A Madison Summer - Why Leave?

What's going on in Madison, Wisconsin?

This is the second summer where I have decided not to go anywhere. I know some people think I like to travel a lot, but I am scaling back. And the main reason for this is that it is too hard to leave this great city in the summer.

The weekend before last, I wanted to do the following:

-Sundance movie (one of two in the country)
-Farmers' Market (the largest in the U.S.)
-Maple Bluff garage sales
-Dog Park (we have so many)
-Friend's birthday party
-Fruitfest at Plan B
-And of course, my daily run (million of paths)

And I did it all. The summers here are just fabulous. While talking with friends about going to New England or Canada over the summer, I just knew I would miss it here too much. I am staying put.

So I took a week off in July and decided to take a staycation. And I think a week isn't even enough to do all the great summer things I plan to do. Like go hiking at Devil's Lake, spend a day at the Goodman Pool and finally learn how to golf at one of our many courses.

Now flash forward to this past weekend and as usual, there were a million activities going on. I think I died and went to heaven when I received a text from a friend of mine who asked me to "drop everything and join her on her friend's boat." After a nice trip to the dog park with some friends, I walked a few blocks from my place, down a dock and stepped on the boat.

I have never experienced this boating scene before. And it was heavenly. The views were amazing, my friend was a blast and the day was perfect. I hope to god we do it again real soon. How many places can you live where you can walk out your door and have someone pick you up lakeside to be whisked away onto the water?

Solo Travels to Montreal

My trip to Montreal was a great experience. While looking forward to six days and five nights of vacation, some were doubtful that I would enjoy a vacation alone, but I did.

While staying down town, across the street from McGill University, my hotel was in a great location. I chose it based on the following: Good ratings on tripadvisor, I wanted a boutique hotel, I had a certain budget and I needed a workout room. (I didn't think outdoor running was going to work there).

After learning that the Bodies Exhibit was a few blocks from my hotel, I was excited to go. Somehow I missed it while it was in Cleveland but jumped at the chance to see it on vacation. Explore the interior and exterior of real preserved human bodies. Everything is exposed, including a room of unborn babies throughout the pregnancy. If you have the chance, I recommend the exhibition. These are real bodies. (beware)

The irony of that scientific exhibit had me thinking after I walked around McGill University and wandered into the Redpath Museum. Marine Vertebrates are on display as you enter the building. After looking at them, I thought how common it is for us to look at the skeletal systems of other mammals but not humans. Take the Field Museum, for example. There is an entire area dedicated to mammals that all look like (maybe they are) taxidermy. Walk into the bodies exhibit and you think how odd and eerie it is to look at a preserved, mortal human being.

I explored Old Montreal on my second day. Architecturally, this was my favorite area. It definitely has more of a "European" feel to it, although the french Canadians will tell you that Montreal does not look like Europe. The narrow, brick streets, cathedrals and tiny stores make it a cozy part of the area. I visited Notre Dame-de-Bon-Secours, one of the oldest churches in Montreal. Because the cathedral became a pilgrimage site for sailors, wooden ships are still hanging from the ceiling today.


I was late getting to the Beaux-Arts Museum. I didn't have as much time in there as I would have liked. Not until I moved to Madison have I enjoyed looking at furniture at art museums. (I am surrounded by a ton of furniture stores and live across the street from the Modern Art Museum). They had some fantastic modern furniture through the century. They also had a 1984 IBM computer on display!

St. Denis and Mt. Royal were my favorite streets to wander. There are a ton of fun local stores to browse around. I was able to find suitable gifts for my beloved sisters (my best friends).

Yes, Montreal is freezing this time of the year. My heart (which is no longer heavy) has been set on going there since 2006. My family visited there in 1985. I was ready to go back as an adult. I chose to move to a cold state from a cold state. And I can tolerate the cold weather. Finding a flight for under $500 from Wisconsin was another story.

Racing against the sunset at 4:10 every day, I would try to get as much of my outdoor walking out of the way as possible.

My favorite restaurants:
Le Cafe Vert (I believe that is the name)
Aux Printemps - Vegan, casual and pretty tasty.
Olive and Gourmando - Everything about this place was awesome. I went there for lunch and was seated at a community table. The food was fantastic, as was the decor.
Le Cagibi - A very, very casual place. Vegetarian. I went there for dinner, not knowing how casual it is. There are old couches, an old tin ceiling and hipsters all over their Macs. The food was delicious.

The above three places are all vegetarian friendly (if not exclusive). You know what you are eating and you can pronounce all of the words.

As a solo traveler, I would talk to the people around me, if I was in the mood. I did make friends with a Greek man who has lived in Montreal for seven years. He is trilingual. We went out for drinks one night. I found him to be very interesting and we spoke about our travels and he attempted to force me into speaking french. (They all told me that I have a cute french accent - that is credited to two authentic french teachers at Hathaway Brown School).

If you like to travel I do recommend you try a trip alone. I would do it again. But next time, I probably wouldn't go for as long.

A Bientot!

Janie Was Not in Madison - Mission Accomplished

I successfully took a vacation. I have never been so far away from reality before. No newspapers, no tvs, no phone, computer, not even a clock or watch in site. If you haven't done this before, I highly recommend it.

If you read my last post, then you know I left town at a semi crucial time. My brother-in-law and sister, who live four miles from me, are expecting their baby any day. My job was to potentially care for their son while they went to the hospital. Not only did I leave them 1200 miles away, I was unreachable. I planned to not have my phone, and I accomplished this. Once a day, I would wonder out loud, "I wonder if they had the baby yet?" As I said before, when you go away, and escape from real life, it is still there upon your return. It is important to justify this, and be selfless once in a while. I knew that if my sister delivered, I have a lifetime ahead with the baby.

Before you die, you must go on a vacation where there are no clocks in site. All you have to do is look at where the sun is in the sky. I have no idea how much sleep I got. It is very possible that I went to bed before ten and awoke before six some days. Eat when you're hungry. Sleep when you are tired. This is the life. Let nature play its role.

The other thing I don't quite understand is when people don't go native on a vacation. I was in a very rustic, remote island, near the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. A ferry whisks you away to the island, and there are no cars on the island. I am an anti- Cancun/Puerto Vallarta/Sandals Resorts/Club Med/5 star hotels-in-exotic-places kind of person. If I am going to India, I am going native. No fancy resorts for me. I think this is the only way to do it.

The first two nights there, we stayed in a cabana style bungalow with a thatch roof, two story ceiling, and composting toilets (ugh....) right on the ocean. It was paradise. Each bungalow seemed to be occupied by a couple. This place (the island, itself), appears to be a melting pot of Europeans, Canadians, possibly some South Americans, and really very few Americans. Everyone kept to themselves, so it was very quiet. When I think of it now, all I hear, even as we all dined together on the deck, is the ocean. This "resort" was one of the farthest from the town, where the down town square is situated with the restaurants and shops, about .60 miles.

We moved to another "resort" for the remainder of our stay on the island. This was more of a hotel style, where the rooms are formed around a "Melrose Place" style courtyard with a pool, also on the ocean. Our balcony had a hammock, and, of course, overlooked the ocean. Closer to the town, there were more people, but again, we kept to ourselves.

I think this is one of the few times where I made no effort to make friends. I had little interest in talking to anyone. The whole, "Oh, we're from the United States, too!" or "I once visited France, 800 miles from where you live...." was totally unnecessary to me. It is more fun to people watch and make up stories in your head.

The running there was the easiest I have had on a beach. I have run on the beach in Mexico before, and it was much more difficult, but here, the sand was really padded down. Because I also like running a lot more than I used to, I really enjoyed it. Besides the heat, they were easy and peaceful runs. There were very few other runners there. The locals are mostly thick.

One other recommendation I will make is to only bring a carry on bag. I swear, I don't care if I go to Ireland for a month, I am not checking any luggage. If you have never done this, please try it. With my traveler's back pack, I was able to fit everything I needed, and not even use it all. It makes traveling so much simpler.

Now I am back to real life. Although, I am not going to lie - I was bummed to see very little snow on the ground as I was landing, as I was hoping to go cross country skiing this weekend.

A Vacation Should Be Just That

So, the farthest I have gone from Madison since July is to Illinois, and I am finally going to be leaving to go something like 1200 miles from here. The irony of this is that when I moved here, my sister discovered she was pregnant, and I always thought how fantastic it is that I could be nearby when she delivers, but now, I am not so sure, being that she is right around 40 weeks....

Here is the thing about a vacation. I actually had a dream about this last night. And, as I was packing up my desk yesterday, I started to bring my notebook, with my daily notes in it, and then I reminded myself, "Oh yeah - I am not a business owner anymore. If something happens, it won't need my immediate attention, so I can really take a vacation." Then, I had this dream last night that these clients desperately needed me, and I was 1200 miles away. One of my first trips as a real estate agent, I received an offer on a listing, and spent several hours of my trip working negotiations.

Shortly after I was licensed as a real estate agent, I decided to go on a cruise, because then there is no excuse to stay connected to the outside world. I couldn't. Cell phones didn't work on cruises, and e-mail is very expensive. Someone told me since then, that cell phones do work - but I don't know. Neither do I care, because I doubt I will ever go on another cruise. I really chose that vacation due to the fact that you are unreachable. I think cruises are very simple. You don't have to plan anything, it is all done for you. I also read an article in the New York Times on Sunday that gave me another reason to never cruise again. The ships are terrible for the environment.

So, why haven't I been taking vacations the old fashioned way? And why don't more people try to do just that? I have friends here who are workaholics, and some who never mention work when they aren't there. (Mostly the latter. Ok, all but one - wink, wink)

I am perfectly comfortable going away while my sister may very well deliver. While we are together all of the time, it is unfortunate that there is a good chance that I may not even know she is in labor. But, what difference is it going to make in the long run? I can't do anything for her. I can't push the baby out. Can't administer the drugs. Won't be cutting any cords. If the baby comes, I will be back soon enough.

And so, even though there is a chance this could all happen while I am away, I will be phoneless and computerless. No facebook. No twitter. No texting. Certainly no blogging. This is my last one for now. My sister knows where I am staying, if she wants to try to hunt me down. But, there is nothing I can do about whatever happens outside of my bubble. If you die, you will still be dead when I come back. So maybe we should all think about the importance of really disconnecting, and leave all modern technology behind. Isn't that what we all did 15 years ago??