December 20, 2006

Madison, last night and now.

Last night, on State Street, the sports bar looked warmly Christmasy:

State Street Brats

Across the street, a woman sold handmade jewelry from a pushcart parked next to a despicable chalking:

Despicable chalking

Today, we hole up at the sublime Electric Earth Café:

Electric Earth Café

The people who work here are unusually nice, so nice it's a little weird. You order your food at the counter and, nicely, they bring it out to you. It makes a difference not having your name called out. Leave a good tip in the tip jar when you come here.

We're enveloped in blue... electric blue, I guess. The paintings are charming. I love the Batman:

Electric Earth Café

Framing the shot, I get a look I interpret as disapproving, but I show the picture to the young woman in green, and she smiles and gives me permission to use it. Thanks!

29 comments:

MadisonMan said...

electric earth on Randall is a hideous green color. I can't go in there, the color is so bad. I don't know how the people working there stand it.

Jennifer said...

Sigh. Oh how I miss living in a college town! Neat little NONchain cafes and bars. Wacky chalk art.

I feel like those blue walls would be stimulating. Like I would be motivated to accomplish something while I was sitting there.

Jennifer said...

Tee hee, or maybe not. Diametrically opposing simulposts. Gotta love it.

MadisonMan said...

jennifer, this Electric Earth -- of the blue walls -- is on State Street. Maybe Ann should venture to the hideous lime-cum-chartreusy mint green Electric Earth (think bad Mint Ice cream and put that color on a wall) on Randall Street so her lens can shatter when she frames the photo.

Titus said...

I love the woman's red hair and green top against the blue wall-she is very interesting looking.

I will be in Madison during the holidays maybe I will give this place a try.

I will be definitely be going to the new Paison's (love the porta salad), The Plaza (Plaza Burger, yum) and Ellas Deli (on East Wash, the one on State is kind of nasty).

My travels would not be complete without the all you can eat beer battered Friday Fish at Crandall's takeout. Oh yea and french fried cheese curds which I will find somewhere.

One of the things I miss most about Madison and Wisconsin is the food. Many of the places I go in Madison tend to be high fat content. No Friday Fish Frys or French dressing in any of the restaurants on the east coast.

But I am afraid if I did live in Wisconsin I might be a little chunky and then I wouldn't be able to get laid and then I would be devastated.

Jennifer said...

Madisonman - Oh! Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like the other one would hurt the eyes indeed.

Titus said...

Is Steep and Brew still in Madison?

This was the place to go while I was there.

I may be dating myself.

MadisonMan said...

Ella's on State Street closed a while ago. I agree, it was kinda skeevy. I've heard the new Paisan's is very crowded -- maybe less so over break, but still, make reservations. Check out the emerging building where Paisan's used to be.

Steep and Brew is still on State Street. They're also scattered around Madison, although the one on University recently closed and became an Ancora.

I don't know why anyone would come back for Pizza Pit.

Bissage said...

Is that guy practicing Shiatsu or Chisenbop?

What's that white thing on that woman's left shoulder?

Does that other woman need glasses?

I'm Full of Soup said...

Ann- would you say this girl looks a bit like you did when your hair was red? She's kinda got that disapproving prof glare down already.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

I miss Rocky Rococo's and the University ice cream with all its seasonal [sometimes weird] flavors.

AJ Lynch: You took the words from my keyboard.

Simon said...

"We're enveloped in blue... electric blue, I guess."

That makes me think of Icehouse song of that title.

Simon said...

"...next to a despicable chalking"

Kevin Barrett appears to have too much free time on his hands since his teaching appointment came to an end...

Ann Althouse said...

Madison Man: You don't know your Madison well enough! Electric Earth is on West Washington.

As to asking permission, the "shiatsu" guy said yes too.

Ann Althouse said...

Boston: There are still 2 Steep & Brews in town but there used to be more. The one on State Street is still there.

There are still lots of Victor Allen's cafés. Lots of Ancoras. Tons of local places doing very well. We have Starbucks, too, but it's not better than the local places (and doesn't have free WiFi).

Ann Althouse said...

Simon: That Icehouse video... yikes! And that man's hair... incomprehensible.

Anonymous said...

It looks like you're suffering from the same lack of snow we have in Bwaston. A couple of feet of brown, slushy, refrozen snow will do wonders to keep the sidewalks graffiti-free.

Simon said...

Oh, I agree that the video is horrible, and Iva's hair is ludicrous -- but my God, the man's voice. The way he sings "are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes... I just freeze every time you see through me" You've got to forgive the video, the hair and the stupid strap-on keyboard for that.

Simon said...

Completley off-topc, re my previous post, but some people just have a naturally gorgeous timbre to their voice. I'm currently struggling to find the right words to fit to a piece of music, and I keep thinking that I'd love to have a voice like Peter Gabriel, Neil Finn or Iva, but alas, Roger Waters has cornered the market in "thin, nasally Enlgish-accented singers."

Anonymous said...

To those of you who just can't take it for what it is:

when a shiny object appears in you periphery, you look at it and wonder why

you have red hair cause you like it

and you have a white shirt too

hdhouse said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
hdhouse said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
KCFleming said...

Like an incontinent old poodle with the mange, hdhouse manages to leave a little malodorous gift on anything he touches.

I had a dog like that once. Rest in Peace, dear Wags, you diarrheal little mutt, you.

Kev said...

"Sigh. Oh how I miss living in a college town! Neat little NONchain cafes and bars. Wacky chalk art."

Agreed. Unfortunately, in my former college town (Denton, Texas), a big chunk of the "local businesses in historic buildings" district may be demolished in favor of things like CVS Pharmacy and Starbucks The locals and alums aren't happy, and they've formed a coalition to work with the developer in an effort to at least include as many of the historical buildings as possible in the new development.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Do you have a blogger business card to hand out in situations such as these?

Simon said...

Ruth Anne -
I would think that this would suffice for that purpose. :p

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Simon: She'd never go for it. There's an oreilly.com advert on the flipside.

Simon said...

Ruth Anne - what on earth would Ann have against Tim and crew? I mean, uh... Betrayed by OSX In a Nutshell or something?

Ruth Anne Adams said...

Simon: I got that wrong. I thought it is one of the Bill O'Reilly t-shirts that he's constantly hawking on the O'Reilly Factor. I suspect Prof. A has nothing against those other guys; I thought she wouldn't spend money to advertise another's site.