaning concrete and a pavilion today. Those picnic tables were hard to move solo.
@Dirtyboy I regret that your trip to my state was a disappointment. Madison is a college town. They are big into bike lanes, pedestrian travel and eclectic eating. It’s a different type of city. My son went to college there and I still shake my head when I visit that city. If you want a good burger visit any of the numerous Culver’s locations in Wisconsin. They have some great deep fried cheese curds. I can’t speak to the road construction, but in your travels you drove past a number of fine BBQ establishments. If you ever return, let me know and I will give you some names of good BBQ joints.
Yeah, I got that impression reading through your posts. It makes sense though. Madison is a very pedestrian-friendly city and designed around that. A lot of the best spots don’t get mentioned much, partly because locals don’t want them overrun, but also because a lot of the workers in the hospitality business just go off a quick google search for the answer. Village Bar or Players would’ve been solid choices, but that’s neither here nor there.
About Indiana, I live in Louisville where the roads are pretty bad. Every time we go over the bridge I feel like a weight gets lifted off my shoulders and the roads magically smooth out.
Thanks. I will be returning to Madison at least once in the next 9 months or so. I read a lot online before I went to Madison, but even the local commentators said that the BBQ scene wasn’t the same as in the south or texas. I saw some places that looked ok, but the reviews said 2 of the places had gone down hill and you might get dry meat. I don’t want to spend $$ on brisket or chicken or turkey without 2 things, a trip to flavor town and juices running down my face. Experiencing some different sauces is always nice.
Don’t worry, I won’t forget that you know some places. That will stick in my head. I’m going to google Culver’s, is it a chain?
I read some reviews online about a napalese place I wanted to try out, but she who has to be obeyed wrinkled her face when I mentioned going there. Oh well, maybe next time.
@Dirtyboy Yes, Culver’s is a Midwest chain. Please message me before your next trip. I have a couple buddies that are BBQ fanatics and I will get you some recommendations. The BBQ scene in Wis. will never equal Texas or Kansas City but there is still some good places to eat.
Will do and thank you for the offer. I called racer last year for recommendations when I was in SC and NC. You would think a person who spent their whole life in the area would know a thing or two about the area. Just playing, he was very helpful. Like I said, I will be up there at least one more time in the next 8.5 months, maybe twice, but I have no plans on being there with the white stuff. I see enough of that at home.
Helping with a pool today, got time to sit and drink coffee this AM. Pool guys start late with installs. They do their pool maintenance between 7-9, then build and repairs for the rest of the day.
