Warning: Captivating photo diary below
I recently had this dream where I climbed the Capitol rotunda. Once I got to the top, I knew I had to climb back down. But I knew I didn't have the nerve for that. Looking up was fine, but I couldn't look down. The dream ended when I fell off and the entire white dome crashed to the ground, smashing into pieces.
I had assumed it was the Capitol in Washington. But upon further review, it might have been the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.
What that dream means, I don't know. But I do know I've had Madison on the brain recently. Why? The University of Wisconsin contacted me for the grad school interview! Which I did today!
Following is a patchwork photo diary of my day in Madtown. I drove down last night, sleeping on my buddy Eric's couch a few miles from campus. Today, I woke up early, showered, spiffed out in my suit and drove to Grainger Hall for a 12:30 p.m. interview with a professor and an admissions representative. This is Grainger Hall:
The interview went very well, in my opinion. It's out of my hands now, but I think I rocked it as well as I could. I left the office thinking I might just end up a UW student after all. So, what else was there to do, but wander the campus for a while and get better acquainted?
Above is the famous State Street, Wisconsin's famous equivalent of Green Street. There, I got changed, had a bagel and checked out a quaint, ratty old bookstore afterward. Note the rotunda in the background! Note: By Madison law, no building can be as tall as the Capitol, which allows for great sightlines.
Another iconic Madison building is above: the Red Gym (not actually a gym anymore), in the heart of campus and perched on the shore of Lake Mendota. It houses undergrad recruiting efforts and, as such, is where I first stopped as a 16-year-old on a college visit. Ah, memories.
The above shot is Wisconsin's quad. Yes, it's puny compared to the one in Urbana. But the buildings (State Historical Society to left, Memorial Union to right) are rad. The sun-worshippers don't sprawl out on this quad, unlike at Illinois; they head west a block to Bascom Hill (pictured below).
Next to Bascom Hill is the allegedly haunted Science Hall, UW's answer to the English Building in Urbana. Legend has it that cadavers here were treated poorly long ago, and some spirits aren't happy. Here's a picture I took from an ominous angle:
Today was a beautiful day, 50 degrees and sunny, so I kept walking for a while, heading over to Lake Mendota. The relative warmth hasn't done much yet to thaw the lake's thick ice, however.
Still an entrancing sight. Wouldn't it be cool if U of I's campus had a lake to walk by? (And a hill, for that matter?)
(Spot the Red Gym in the above picture.)
More walking put me in front of the Kohl Center, the renowned home of the Badgers basketball team. This is the site of the Illini's stunning February win over Wisconsin. Which I attended, by the way, sitting in the top row of the upper deck and proudly wearing orange!
Below is the Nitty Gritty bar, UW's version of Kam's (but maybe not as nasty). That's where we went to celebrate afterward on that chilly night. Today it was empty (and shouldn't it be, on a Monday afternoon?), but it was worth immortalizing in a digital picture anyway.
But eventually, I grew tired and thought I'd head home. Not "home" to Wausau, but home home. To the new home. I was only two hours away, and I thought I'd go see my family for the night. So I did.
So here I am. It's dark out now and everyone's asleep. Interview done, Madison experienced, photography skills sharpened. It's been a full day. And a good one.
I had assumed it was the Capitol in Washington. But upon further review, it might have been the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.
What that dream means, I don't know. But I do know I've had Madison on the brain recently. Why? The University of Wisconsin contacted me for the grad school interview! Which I did today!
Following is a patchwork photo diary of my day in Madtown. I drove down last night, sleeping on my buddy Eric's couch a few miles from campus. Today, I woke up early, showered, spiffed out in my suit and drove to Grainger Hall for a 12:30 p.m. interview with a professor and an admissions representative. This is Grainger Hall:
The interview went very well, in my opinion. It's out of my hands now, but I think I rocked it as well as I could. I left the office thinking I might just end up a UW student after all. So, what else was there to do, but wander the campus for a while and get better acquainted?
Above is the famous State Street, Wisconsin's famous equivalent of Green Street. There, I got changed, had a bagel and checked out a quaint, ratty old bookstore afterward. Note the rotunda in the background! Note: By Madison law, no building can be as tall as the Capitol, which allows for great sightlines.
Another iconic Madison building is above: the Red Gym (not actually a gym anymore), in the heart of campus and perched on the shore of Lake Mendota. It houses undergrad recruiting efforts and, as such, is where I first stopped as a 16-year-old on a college visit. Ah, memories.
The above shot is Wisconsin's quad. Yes, it's puny compared to the one in Urbana. But the buildings (State Historical Society to left, Memorial Union to right) are rad. The sun-worshippers don't sprawl out on this quad, unlike at Illinois; they head west a block to Bascom Hill (pictured below).
Next to Bascom Hill is the allegedly haunted Science Hall, UW's answer to the English Building in Urbana. Legend has it that cadavers here were treated poorly long ago, and some spirits aren't happy. Here's a picture I took from an ominous angle:
Today was a beautiful day, 50 degrees and sunny, so I kept walking for a while, heading over to Lake Mendota. The relative warmth hasn't done much yet to thaw the lake's thick ice, however.
Still an entrancing sight. Wouldn't it be cool if U of I's campus had a lake to walk by? (And a hill, for that matter?)
(Spot the Red Gym in the above picture.)
More walking put me in front of the Kohl Center, the renowned home of the Badgers basketball team. This is the site of the Illini's stunning February win over Wisconsin. Which I attended, by the way, sitting in the top row of the upper deck and proudly wearing orange!
Below is the Nitty Gritty bar, UW's version of Kam's (but maybe not as nasty). That's where we went to celebrate afterward on that chilly night. Today it was empty (and shouldn't it be, on a Monday afternoon?), but it was worth immortalizing in a digital picture anyway.
But eventually, I grew tired and thought I'd head home. Not "home" to Wausau, but home home. To the new home. I was only two hours away, and I thought I'd go see my family for the night. So I did.
So here I am. It's dark out now and everyone's asleep. Interview done, Madison experienced, photography skills sharpened. It's been a full day. And a good one.