Any laws, rules, etc. a newbie in Madison should know??? (Ruby: school, gated)

[mommyntheoc]

THANK YOU!! Sounds like most of the bike/car info is the same as CA...so I shouldn't be the cause of any ped/cyclist/auto accidents :-) I'm used to those rules...my hubby plans on biking to work and we walk A LOT (hoping to start running again since we'll be outta the smog and able to breathe again...oh I am so looking forward to fresh air)!

There is a Copps? store next to our house...any idea of what chain in CA that store would be most comparable to? We do most of our grocery shopping in the organics section at our Vons/Safeway here in CA and at Trader Joe's (not too big on whole foods since they are so pricey for the same things).

Do you have Costco warehouses there? I know there are Sams Clubs...

I don't smoke and it is actually one of my greatest irritations, for the sheer fact that I like my lungs. I'm glad to hear we'll be able to go to restaurants in Madison :-) AND breathe! Nice combo!

Funny you mentioned bubbler, someone on the plane gave me a heads up to that one! hehe (I like talking to random strangers)

We're not big sports people...is everyone in Madison a sportsaholic? I know of Bret Favre and the Packers, but really not enough to understand why I wouldn't mention him! Enlightenment, please? :-) Perhaps I can pick up enough info now to prevent embarassment later...

Oh boy...hehe...so if I see bumper stickers on a car, it is covering rust, eh? Is there some way to prevent the rust on the cars? Maybe some sealant or powder coating to be done? One of our cars is actually from PA and has undercarriage rust from salting already, the other one was in UT & ID, but it doesn't have any rust underneath.

Final comment....cheese....yummm....we eat nachos and ice cream nightly, I think we'll fit right on in on the food front! ;-)

[ranger17]

yes there is a Costco on the west side; fairly new. Depending on the Copps store in question, they are actually pretty solid in their oferings and if you have their card can be good on price.
As for sports, it's still a college town, and UW has strong teams in FB, BB, and hockey ( not to mention others ) so you will see a lot of red. Packers are strong thru-out the state, though Favre's goodwill seems to be less and less each year the retirement mind games come thru.
If you drive a car in winter, wash once a week ( weather permitting--don't if temp is much below 20's ). Clean the underbody to get rid of salt.
Cheese?? oh it's all over the place. If you can hit the farmers market, you'll find some good treats ( gotta get cheese curds ).
Finally, if you like ice cream, then give the frozen custard a try at Culvers ( also at Michaels, though Culvers has more locations ). it's gooood.

[mommyntheoc]

ahhh see now this is VERY useful info :-) The copps by us is at Maple Grove and Mckee. It looks pretty new over there...havent been inside though.

[subclavius]

Copps will be convenient for your location, but be sure to get their rewards card and shop their weekly sales for the best price. They've got the best all-round produce, but they can't touch what the summer time farmer's market has in terms of freshness (fewer farmers participate during the winter). Woodmans is great for everyday prices and depth of selection, and they've got an unbelievable collection of beer, but their produce is very unorganized and unless you're willing to check yourself out and bag your own goods the lines can be very long. On Saturdays the lines can be incredibly long.

Glass Nickel Pizza is right down the street and delivers. They're good for a night when you're tired from unpacking and don't want to cook. Many people will say it's the best pizza in town, but honestly there's at least two other places that could compete for the title (Ian's and Harmony B&G).

Most of the car washes are open all winter long so people can wash the salt off their cars. It's the only defense you have against rust unless you ride your bike year round, and it normally takes a couple of years before people are willing to try that. One thing experience has taught me is that if I'm paying for an automated car wash at the pump when gassing up, I'll ask the clerk first if the car wash is actually working. If it isn't, it might not be repaired before the authorization code on the receipt expires. Almost all of the coin-op car washes remain operational for the winter. You can do it yourself at home but you'll run the risk of icing your driveway and you'll need to drain the hose each time so the water inside doesn't freeze and clog it up.

Madison is a sports oriented town. Because they don't have a pro team of their own, the Green Bay Packers are the default pro team to cheer for, and since the Packers have been around for quite a while those lines run deep. Season tickets are actually handed down from generation to generation in some families.

I mentioned not to endorse a rival to the Green Bay Packers from experience. My dad played for the Bears, which was always an easy way to initiate small talk until I came here. Now I just tell them about my Uncle, who played for the Yankees. Since the only pro baseball team in Wisconsin is the Brewers and people aren't nearly so fanatic about them, that means the topic is safe. Not too many Vikings fans here either.

Bret Favre was at one time the Golden Boy, the Chosen One, perhaps the most beloved Green Bay Packer next to the legendary Vince Lombardi. He kind of yanked the team around for a couple of off seasons with the "I might retire, I might not" thing but then kept on playing, which many fans felt distracted the team and prohibited the owners from making some significant roster changes. When he finally did retire, from the Packers anyway, he did so in a manner that many felt was insulting. Packer fans are very loyal, and many of them felt betrayed.

Madison has also adopted the UW teams as their own, and there's tons of people living here who are alums and even more alums come into town from Milwaukee and Green Bay for the football games. If you're going somewhere casual on a Saturday and want to fit in, just wear a Packers or UW shirt.

As far as the MUPs go, the Southwest Commuter Trail is nice from the Beltline and to the north. The Capitol City Trail is nice from Dunn's Marsh and to the west. The part between them that runs behind Allied Drive is the only section that isn't so nice, and this is part that your hubby will likely traverse if biking to downtown. You might see some trash or broken glass here that is virtually non-existent on any other section of the MUP, so don't let your impression of this area influence your decision to try other trails. The city is aware of the problem and does a pretty good job of keeping it clean. Depending on where your residence is located he may be able to skip this section altogether and just take city streets to where the MUP meets the Beltline.

[mommyntheoc]

so much good info...keep it coming if you think of anything else! TY

[rekuci]

you'll be arriving at the onset of mosquito season. this means you won't have to eat dinner after a bike ride, you can just open your mouth wide.

seriously, the mosquito levels here are the worst i've ever experienced (although less virulent varieties) than anywhere outside of the everglades and coastal southeast. you'll either have to slather on deet, which fortunately still works against these, or get swarmed every time you so much as venture into your backyard. maybe it's been worse than normal the past two years, but man...

[Megan1967]

I think mosquito season has already started... At least in my backyard.

[mommyntheoc]

Mosquitoes...ahhh...see we don't have any flying insects in OC...nope, the smog kills them all. It's been forever since I've seen a butterfly or a live bee...most of the insects are just dead on the ground, not crushed, just dead.

Austin has them badly, I was eaten in April when visiting. I am like live mosquito bait...I get eaten alive, so do my children. My husband? Not one bite! I use an all natural bug spray that seems to help, it is an essential oil blend of rosemary, citronella, and some other oils. Well maybe I should double up on onions and garlic in our diet for the summer months, we won't smell the most pleasant to humans or mosquitos...so no making new friends in Madison probably this summer! LOL

Do they have mosquito abatement programs or spraying? I see they just sprayed for the gypsy moths...where are the mosquitos breeding, there must be swampy land around there or standing water? It is actually illegal here to have standing water around because of mosquitos...pretty sure that was in effect before the smog killed anything flying anyways. *sigh* Going to load up the boxes...Madison, ready or not...here we come :-) *yes, I know, that was dorky ;-p

[rekuci]

yeah definitely already started, i should have said

i walked around my yard for 5 minutes when i got home yesterday and got 3 bites. at least for me, the bites from the species here only itch for a day or two which is the only way this is at all tolerable.

good luck with the natural stuff, let me know if anything works for you because i hate having deet on whenever i want to just work in my garden.

no there is no mosquito control whatsoever that i'm aware of. make sure you have good screens on your windows, you'll see swarms of them at night all trying to get in (and everytime we open the door in summer, a few get in and we have to go hunt them down)

[RemiJP]

I think people tend to be pretty good about standing water, even so, it's the large bodies of water that make Madison a great place for bugs. Luckily, I've been hearing lots of bats feasting away on the buggers!