It's almost here. It's starting to hit me. 11.5 years in Mad-town will soon be over. So, without further ado- the top 5 Madison memories:
* thanks to one my former teammates and now famous food blogger/photographer/author Taylor Mathis for a couple of these pictures. Check out his website at Taylortakesataste.com.
1. Camp Randall. We walk under the arch to attend football games, but more important than that- it's the arch I biked under all through undergrad for student-athlete meetings and study sessions. And most important of all- it's where I first met Dr. Hottie in the fall of 2001. I was a senior in high school on my recruiting trip, and one of the assistant swim coaches was giving me a tour of the student-athlete study area. Dr. Hottie was studying for a test, and he was the 1st person I met. I remember thinking- wow, college guys are so cute. You were part of fate Camp Randall.
* thanks to one my former teammates and now famous food blogger/photographer/author Taylor Mathis for a couple of these pictures. Check out his website at Taylortakesataste.com.
1. Camp Randall. We walk under the arch to attend football games, but more important than that- it's the arch I biked under all through undergrad for student-athlete meetings and study sessions. And most important of all- it's where I first met Dr. Hottie in the fall of 2001. I was a senior in high school on my recruiting trip, and one of the assistant swim coaches was giving me a tour of the student-athlete study area. Dr. Hottie was studying for a test, and he was the 1st person I met. I remember thinking- wow, college guys are so cute. You were part of fate Camp Randall.
2. The view of the capitol building. It's something so unique to the city. Campus and downtown are connected via State street which acts as the main campus drag and no cars (except for buses) can drive on it. The building is beautiful and has played multiple roles for me. I've enjoyed biking around it, taken a tour on the highest deck (best view in town!), been a legislative intern, and lobbied senators and representatives with college students there.
3. The SERF swimming pool. Spent 25 hours a week with my teammates training here. It's the main reason I came here in the 1st place. How can that not be one of the top memories?!
4. Ian's Pizza. The place I had my 1st meal after moving to Mad-town. I was with my mom, and we had macaroni & cheese pizza. All through undergrad, I have fond memories of going there after parties with friends and either sitting outside on the curb in the summer or cramming inside with 100 of your closest (or annoying drunk and stumbling) friends.
5. Science Hall. It's one of the only buildings on campus I haven't had a class in. It's now home to the Geography department, but is my all time favorite building on campus. It's situated on the bottom of Bascom Hill and Lake Mendota sits just off to the right. For no other reason than its aesthetic pleasure- it's one of my top 5 memories.
** bonus** 6) You won't meet a single Badger that doesn't list the Memorial Union Terrace as one of their favorite Madison memories. Warm weather, sunset, friends, beer.