What is Madison like in December? (Milwaukee, Monona: houses, job market, theater)

[Indi9]

I started a thread a while back saying that I am planning on moving back to Madison in December (from New York City). I am weary of the hustle and the bustle, but still in love with the arts. The job market is turning out to be tougher than I originally thought. I'm looking for a full time teaching position, but it looks like the local colleges only want part-time adjuncts. This is true in NYC, too. I'm a part-time adjunct at two colleges here in NYC. I love my work, but shuttling back and forth between two colleges can be exhausting. Here's what I have decided: If I can't move back to Madison in December, if I am still looking for a job (meaningful work with a viable income), I can surely visit and extend my job search process through the Spring semester. I think being in Madison again will remind me why I decided to move back there in the first place, re-energize my job search, and strenghten my resolve.

Ok, so back to my original question: What is Madison like in December?

1) Really, how rough is the weather? The snow, the cold, etc.?
2) Is it possible to get around the city without a car? How are the buses, taxis, etc.?
3) What about the arts/entertainment? What do people do for fun on a cold, snowy winter night? (Be nice. I'm single.)
4) What kinds of festivals or events are planned around the holidays?

Thanks a lot. I will get there, one way or the other. May as well enjoy the ride.

Cheers

[Megan1967]

1) Really, how rough is the weather? The snow, the cold, etc.?

Very unpredictable. Usually not too bad, but last year it was a bear. Too much snow and cold, unusually so. I'm hoping it isn't a trend that will repeat itself this winter.

2) Is it possible to get around the city without a car? How are the buses, taxis, etc.?

In December biking is not really an option. Some die hards bike all winter, but I think they are nuts. The streets get really narrow as the snowbanks increase in size and bike lanes are hazardous at best.

We have a community car program here that people rave about. Welcome to Community Car I think it is a really great option for those who don't want to or can't have a car.

I've taken taxis in NYC and Madison and I think the biggest difference you'll find is the price. It is much more expensive in Madison, believe it or not.

The bus system, most will agree, kind of sucks, but runs pretty reliably despite the weather conditions.

3) What about the arts/entertainment? What do people do for fun on a cold, snowy winter night? (Be nice. I'm single.)

Besides the usual, going to movies and hanging out at friends houses, there are a variety of live music venues and, of course the Overture center if you've got the money to go there with any frequency. I, personally, could only afford to go to one or two shows a year. There are a number of terrific restaurants in town as well. Otherwise, people mostly hang out in bars.

4) What kinds of festivals or events are planned around the holidays?

I find this particularly disappointing. There is a kind of inside arts and crafts fair at the Overture Center and a light display on Lake Monona, but otherwise I know of nothing special in the whole winter season. I'll be interested in hearing what others have to say to this question as I think the worst part of winter here is being cooped up with nothing to do. Of course I don't cross country ski and have no friends who down hill ski, which I love, but haven't done in years.

[Indi9]

Thank you, Megan1967. This is a great start. Gives me a pretty good picture. I hope I get more answers, too. In the meantime, I will google it and keep asking around.

[Jim8383]

Hi -
I think you'll love Madison. For a relatively small city, it has a great arts scene and plenty of things to do regardless of the weather.

I'll take a stab at your questions...
1) Really, how rough is the weather? The snow, the cold, etc.?
Not going to lie to you... it's cold. But if you're coming from NYC, the adjustment shouldn't be too bad. Avg daytime temps in Dec-Feb are around 25-35F - about 10 degrees colder than NYC. Snowfall probably isn't much different in Madison than NYC - around 40-50 inches a year is typical (though we had 100 last year... a record!). If there's one advantage to Madison winter weather over NYC, it's that Madison's air is a little drier. I've always though cold and damp was way less comfortable than cold and dry.

2) Is it possible to get around the city without a car? How are the buses, taxis, etc.?
The bus system is quite good for a city of Madison's size. If you live anywhere near downtown, it's pretty easy to get by without a car. The farther out from downtown, the more you'll likely prefer a car - though busing is certainly still an option even from the far west and far east. Taxis are another story. On weekends, it can be very tough to land a cab - especially on game/event weekends. The fares aren't too bad, but availability can be sketchy.

3) What about the arts/entertainment? What do people do for fun on a cold, snowy winter night? (Be nice. I'm single.)
Lots of options here! Personally, if it's snowing outside, I still like to go sledding (despite the fact I'm in my 30s now) or ice skating. Plenty of places around town to do either. The Overture Center on State Street is a beautiful, newer theatre complex that draws national acts. There are also a lot of good smaller venues to watch local acts. Having a major university here also adds to the list of options - sports, music, theatre, museums, etc. While you'll surely find more people outside on a warm summer evening, people here don't just hibernate in the winter. You'll still see plenty of activity around downtown during the winter. They really have a lot of great restaurants here too!

4) What kinds of festivals or events are planned around the holidays?
I would try checking the links at the top of the forum for Madison websites that list events and festivals... they'll do a better job than I can.

Hope this helps! Best of luck with your job search.

[Indi9]

Thank you, Jim8383. It has been years since I have been in Madison in the winter. A lot has changed. I will keep exploring this. The last time I was in Madison was just this past June. Loved it. I will find a job in Madison. I will find a job in Madison. I will find a job in Madison.... Maybe if I keep chanting this like an affirmation, this will also strengthen my job search and my resolve. Thanks for your good wishes.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Indi9, a lot of other folks have reported that they had a really hard time finding a job when applying from a distance, whether in Madison or elsewhere. A lot of employers, when faced with a choice between a local applicant who'd probably be able to start within a couple of weeks of being offered the job and an out-of-towner who needs at least 6 to 8 weeks just to move here, will not even bother calling the out-of-town applicant. There are a few fields for which that might not be true, but I suspect that teaching isn't likely to be one of them.

It's scary and risky to jump off into the unknown without having a definite landing zone in front of you, but there is a possibility that you might not land a job until you're actually in Madison. Do you have the economic wherewithal to take a 90-day leave of absence from your job now and spend that 90 days here in Madison pounding the pavement? Just having a local address and phone number on the resume can make an enormous difference. And when you're local, it's a lot easier to network and meet people, which I think will stand you in good stead for your career objectives.

As to your questions, I have seen Decembers here when we had little or no snow at all throughout the month, and temps mostly above 40, and as a couple of other posters have noted, I've seen some really, really ugly ones. December 2007 brought us the first 25 inches or so of what turned into over 100 inches of snow for the whole winter, and December in either 2000 or 2001 featured 35 inches of snow. But there are also years when we don't get the shovel out at all the entire month. So it's kind of a crapshoot, unfortunately.

Getting around without a car is quite doable. The bus system is challenging due to the layout of the city, and it ain't always possible to get there from here by bus. However, the community car program that Megan mentions is a good option, and there are thousands of bicycles in this city. I sure wouldn't want to bike in the dead of winter, but I see a lot of folks who do. Megan is also correct about the cost of cabs; that's not an option I'd suggest you plan to rely on except in an emergency.

The following is sort of a combined answer to your third and fourth questions. You can check out the Overture Center's season here: Overture Center for the Arts | Madison, Wisconsin The UW Memorial Union Theatre is here: Wisconsin Union Theater. The Madison Rep is here: madisonrep.org - Madison Repertory Theatre. The symphony's season can be found here: Madison Symphony Orchestra and the chamber orchestra is here: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Home Page. This page: Residents - City of Madison, Wisconsin has a list of upcoming activities city-wide, although at the moment, it's focused on summer activities. There is a downtown city New Year's Eve party every year, I think sponsored by one of the banks downtown, which usually includes activities for all ages. And throughout the winter, you'll find folks skating, cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, and all the other winter sports that are so common in the Midwest.

Going a bit farther afield, Milwaukee's excellent symphony season can be found here: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra - Home and the most well-known of its theatres here: Milwaukee Repertory Theater – Professional Theater Company. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee has a wealth of arts activities throughout the year, and the city is just a short (hour or so) ride by Badger Bus from Madison.

We never seem to run out of things to do here, even in the winter. Some of the links in the "variety of useful links" thread can take you places as well; I think someone posted the Madison visitor's and convention center website there, and they usually have all sorts of info on upcoming events.

Good luck, and keep coming back with more good questions! Hope to see you at the Farmers' Market in a few months!

[Indi9]

Thank you, Midwesternbookworm, for such a thorough answer. Kudos. To answer your first question, no I don't have the resources to be in Madison job searching for ninety days. Ouch. I'm just a little schoolteacher. Ok, ok, an adjunct professor on a budget, a sweet budget, but still... Giving your post some serious thought here, a decent compromise might be for me to come to Madison for more than just the three-day weekend getaway I was planning for December. Maybe five days to a week to network, put a human face on my resume, meet some potential employers and colleagues face to face, and enjoy Madison once again. If I don't land a job by December, I will save my pennies, so to speak, and move to Madison, job or no job, in the late spring/early summer. This worked for me when I moved to New York City from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. It was tough, terrifying, and exciting all at the same time; but it did work out for me, quite well in the long run. Tune in tomorrow...