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Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Originally Posted by IowanFarmer
I definitely wouldn't give Madison the edge in restaurants. Des Moines punches way above it's weight class, from a culinary stand point. For example, you don't have anything in Madison like the Italian enclave in south Des Moines. Madison may have a wider variety though.
Music/arts is getting close to a push, too. That's a very recent development however. Traditionally that's been an edge to Madison, but between the expansion of Nitefall on the River, the shows coming to Hoyt-Sherman, and the rise of Wooly's in the East Village, Des Moines is putting together venues that can rival places like the Barrymore, Majestic, and Orpheum. The major university presence in Madison is still a big deal, of course.
Sports are a definite edge for Madison. The Badgers are a big draw for football, basketball, and hockey. Des Moines is over a half hour from Ames (Iowa State) and 1.5 hours from Iowa City (Iowa). It only has minor league sports in town.
Of course Madison added a bunch of great new venues as well, such as The Slyvee. But these bigger venues aren't really what tells the tale, not even a medium place like High Noon Saloon. The good stuff that changes the landscape are at smaller players. Being between Chicago and Minneapolis is a great boon. Lots of bands will either do a stop in Milwaukee or Madison while going between these two large cities.
The proximity of Madison to Chicago in itself gives it a gigantic advantage.
Of course Madison added a bunch of great new venues as well, such as The Slyvee. But these bigger venues aren't really what tells the tale, not even a medium place like High Noon Saloon. The good stuff that changes the landscape are at smaller players. Being between Chicago and Minneapolis is a great boon. Lots of bands will either do a stop in Milwaukee or Madison while going between these two large cities.
The proximity of Madison to Chicago in itself gives it a gigantic advantage.
Des Moines gets similar benefits from being between Minneapolis and Kansas City. There are lots of lively, small music venues in Des Moines as well. It definitely doesn't get the colleged-fuel layer of a local music scene, but I think these cities are a lot closer on this front than you realize.
I live 2 hours from Madison and 2.5 from Des Moines. A lot of the bands I'm into (alt-country/American, alt-rock) play both frequently, and even on the same tours. Madison would have the edge, but it's not a slam dunk either.
Des Moines gets similar benefits from being between Minneapolis and Kansas City. There are lots of lively, small music venues in Des Moines as well. It definitely doesn't get the colleged-fuel layer of a local music scene, but I think these cities are a lot closer on this front than you realize.
I live 2 hours from Madison and 2.5 from Des Moines. A lot of the bands I'm into (alt-country/American, alt-rock) play both frequently, and even on the same tours. Madison would have the edge, but it's not a slam dunk either.
An advantage for Madison, is its proximity to Milwaukee....LOTS going on in Milwaukee, and it's an hour drive away, with suburbs making it much closer than that hour.
An advantage for Madison, is its proximity to Milwaukee....LOTS going on in Milwaukee, and it's an hour drive away, with suburbs making it much closer than that hour.
For me personally, that's not much of an edge. I liked that Des Moines was a very stand-alone city, at the size it's at. I realize that's totally subjective, but I think part of the thread was to describe what you liked about each town.
I like Madison for Madison. Being close to Chicago or Milwaukee is only a positive to my tastes in as much as it brings some cultural opportunities that might not otherwise exist.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IowanFarmer
I like Madison for Madison. Being close to Chicago or Milwaukee is only a positive to my tastes in as much as it brings some cultural opportunities that might not otherwise exist.
Des Moines is not that far from Chicago, so I'm not sure Madison has a huge edge there. Madison is 3 hours, Des Moines 5 1/2. So... meh. Maybe you could do it in a day trip from Madison, but for an evening event, it's an overnight trip either way. Des Moines is actually closer to Minneapolis than Madison is. In addition, Des Moines is also closer to KC and within a day's drive of Denver. Also a little over 5 hours from St. Louis. So I don't think geographic distance from major metros gives Madison the edge at all. Madison feels more isolated to me in that regard than Des Moines does. Both are a bit out there on their own, but I personally feel Des Moines is closer to a wider variety of places in the US within a reasonable drive. Just a few hours away to the south, and I can feel that I'm entering the more traditional southern part of the US. An easy day's drive away and you're in the West. From Madison, you're pretty solidly still in Midwestern areas within a day's drive in any direction.
Des Moines is not that far from Chicago, so I'm not sure Madison has a huge edge there. Madison is 3 hours, Des Moines 5 1/2. So... meh. Maybe you could do it in a day trip from Madison, but for an evening event, it's an overnight trip either way. Des Moines is actually closer to Minneapolis than Madison is. In addition, Des Moines is also closer to KC and within a day's drive of Denver. Also a little over 5 hours from St. Louis. So I don't think geographic distance from major metros gives Madison the edge at all. Madison feels more isolated to me in that regard than Des Moines does. Both are a bit out there on their own, but I personally feel Des Moines is closer to a wider variety of places in the US within a reasonable drive. Just a few hours away to the south, and I can feel that I'm entering the more traditional southern part of the US. An easy day's drive away and you're in the West. From Madison, you're pretty solidly still in Midwestern areas within a day's drive in any direction.
Madison residents have a lot stronger ties to Milwaukee and Chicago, than they do Minneapolis. Also, no one I know who lives in Madison would drive to Denver....they would fly. No one I know goes to KC or St. Louis, either...it's Milwaukee and Chicago. Look at this satellite of Des Moines and Madison....as you can see, Madison is much closer to MAJOR cities than Des Moines. Also, from Milwaukee to Chicago, it's populated all the way down, if you go along Lake Michigan. And, Madison has its own lakes and close proximity to Lake Michigan. That's a big plus, as I stated before.
Madison residents have a lot stronger ties to Milwaukee and Chicago, than they do Minneapolis. Also, no one I know who lives in Madison would drive to Denver....they would fly. No one I know goes to KC or St. Louis, either...it's Milwaukee and Chicago. Look at this satellite of Des Moines and Madison....as you can see, Madison is much closer to MAJOR cities than Des Moines. Also, from Milwaukee to Chicago, it's populated all the way down, if you go along Lake Michigan. And, Madison has its own lakes and close proximity to Lake Michigan. That's a big plus, as I stated before.
All this proves is my point that Madison is slightly more insular ("no one I know goes to KC or St. Louis"). Being close to Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes in general is definitely a plus. But saying Madison is "better" specifically at being near major cities because it's closer to Milwaukee and slightly closer to Chicago and it's more populated along those drives, and discounting Minneapolis, KC, St. Louis etc., is not really giving much of an edge at all.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,938 posts, read 36,935,179 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlessedLife
Des Moines is not that far from Chicago, so I'm not sure Madison has a huge edge there. Madison is 3 hours, Des Moines 5 1/2. So... meh. Maybe you could do it in a day trip from Madison, but for an evening event, it's an overnight trip either way. Des Moines is actually closer to Minneapolis than Madison is. In addition, Des Moines is also closer to KC and within a day's drive of Denver. Also a little over 5 hours from St. Louis. So I don't think geographic distance from major metros gives Madison the edge at all. Madison feels more isolated to me in that regard than Des Moines does. Both are a bit out there on their own, but I personally feel Des Moines is closer to a wider variety of places in the US within a reasonable drive. Just a few hours away to the south, and I can feel that I'm entering the more traditional southern part of the US. An easy day's drive away and you're in the West. From Madison, you're pretty solidly still in Midwestern areas within a day's drive in any direction.
I did day trips, including night shows, to Chicago from Madison all the time. Know loads of people that do so to this day. It's half the distance to Chicago. Not "slightly closer".
Rarely would people go to Mnpls, because anything they would get Chicago would have and its an easy drive.
KC isn't much of a city from the time I spent there. Used to be 40-50 years ago. Good BBQ. Jazz scene if you're into that (though so does Chicago). I've worked with bands from KC and none have anything good to say about the music scene overall.
Seriously, this isn't a contest. 3 hrs from Des Moines to KC, which pales in comparison to Madison to Chicago, different level all together. Des Moines is closer to Mnpls, but Madison doesn't need Mnpls as its closer to Chicago which is superior. Then you have Milwaukee within an hour, which Des Moines has nothing like. Then the college influence of the flagship university in Madison compared to Des Moines... no contest really. I can't believe this is a discussion. Des Moines advantage is really in its early primary voting and the impact on National politics (yeah, grasping for an advantage).
Last edited by timberline742; 01-15-2019 at 12:23 PM..
I disagree that Des Moines is similarly close to the attractions of large cities. Kansas City is nice but it's a fraction the size and things to do of Chicago - it's roughly equivalent to Milwaukee. And a 3 hour drive is much shorter than 5.5 hours. That's a 6 hour vs 11 hour round trip! That 3 hours to Chicago is to downtown on a weekday as well and discounts the 1-2 hours to Milwaukee. There's plenty to see in the Chicago suburbs that are more like 2 hours away on weekends, and 2.5 hours to the Loop on a Sunday day trip. Plus Madison is within a few hours of small cities like Janesville, Appleton, Green Bay, etc..
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