DMV Joy
So growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago, the DMV was in the Heights and I seem to remember a painfully long wait to get anything done. 45 minutes just to get to the window. Pay your fee, yadda yadda, wait some more. Take your picture, wait some more. Even the DMV downtown or in the northern suburbs wasn't better (just less grimy, ratty and worn).
My driver's license was set to expire on my birthday next week. So I checked my local DMV hours. No weekend hours, M, W, Th, F 9-4:45 and Tu 9-6:45. Seeing as I work from 8:30 - 5 and I work 20 minutes from the DMV, I knew my only option was Tuesday nights. That left last night or next Tuesday before I was driving illegaly. I didn't have great expectations - not from my only prior experience in Wisconsin, I wasn't working then so I came in the middle of the day and it was a breeze - but knowing this was the only non workday hours available I figured there would be a crush. So I brought a 500 page book with me to read.
I read 3 pages. The whole process took 15 minutes. The first line I got in (where I read those three pages) led to me being given a number (144). They have the board that posts what number should go to what window. As I was stepping out of the line with my number, they called number 143. And they had 18 manned windows. No sooner had I sat down in the waiting area then my number was called. So I walked up, gave the guy my renewal form and license and my payment. He gave me back my old license telling me I should keep it somewhere in the house and if I lose my new license bring the old one in to get a replacement. Nice! I remember losing my license in Illinois meant having to track down 3 or 4 different documents to prove all the same old crap. The longest wait was to get my picture taken - about 10 minutes - and then another 5 for the card to be printed.
I LOVE WISCONSIN!