WP: Madison Named 'Most Walkable'

[click link above for full AP article]

Prevention Magazine rated Madison the most walkable city in the U.S. in its annual Stroll Poll. Madison is the only city not in the South or West to even make the top 10, having apparently overcome the weather factor with its other virtues.

I love the end of the article:

Zac Stencil, 23, a senior at the university, said he walks about two miles every day to and from classes. "You can meet cool groups of people who are walking beside you," Stencil said. "Plus, when the lakes are frozen you can walk right across."

Speaking of the weather, the temperature reached 47 degrees today, and it felt like springtime. I sat out on the porch with Indy dog and Molly cat and read the paper. Tomorrow it'll go into the low 50's, and I can tell you I will be joining many outside in it. The days of walking on the lake are soon behind us. Canoes and kayaks will soon be towed to the lake, by foot and by bike, instead.

It sorta looks like this,

DSCF0008
Originally uploaded by nataraj_hauser.

everywhere. 16+ inches over the weekend, and more on the way. I know this is kind of how some of you think of Wisconsin, but it's actually the biggest snow in Wisconsin in 17 years.

They just...don't...stop...

DSCF0126
Originally uploaded by nataraj_hauser.

...bicycling here! Seriously... I love seeing the bicycle tracks everywhere between the feet-high banks of snow!

Not today

Not today
Originally uploaded by mjlmadison.

Bikes on the UW campus

An eventful week

I told you about our busy weekend last week, and it followed through to the week. Monday was my birthday, and Susan baked me a cake (she says the picture had to be bad because the cake was... but you can't fault her for trying the organic cake and icing, right?). She made a fantastic Senegalese peanut soup for my birthday dinner, though!

The beautiful flowers and locally-made card to the right were from our neighbors across the street.

This weekend was equally eventful, but in a different way... my first Wisconsin blizzard. We had about 7 inches of snow on Friday, another 7-9 yesterday, another 1-2 inches today, and another 1-2 inches tomorrow... wherever will we put it all?! We can only know that Susan will capture lots of it in pictures. (I really loved pictures of the DC snow by friends Deb and Greg - check them out!)

The best part of the weekend was the reinforcement of everything I love about our neighborhood... Neighbors helped us clear the walk and the driveway... had us over for breakfast after shoveling... welcomed us for veggie chili and home-brewed beer... for hot cocoa and cookies. Yes, yes, this is my place.

(Just for the record: Susan's chocolate chip blizzard cookies more than made up for the less successful birthday cake.)

Lake Monona, winter

Originally uploaded by sfrikken.

Susan was out taking pictures in the first snow since October (!). Love this one of a foggy, snowy backdrop of lake behind the sharp image of the tree... she notes the "line of waterfowl, in the curve of the lake."

A Tree Without Leaves

A Tree Without Leaves
Originally uploaded by Johnny Blood.

"A large oak tree has lost its leaves against a colorful autumn sky near Madison, Wisconsin."

And so it begins...

... the high temperature in Madison today is expected to be 40 degrees. Yes, it's 20 degrees below normal for Oct. 12, but still... 40. And snow flurries! We'll be back into the (more normal) 60's next week, thankfully.

The good thing is that I am, apparently, hardier than many Madisonians. I have been smiling to myself as I see the layers and weight of clothing others have been reduced to in this cold spell. More evidence that I belong here.