Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, WI

Though I've lived across the street (and through a park) from this botanical garden for about 9 months, I'd still not gotten around to visiting. There were some close calls, but my presence was requested recently, so I had a great excuse to go. To boot, one of the people in our party had a annual pass, so we got to see the free outdoor areas and the pay-to-play indoor arboretum. Both do not disappoint... unless you find plants and some animals disappointing. I did not. I found it a great way to usher in spring, with summer hopefully not far behind.

The spaces often incorporate art installations, and even this early in the season is no different. This was out on their front lawn before you even get in...

After a pretty long, dreary winter, it's nice to see colors. Thanks, Olbrich.

Now on to some plants - even this early in the year, colors were the order of the day. It was very nice to wander through and see what you can find...

 

From inside the large arboretum (greenhouse)...

They also have some impressive structures and fountains on premise, which gave another nice dimension to the visit...

A Thai temple or shrine...

A turret? Nah, more like a lookout... accessible by wheelchair, stroller, or on foot (which is pretty cool, imo)...

Finally, they have a great little kaleidoscope near the main entrance, you can see through two different views, and spin not only the viewer "eye", but also the live plants that both viewers are aimed at... it was a very cool display, with a small lone forming each time I went by...

I will definitely be back before another 9 months has passed.

Retail Therapy: Under Armour, Madison, WI

To keep a new string of posts going regarding US retail done well, I was pulled into the very local and new branch of the Under Armour brand (don't forget the "u" in the spelling of this US brand?). I tend to only visit their outlet mall offerings, which are pretty outlet mall-ish... but there was something about this crisp, clean, new and imposed facade smack dab in the middle of a relatively unimposing college town shopping area, known as State Street.

You should also probably know that Under Armour is the athletic sponsor of the University of Wisconsin (Madison), so it started to make sense as I walked in why this store as sprung up so quickly and right on the student avenue. Sorry, Adidas.

Let's start of with some team sprts stuff to get you pumped up!!! Go sports!

I love this kind of knowledge, so they had me from the jump.

PE = Player Edition. I don't know if these items are just for the athletes on the teams, but it looked cool to me. Do I need shin-high cleats for grocery shopping?

This is a two-story store, and the infrastructure alone was worth more than any place I've ever lived. Huge flat screen and lovely leather loungers to try shoes on... while you keep tabs on the game.

It was just crisp and clean with no caffeine. I liked it. I didn't buy anything and likely won't, but I'd go back just to see what else they're up to there.

They showcased their electronic offerings (connected scale, HR strap, watch, etc.), which I'm guessing do alright, but pale in comparison to Apple Watch's popularity/sales.

Finally, they kept tying it all back to the University and the surrounding area, which gave it a great personal, local feel without being too gushy. It was nice to see a global brand brought down to a local level. Well done, U.

Ice Cream in the Land of Dairy, Madison, WI

If you live in the US, Midwest, and especially Wisconsin, ice cream is pretty much king... and I'm not talking orangeberry or some such nonsense. I mean real, honest-to-goodness, full-fat ice creams, and in WI, custards too.

You can get your cream on in the grocery store...

Now, I didn't want a full half gallon of ice cream to tempt with with sweet not-nothings in my freezer each night, but the ice cream bait had been set that evening and I had to have some.

You can get your ice cream on at a corner shop too, open pretty late most night, with rotating flavors about every week...

The open double dish from the local "giant" Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co. It's fantastic stuff, and I've not had a bad flavor or experience there yet. You may want to be prepared to wait in line if it's a busy summer night though. 

Here's the selection break-down for he above dessert...

And you may be asking yourself, "Self, What's the difference between an ice cream and a custard?" Click the hyperlink.

Retail Therapy: Amazon Books, Chicago, IL

I'm a big fan of a memorable retail experience. Do you remember what you felt and thought the first time you saw an Apple Store? What about that neighborhood co-op that always has new stuff to interest you?

It's also now clear, if you read books like The Revenge Of Analog, that people like buying things in stores. We do. We're irrational consumers and, as the name implies, we buy things we don't always know to be rational. Companies, brands, and the retail stores know this too. We may have 90 million homes in the US with an Amazon Prime account, but there's no denying that we like seeing something new, researching online, shopping in person, landing that new item, buying it, and bringing it home. 

Amazon even knows this, which is why they have started their own chain of Amazon Books stores. I was lucky enough to "bump" into one in Chicago and I simply had to go in. 

Surprise, surprise, it looks a lot like the book stores you remember, but with a twist or two. 

Two price levels and you can pay in a few ways...

They also have their electronic devices on offer too, which makes sense as they're e-readers and other home-based items.

 Maybe you need some headphones with your e-reader?

And then it's just really nicely sorted and displayed books/magazines... plus a kids' section too.

You remember magazines, right?

And to top it all off, they have a chain coffee shop (Stumptown) set-up in a nice little wing inside the store, to handle low blood sugar issues while you get your shopping on...

This store is in the Southport neighborhood in Chicago and fit in really well to this pretty high-end retail block (or two). They kept everything inside crisp and clean and it showed well to all the folks browsing that day.

Quote of the Day

An Italian professional cyclist, Michele Scarponi, was recently killed while out on a training ride near his home town by a driver in his work truck. There's been a lot of stories on this cyclist, but I liked his quote below the best:

“Certe mattine m’ impigrisco, faccio fatica ad alzarmi e vestirmi. Ma saltato sulla bici, ritrovo la leggerezza del vivere”


“Some mornings I feel lazy, I struggle to get out of bed and get dressed. But I jump on my bike and life feels light again”


– Michele Scarponi to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, 2012

Kuma's Corner, Indianapolis, IN

You could go to the Chicago original, but if you happen to be in Indy, this location will be much closer. I was very happy to get to check any location out, sink my teeth into fried pickles and a "Pantera" burger. Nothing disappointed and I would go back in a New York minute.

Check it out...

 Start slow with a no-caffeine cola.

Then open the menu...

All hail the Pantera. Can you identify all the ingredients? (Don't look above...)

The Statehouse, Madison, WI

On a recent Friday night, I didn't want to just drive home, so I ventured further into downtown Madison and wound up at a spot I had been close to previously, but had not yet ventured in. I wanted to check out the Statehouse Restaurant and Bar on the first floor of the Edgewater Hotel. 

As the name implies, it all happens to be right on Lake Mendota, near-ish the university campus, and with great views, places to wander, and beer/drinks available. It's a great place to hang out and take a load off, especially after a particularly trying and long Friday.

I walked right into the bar of the restaurant and sat down for my first cocktail, a Wisconsin staple, an Old Fashioned (whiskey, not Brandy for me). It hit the spot.

You can just make out that fancy Maraschino cherry, Luxardo, on the lower right of the glass. Tasty.

I then went to a New Glarus selection that I'd not heard of or had before, Totally Naked. It's their light lager and it was exactly what I wanted.

Finally, with all the booze, I decided I need to eat a real meal. When in Rome, eat Roman food. But when in a steakhouse, eat steak. I ordered up their flank steak sandwich.

It's off their non-published bar menu, and while everything in the sandwich was delicious, the bread they chose to build this taste vehicle on was not so bueno for me. They place all this slippery steak and sauce on a 4" wide plank of hard ciabatta bread. It's not a roll or bun, it's just cut from a larger loaf. Not only was it too tall, crusty, and girthy to easily get a mouth on it, items started slipping out from to word "Moe". I mean, I got it all down, but it was kind of weird to be in this "fancy" steakhouse and be struggling with a sandwich falling apart. Surely I can't be the first and likely won't be the last.

In spite of the "PANdemonium", this was a perfect Friday evening, at a really nice, welcoming, warm place. It's now on my list to head back to when needed. I should also mention their sister restaurants across the courtyard, The Icehouse and The Boathouse (at least I think they own them all). They're even more casual places on the lake to grab a beer or bite and don't disappoint in the views department either.

I capped the night off at a local ice cream purveyor, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co.... awesome. They make the full-fat, super premium kind, not for the faint of heart.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter, plus Ultimate Oreo.