About Town With Boy....Madison Wisconsin

As many of you know I have always been a fan of travel.  From the time I was a child my parents dragged us all over the globe & exposed us to many different places.  Even as a "little Boy About Town" I knew that each experience was unique. And being me, I knew my opinion was meant to shared.  My poor family.  So when I suddenly found myself booked on a flight to Madison, Wisconsin I figured this would be the perfect chance to kick off a new segment "About Town with Boy"....

First lets cover a few basic facts, Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the Dane County seat. As of July 1, 2012, Madison had an estimated population of 240,323, making it the second largest city in Wisconsin.  Now, I am going to be honest, the thought of visiting this mid-sized, mid-western town in the middle of the winter wasn't on the top of my things to do list.  But as I found out there is no welcome like Madison welcome! The cast of characters I met while there reflect the city it's self.  Lily & Felipe met us at the airport with an arm full of winter coats.  Now let me get one thing outta the way.  Madison in the winter is cold.  There I said  it....cold.  But my little posting here is meant look beyond all that and look into what makes Wisconsin's second largest city tick.  For many of us the words "Madison, Wisconsin" bring up images of over fed, white, cheese loving, mid westerns screaming for some football team to make a goal...or hoop.....or whatever.  But what struck me right off the bat was the young, urban feeling as well as "non white" make up of the area.  The University of Wisconsin which is located right downtown, gives the city a boost of young blood & energy.  This one factor, the

school, brings an estimated 60,000 people from all over the world into close contact with each other. I came to see that this young, exciting crowd adds to the reputation Madison has hung onto over the

years as a liberal, forward thinking city.  The U of W population, made up of the support staff along with those feisty, party animals called students, tend to live close to the University. And in doing so they spend their spare time as well cash in the direct surrounding area.  So of course there is an active bar/party scene, which we like to call State Street. While the crowd tends to be younger and shall we say messier, you get the feeling all are welcome as long as you come to party.  They love to party in "Maddy", that's what I call Madison! They love to party & they do love to eat.  Some of the local favorites, that I was told by many of you, were the fired cheese curd followed by frozen custard. This is not a joke people. And being your Boy About Town I flew off to Wisconsin and got off the plane a headed straight to Michael's Frozen Custard, which also had the a aforementioned cheese curds.  And let me lay it on the line for you folks, I gained 10 lbs in 20 mins but it was worth it.
Just steps from all the chaos....I meant higher education, is the State Capital. I thought "this is going to be some sad attempt at being a classic, decorative show piece."  Ladies & gentlemen.....I stand corrected.  Boy About Town here has been to see the seats of power for many different governments

all over the world AND I've even been kicked out of some, but the Capital of Wisconsin is truly breath taking.  Built between 1907 and 1917 at a cost of $7.25 million, this timeless, working seat of power is well worth a visit.  One thing I couldn't help but to notice on my weekend visit to this historical landmark, was the number of homeless people huddled in the hallways to escape the bitter cold. The irony was not lost on me. How could this clean, brimming city not do more to protect it's own against the coldest winter in 30 years....I'm telling ya I know when to travel. 
In doing a some research I found a bit of struggle going on within the city it's self. On one side is the "old guard." From what I could see, this group tends to be upper middle class, white collar & maybe bit on the older side.  On the other side would be what I am going to call "hipster voters".  This is a mixed bag of young, new to the area urban professional, a booming Latino population & the U of W crowd, amongst others.  Once upon a time Madison was truly a liberal, yet not to liberal town where the Vietnam War was protested and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation was made illegal in 1982, well before Will & Grace.  However, since then there seems to have been a shift. Maybe it is due to the increase in the Hispanic population.  Maybe it's because around 50% of the public school system is now made up "non white" children, a sharp increase over the past few decades. Whatever the cause, the effect has been the same, a divide has sprung up between those that where, and those that are in the mist of becoming. It's called progress baby! I sat down with city council member Shiva Bidar to talk about how the city has been dealings with it's hunt for a new, clear identity.  As soon as I met this outspoken, elected official it was clear she was part of the New Madison. Iranian born and having been raised in Spain, Shiva lived elsewhere in Europe & on the west coast of America before settling in Madison. Although she came to Madison for love she stayed on after the relationship had ended. So here is the face of the other Madison. Born in a land

many American high school kids can't find on a map, living and working hard to carve out a bit of the American Dream mid-western style for themselves.  After working in the community for a number of years getting things done from the outside our Shiva made a run for office, there by making it official,

the charge of guard has begun. The "hipster voters" have a face to which they can relate on the council. As Shiva and others in the Madison community begin to deal with issues such as school lunches, the job market and everyday things that a mid size city deal with, I heard there where rumblings of unhappiness with this new wave of people and their wants & needs. But as I asked for more details, pen & paper ready,   
everyone seemed unwilling to make clear their ideas. I think it was mid western manners that gave them the a sudden case of the shut ups. 
Something that could not be ignored was the fact that Madison, unlike most American cities or even towns seemed to have no neighborhoods in which certain communities claimed as their own. Although there is a large Mexican population, there was no clear "Mexican" area.  I was told repeatedly that was a large Gay population in Madison, yet there was no "Gay District".  As Shiva and I chatted about how this can make it difficult for a group of people to find footing in an area and can, at times, lead to feelings of isolation even in a city the size of Madison.  One person that deals with this on the daily is Patrick Farabaugh. He saw a market for a high quality, publication serving the Gay folks of Madison.  And I have to say that his "Our Lives" is a well put together, glossy mag that truly is well worth a read. Patrick thinks the lack of "ghettoanation" speaks to the fact that Madison does not need to place people into boxes as it where.  That the Gay community, which for decades has been focused around the dance floor of the discos, has grown into a a mature, integrated community which is everywhere and does not need to be pigeon holed into a few blocks.  While that is true in many respects, I truly believe there is something self affirming by living, working and yes partying in a corner of the world that is yours and you know you are safe in. Not to say that small world should be your whole world, but clearly it is key part to saying "I am here. My culture counts and is celebrated." And one of the many things I did notice that while there was a great sense of community in Madison as a whole the pockets of fun, interesting mini worlds seemed to

be lacking in this modern day town. That is not to say that Madison is in anyway lacking in a diverse make up.  By just being still and watching you can learn so much about a place, but lets face it that is just not the way Boy About Town does things. On our last morning in Madison a group of us gathered to share a final meal at "The Original Pancake House".  As I made my way across the room I was greeted by most every table with a warm & genuine "Good Morning".  Now to be fair, I was wearing a large, red hat that some say looks like a fox.  It was warm & stylish! And as we sat down I looked around at the table and saw 5 very different people. They all had walked a different path to get here and at night they rest their heads down in different circumstances, but all of us were brought together there, in Madison.  That breakfast best sums up Madison. With no pretense, no big fuss they greet all of the world with "Good Morning"
Stay Fabulous
Boy About Town