Before I got to Madison, I had never heard of a pizza place with a bouncer. The line at Ian’s Pizza was out the door and around the block, and Ian’s had employed a door monitor to limit the fire hazards. While Gabe was happy with a slice of barbecue steak and fries pizza and a slice of mushroom, I had my eye on a piece of macaroni and cheese pizza. The first time I went up, the mac was gone, so I got a slice of regular cheese instead. Big mistake. With options such as chicken and mashed potato pizza and taco pizza, I felt ashamed that I stuck with something so ordinary. I went up a second time, but the girl in front of me took the last piece of my coveted mac and cheese pizza. Infuriated, I booked out of the store and over the mounds of paper plates littering the outdoor sidewalk. – Ian
- Angela Cesere
- Angela Cesere
- Angela Cesere
State Street Brats is known as one of the best sports bars around – Sports Illustrated, for one, named it the fourth-best college bar in the nation. So before we headed over to Camp Randall on Saturday, we decided to satisfy our urge for tasty brats by checking it out for ourselves. In my opinion, the place didn’t disappoint. Just inside the door, there’s a television set submerged into the floor and covered by Plexiglas, which is just plain cool. And the place was packed. We stood by a TV showing the Iowa-Ohio State game and looked around for a table, but when nothing opened up, Gabe and I went to buy brats while Ian stood guard. While we were up at the bar ordering our food, a table opened up. One of the guys leaving the table asked Ian if he was a Wisconsin fan. Instead of lying to secure us a place to sit, Ian remained loyal to Michigan – and didn’t get the table. When Gabe and I returned with brats in hand, we had to stand around a little table while we ate. Still, the food was good and the atmosphere was even better, so it really wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. – Stephanie
Things took a turn for the worse when we ventured over to Angelic Brewing Company, a bar on West Johnson Street on Friday night. The interior was nicely decorated but, it was a bit too crowded inside. Actually, it was way too crowded. I stood at the bar for 45 minutes, a $20 bill in hand – and very visible – while I went completely ignored. I wasn’t alone, either. Most of the people around me were similarly shut out. After it became apparent that no alcohol was in our immediate future, we decided to try our chances elsewhere. Interestingly, the bar was so packed with Michigan students that a rousing chorus of “The Victors” met little to no opposition while spreading like wildfire. “It’s great, to be, a Michigan Wolverine!” was also overheard. All in all, a good scene but disappointing results. – Gabe
Often you hear that Madison is a “drinking town with a football problem.” Well, everyone saw Saturday night that it didn’t have too much difficulty putting Michigan away on the field. But before that even happened, Madison showed that it definitely deserves its reputation as one of the premier party schools. I didn’t have a press pass for the game, so I sat in the student section and also took part in the “pre-game activities.” I’ve got the bruises to prove it. Evidently in Badger territory, it’s cool for girls to headbutt and punch dudes if they go to different schools. Granted, I was probably “cocking off” at the mouth, but I was at my friend’s house and I thought I would be safe. This girl took exception to my supposedly inferior beer drinking ability and superior intelligence (that’s a burn UW). But the tailgating is as good, if not better, than Michigan’s. Everybody was hyped up and willing to get crazy. Probably a little too crazy considering the beating I took. Once inside the stadium, the student section lived up to its billing of being hostile. I was called an “asshole,” “faggot” and “bitch” no less than 1,000 times. But the tradition “jump around” was great and made the Big House’s lack of noise even more obvious. Special thanks to the fellas of 414 Main Street for their hospitality. – Matt
The Top Five of the Daily Road Trip Mix-Tape:
Chicago -“Fight for Your Honor”
Boyz II Men – “On Bended Knee”
Dead Prez – “Hell Yeah”
Coolio – “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Liz Phair – “Why Can’t I”