Growing Pains

 Everyone has a slant and this author, who grew up in the gorgeous and weird capital city of Austin, is no exception. The more time I spend in Madison, the more nostalgia I feel for Austin, not Austin as it is right now but as it used to be when I was growing up in the 90s and even before I was born. Austin was a small, compact city, eclectic and progressive with the University of Texas interwoven into the city center as it is to this day.

I can't help but see Madison in this lens: a small delightful city that will soon grow in population to outstrip its natural size. It already has glimmers of crowdedness and traffic as on the weekend everyone flocks to the cool spots right by the Capitol, such as the famous Saturday on the Square Farmers' Market.

Unlike Milwaukee, a city which many look down on as Chicago's poorer and dumpier little cousin, Madison has a great reputation. Locals are friendly and helpful. The city itself is beautifully situated with four sizeable lakes, and there are plenty of peaceful and open refuges, like the Olbrich Botanic Gardens.

Right now, to call Madison crowded at all would be a gross exaggeration: like the rest of Wisconsin that I've experienced, its density pales in comparison to that of Denver, for example. But it's coming. I predict the heyday of Madison to be 5 years ago up to 5 years from now, after which the city will grow past its infrastructure in the way Austin did and be unpleasantly busy. 

I don't plan to be here when that happens, but for right now I'm content to enjoy the kombucha and cheese curds.