My English teacher’s wise words

Upon my decision to attend UW Madison, many had advice on places to go, events to attend, or libraries to spend my days at. One family friend told me to always study at College Library, because she met her husband there and she thought, naturally, I would, too. My aunt urged me to go to the Terrace once every week in the summer to get the famous Terrace brats. And my wonderful high school English teacher revealed to me her favorite coffeeshop to go to after the Farmers’ Market: Michelangelo’s.

Now that I’m here, I do study at College Library, but not always, and I haven’t met my husband yet. Maybe he’ll show up one of these days. The Terrace brats are fantastic, though I don’t eat them weekly. What’s interesting about Michelangelo’s, though, is that I do go there often because of my English teacher’s high esteem for it. I guess this is the only advice I actually did follow. And I’m glad I did.

Walking into Michelangelo’s is like walking into a comfortable cottage. The bakery items include delightful cookies, pastries, and cakes, all made that day. The coffee is amazing, and their whipped cream is homemade. They also make their own chai, which is delicious. It’s refreshing to taste something other than the too sweet chai concentrate.

The thing that’s great about Michelangelo’s is that there’s always a place to sit. At other shops on state, sometimes I have to get coffee and then find another coffeeshop to drink it in, but not Michelangelo’s. It has two areas, one in the front, and one larger, more artsy area in the back with an abundance of outlets and bigger tables. The table I always sit at has an outlet that is above the window so I have to stand on the nook below the window to plug my extension cord in, which is comfortingly precarious. The art is fantastic, some even being painted right onto the walls, making it more of a museum than a temporary place to put canvases.

If I run out of cash, they even have a convenient ATM inside their premises, right next to a computer for customer use, which is extremely helpful when I just have to check something when I’m walking up or down State Street. The atmosphere is extremely diverse, which is greatly appreciated right after being to the coastie-infected Starbucks. They also have board games, which are always a wonderful way to spend time. Why do homework when I can play Scrabble?

So, I just want to thank my favorite high school English teacher for enlightening me with such great advice. You were and still are my most wonderful teacher, and I thank you for leading me to the best coffeeshop on State Street. Let’s go play Scrabble!

crêpes and the sahara

As a student, I have hardly ever ventured out from my comfortable soapy bubble consisting of State Street, campus buildings, and Camp Randall. Which is sad, really, since some of the best places to eat and drink and write are hiding behind massive amounts of foam from this said bubble, namely the adorable and tasty Bradbury’s. Nestled in the pizza-shaped corner of Hamilton and Webster, this coffeeshop is more than terrific. Not only do its baristas produce a sweet and tangy coffee that’s unique to Madison, but they even know how to make CRÊPES. With NUTELLA.

Let me just give you some space to be in awe…

Ok, now I’m thinking if you like food as much as I do, you just gasped. And then you got excited. Which was my precise reaction to hearing about Bradbury’s. Their crêpes are made just crisp enough, not too soggy and not too hard so you can’t cut into them. The crêpe makers use fresh fruit and fresh dairy from organic farms around the area to create them, which basically makes these crêpes unrivaled in the history of my life of continuous eating. Types of crêpes range from one with pumpkin, apple butter, whipped cream, and fresh grated nutmeg to another with raspberries, Nutella, and whipped cream to even another with beef bourguignon, greens, and fried egg. Am I serious? Completely.

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