College Town: Madison WI

OK, so the last couple of posts may have lacked some action: Sorry. This is the chill, slow-down, family-centric part of the trip. Well, sorry to disappoint, but the next two are gonna be the same.

I thought Madison Wisconsin would be a fun little town to visit -- seeing as it's a little college town. Before I arrive, I find out that Tuesday nights are "underage" nights at this bar, i.e. 18 and over. Cool. I was going to be there on a Tuesday night, so I was looking forward to that.

Unfortunately for me, when I got there, I found out that the city had rewritten its licensing rules and that the bar had to get a new license for its 18 and over nights. Long story short, no luck. The bar was kinda dead. I did meet this guy who was the "norm" of the bar. Been sitting on the same barstool from the day the bar opened. He told me that there are usually 100 or more college kids out on that night (even with the $6 cover for them! no cover for the 21's and over). Darn. I missed out. They were going to get their license back in three weeks or so, but I obviously wasn't going to be there.

Another downer for the evening: While at the bar, I talked to my new friend from Salt Lake. After all my efforts to stop him from driving home that night/morning, he still insisted on leaving. Turns out he got pulled over and got a DUI -- 5 minutes from his home! Spent the night in jail and all the other consequences (has a trial date in Oct). Sheesh. Needless to say, I left the bar early (a little after midnight) after just a couple of drinks. Scared me sh***less.

Oh, and this was one of those cities where I thought I could just come in and find a room without a reservation, since it wasn't a "tourist" destination. The first room I got cost only $35. A steal! When I got to the room however, I swear, I was afraid for my safety. I could see the other occupants from their open windows, and it seems they were permanent residents. (I won't mention their race.) Turns out it was one of those "long stay" hotels. There was broken glass on the parking lot grounds (from a car window, I presume). I went back to reception, was lucky to get a refund, then went on to find another hotel. (I would have left even if they wouldn't have given me the refund.) This new hotel was double the price (AmericInn) but way better and totally worth the peace of mind.