Madison, WI

[pulpandink]

Can anyone recommend good rental management companies that specialize in houses? My partner and I would like to rent a dog + cat-friendly 2-3 bedroom home in the $900-$1300 range. We'd like to be away from the undergrad fray and I've heard that the Atwood and Willy Street areas are good for 30-somethings. Also, is it difficult to find a June rental?

[DKSL]

When should I start looking for apartments? 

[IncretinEffect33]

Any suggestions of great restaurants (breakfast and/or dinner)? I am here now and would love to try something local and nice.

 

For breakfast, Mickies Dairy Bar is a must, if you haven't gone there already. Also the Sunroom Cafe on State.

 

DLUX has great sweet potato fries with sriracha mayo. Ha Long Bay on Willy Street is a favorite, along with Bunky's Cafe on Atwood. I also recommend you go to Greenbush Bar on Regent. Tipsy Cow right off the square is likewise pretty tasty, and has a fun trivia night.

 

If you want to go a little further out, The Free House Pub and Villa Dolce in Middleton are nice places as well. I could continue, but I'll refrain for now... Madison has lots of great spots!

[pearcema]

Anyone have a favorite Thai food restaurant in Madison?

[pangur-ban]

I like Bahn Thai or Sala Thai. Sa-Bai Thong is the other Thai restaurant worth mentioning. But what I'd actually recommend is trying Laotian food at Lao Laan-Xang (each of their locations has a slightly different menu). It's very good, and has many of the same qualities as Thai food. 

[pearcema]

pangur-ban, that sounds delicious!  Thanks for the suggestions, I think I'll try out Lao Laan-Xang when I'm in town next week!

[justinmcummings]

Is there any neighborhoods that anyone would not recommend? I am looking to live within 3 miles of the engineering buildings and so far I have found the park tower apartments in the hilldale area, seem affordable, quiet, and close to shopping.

[mmm1717]

Is there any neighborhoods that anyone would not recommend? I am looking to live within 3 miles of the engineering buildings and so far I have found the park tower apartments in the hilldale area, seem affordable, quiet, and close to shopping.

 

Yep, that's a pretty fair assessment of that area. It's also right on a number of bus lines that make it really easy to get to campus. If you don't want to be around loud undergrads, you should avoid the area that spans a couple of blocks west of Engineering, a couple of blocks south (to Regent St. or so), and east out to the Capitol.

[Cafe2014]

On 3/19/2014 at 2:33 PM, DKSL said:

When should I start looking for apartments? 

 

Start looking for apartments as soon as possible! Unfortunately, the rental laws in Madison are not very tenant-friendly. This means that landlords can place apartments up for rent very early (ex. an apartment available for rent in August 2014 might have been placed on the market as early as November 2013). This is particularly common in areas closest to campus. It can become difficult to find a decent place in downtown Madison this late in the spring.

 

However, as a graduate student, you might be interested in living in the Hilldale/Midvale neighborhood because it is quieter and there are fewer undergraduate students. This neighborhood is also right on the bus line, making it easy to get to and from any area of campus. Landlords in this area tend to cater to graduate students (including those with families) and older tenants, and thus they often put their apartments on the market closer to the date of rental. (So, an apartment for August 2014 might go on the market in May or June 2014.) However, some of these places do fill up quick and keep waiting lists, so you might consider finding a place that interests you and getting in contact with the landlord to see if they are creating a waiting list for summer rentals.

 

I've been living in Madison for a number of years and have rented from many companies in different parts of the city. Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about apartment complexes or landlords in Madison!

 

On 4/14/2014 at 3:06 PM, justinmcummings said:

Is there any neighborhoods that anyone would not recommend? I am looking to live within 3 miles of the engineering buildings and so far I have found the park tower apartments in the hilldale area, seem affordable, quiet, and close to shopping.

 

From what I've heard, Park Towers are nice, but they can fill up fairly quickly. (I contacted them last spring inquiring about fall rentals, and they were already completely rented for fall). There are some other very nice complexes in this neighborhood as well. You might consider looking into the Normandy, the Monticello, the Carolina, or some of the other 'garden style' apartment complexes if you haven't already. From my own experience and what I've heard from others, these are generally very well-managed and cater to graduate students and young families.

 

As for places I would not recommend--avoid anything on or right by Langdon Street in downtown Madison. While these apartments are very convenient to campus, this is where all of the frat houses are, and it can get VERY loud. I would also recommend avoiding the apartments right by Camp Randall, the football stadium. As you probably know, undergraduates at Madison are VERY enthusiastic about football, and you might find that football game days are pretty loud and unpleasant.

 

The apartments further down Old University Avenue are also fairly nice and reasonably priced. (Avoid those right by Camp Randall, however.) These are a little closer to campus than those in the Hilldale/Midvale area, and they are very close to the engineering buildings. Depending on the apartment complex, you might be able to walk to campus on nice days. This area is  also right on the bus line, and biking is very convenient. While there are more undergraduates in this neighborhood, the area is still fairly quiet and the tenants often include a lot of graduate students and health sciences professional students as well.

[pearcema]

On 4/3/2014 at 10:30 AM, pangur-ban said:

I like Bahn Thai or Sala Thai. Sa-Bai Thong is the other Thai restaurant worth mentioning. But what I'd actually recommend is trying Laotian food at Lao Laan-Xang (each of their locations has a slightly different menu). It's very good, and has many of the same qualities as Thai food. 

 

Hey pangur-ban, thanks again for this suggestion!  Went to the one on Willy St. a few weekends ago.  It was delicious!

[pachydermatus]

How affordable is Madison? The prospective program I'm looking at has what seems to be a pretty low stipend ($21k), which is not a livable wage in my current city. Is it feasible for someone to live on their own (i.e. without roommates) on that salary?

 

[iphi]

And living with a 11k (nine months) stipend? Is it possible? Something inside me seriously doubts it, but when looking in craiglist I find housing feasible and it gives me some hope...

[Macabea]

What a relief! But I guess I'll have to find a way of managing it in the summer  thanks a lot for your answer! Now I'm looking for housing to enter on august, maybe is too soon but I'll have to do it form Europe and I want to be sure I will have a place to stay when my classes begin. I'm looking in craiglist, but maybe someone in this thread has some piece of advice.

Thanks again

Edited February 26, 2015 by Macabea

[MangoSmoothie]

What a relief! But I guess I'll have to find a way of managing it in the summer  thanks a lot for your answer! Now I'm looking for housing to enter on august, maybe is too soon but I'll have to do it form Europe and I want to be sure I will have a place to stay when my classes begin. I'm looking in craiglist, but maybe someone in this thread has some piece of advice.

Thanks again

 

The housing market for apartments aimed at students is in Madison ridiculous, and now is prime season for searching for the Fall 2015 academic year. I was always envious of people in other college towns, since their housing market never seemed as competitive. Most people have to resign their leases for the next academic year (so with an August start date) in November to keep it, and November is when apartment companies  will start showing and renting out for the next academic year. I once felt like I had barely settled in before they started viewings on mine. You should start looking now if you want the best apartment for a single person (so studio or 1BR) and at the best price and in your preferred location. By May, even, there's almost nothing aimed at students left, and the apartment companies have no problem filling their apartments to capacity. I'd aim to secure a place by the end of March or maybe mid-April to get what you really want, but the sooner the better.

 

I used sites like http://www.cdliving.com/to find an apartment that fit my needs and then contacted apartment companies directly, and I was also living abroad and had to search and sign the lease from abroad. Apartment companies were generally not willing to provide additional or newer photos for me, but I had family that could view the apartments for me and send pictures to me. I began searching the February before I moved in, but I'd lived in the city before so I know where I wanted to live and vaguely what companies to avoid, but I couldn't sign a lease until May because of uncertain circumstances. If you know for sure you're coming here, you are better off searching now over later for an apartment. By May there likely will be nearly nothing in your budget. The May I signed a lease from abroad, I missed out on 2 different apartments I really wanted by less than an hour.

 

There's lots of information on locations to live in this thread, but generally, if you live farther west off campus (for example, University Ave or Old University Ave, around the UW Hospital longitudinally or more west, or the Hildale area people have mentioned) there are fewer undergrads/less of a party atmosphere and good  bus routes. A lot of undergrads like living walking distance of campus or a very short bus ride. Living downtown and on the isthmus it is possible to avoid undergrads/noisy and underage/barely legal drunk kids; if you live east of the capitol on the isthmus, it's also relatively quiet. However, you are still near the capitol square and within walking distance of great bars and restaurants, with good bus routes to campus.The apartments very near to campus are  high in demand, so the rent is a little bit higher, the quality of them is a little bit lower, and they do tend to populated with undergrads.

 

It is possible to live south of campus (but I wouldn't recommend too close; the areas around Regent street and toward campus are pretty loud). Not as many people live south though because it's harder to commute by bus; there's fewer buses, and some only run during peak hours (6amish to 9:30am, then 3:30pm to 6:30pmish). The apartments well south of campus are noticeably cheaper and a bit better quality than even the areas I mentioned above. The best bus routes tend to be buses that run eastbound or westbound across campus.

 

Congrats on getting in and getting funding. It's a great place to live, an amazing university to study at, and I hope to live in Madison permanently someday. Also, it looks like you might be "living" in Van Hise (the building with all the language departments). I love that place, even if it is kind of old.

Edited February 28, 2015 by MangoSmoothie

[ruylopez88]

Hi all,

I'm a Madison native and thought I'd write a little bit about my experience here, and hopefully that will help prospective UW students get more of a feel for the local life here. This is just one person's opinion...

 

Note: I did not attend University of Wisconsin so I won't focus on the UW. But, I have lived here for a long time, so take this all for what it's worth!

 

MADISON PROS:

 

*The lakes and unique geography of the city. As you probably know, Madison is a city situated between two large lakes, on an isthmus. It's pretty cool to be able to see Lake Mendota or Monona wherever you are in the city (unless you're out in the 'burbs). Madison would not be what it is without our beautiful lakes. During the summer people take part in boating, rowing, sailing, hanging out on the Memorial Union Terrace (UW) drinking local beer, eating local ice cream and watching the sparkling lake. During the winter you'll often see people ice fishing, or even kite skiing. In addition to Lakes Monona and Mendota, there is also Lake Wingra (near the free zoo) and the Monona Bay, Cherokee Marsh, and the Yahara River. There is a slight problem with the lakes, though- since Madison is surrounded by farms, a lot of run-off goes into our lakes, making them not-so-safe to swim in, and sometimes they get pretty funky during the summer.

 

*The bike path system. I am ever-grateful for our fabulous system of bike paths. Madison is a relatively small city (particularly if you live and work and go to school on the isthmus) and it is so easy to get around on the bike paths. In addition to the main city paths like Capitol City Trail and Southwest Commuter Path, there are numerous other paths in or near Madison such as the Badger State Trail (goes to Illinois border), the Military Ridge State Trail (goes from Fitchburg/West Madison to Dodgeville), the Glacial Drumlin State Trail (goes from Cottage Grove, a town just east of Madison, to Waukesha, a town east of Milwaukee). During the summer, LOTS of people take part in commuting by bike or long-distance biking. Every year there is a "bike to work week" to encourage bicycle commuting, where vendors set up on the path to offer commuters things like bacon and coffee.

 

*Walkability. Madison is very walkable- to a point. If you live/work/go to school on the isthmus, things are relatively close together. Most neighborhoods have amenities of their own like grocery stores, a coffee shop, restaurants, etc. BUT, if you live further out, it can be a problem, and you can't always find everything you need on one street. For walkable areas within a 20-minute bus/bike ride to campus, I would recommend Monroe Street near Trader Joe's (though it's expensive), Willy/Spaight/Jenifer St. on the near east side, and Atwood/Winnebago on the near east side. Side note: during the winter, having to walk places can become painful due to extreme cold.

 

*Number of coffee shops & restaurants. Good lord, there are a lot of places to drink coffee and eat. If you don't like your neighborhood coffee shop, there is probably another one within four blocks. We also have a ton of local coffee roasters that are delicious and highly recommended! JUST Coffee is probably my favorite. Colectivo and Anodyne out of Milwaukee are also excellent. If you are new to Madison and looking for a great place to get coffee, I recommend Victory Cafe on Atwood (they are always playing good music and are super friendly), Colectivo on the Capitol Square, Bradbury's on N. Hamilton downtown (delicious coffee + awesome crepes), and Johnson Public House on E. Johnson St. (pour-over). If you are new to Madison and looking for a place to eat that encompasses the 'Madison' experience, lots of people go to the Old Fashioned for local beers and fried cheese curds. There are also a number of really great Thai and Laotian restaurants. I find it confusing though, that there are no 24-hour restaurants (except Denny's). The closest you can get (that I know of) is Willalby's Diner on Willy St. which opens back up for a few hours overnight on weekends...so if you need an omelette and coffee at 2am, that might be your best bet. 

 

*Farmer's Markets. During the summer months, every neighborhood has a farmer's market, and there's the Dane Co. Farmer's market, which is HUGE. I recommend doing your produce shopping at these markets- it can be a lot cheaper than the grocery store.

 

*Hiking/camping opportunities. There are opportunities to hike right here in Madison (go for a walk at the Arboretum, hike on the Ice Age Trail in Verona, hike at Cherokee Marsh, etc). Within an hour's drive, there are plenty more places to camp and hike. One of the most popular parks in Wisconsin is Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, in the beautiful bluffs, about an hour north of Madison. Definitely check it out! It can get crowded in the summer, though. I highly recommend Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville, about 45 miles west of Madison. It doesn't get as much foot traffic, there are two different lakes to swim in, and an extensive system of trails. Another favorite would be Kettle Moraine State Forest near Whitewater, which also has a huge mountain biking trail system.

 

*Madison is clean. It's really clean. I've heard people from other cities remark on how clean the streets are. Although during the winter it can be a bit of a mess. Which brings me to...

 

 

MADISON CONS:

 

*Number one is definitely the WINTER. It is so awful. I hate it with a passion. I am angry about winter right now because it is 2/28 and -4 degrees outside, and it has been cold since we got an arctic blast in early November. Not to mention the horrible polar vortex last year which just about made me want to jump off a bridge. Winter is bitterly cold here, and it last for what seems like an eternity. I have to be honest, when I meet people who have moved here from places like Oregon or California I think "WHY?!?!?!" Yes, you can take part in winter sports if you are into that, but often times it is too cold for outdoor activities to be enjoyable. Really think about this before moving here: driving in snow (and having your car get destroyed by winter and road salt), waiting for the bus in -10 degree weather, being cooped up inside for months, and endless gray days where there is little daylight. Weather here can be really variable and frustrating as well, we have had snow and cold in March/April and we've had weird streaks of 80 degree weather. You just never know if Fall and Spring are going to warm or cold, but you can bet on winter being long and dark!

 

*Intense local pride to the point of it being annoying. Okay, so from my "pros" list you can see that I love our lakes, trails, local coffee and produce! However, something I have noticed about Madison is that Madison locals think we live in some kind of premier world-class city. WE DON'T. Someone earlier on this forum mentioned that "Madison thinks it's Berkeley and gets offended when you say it's not" or something to that effect. It is difficult to even criticize Madison (or even mention Milwaukee!) without some Madison locals rolling their eyes and scoffing. And yeah...lots of Madisonians look down on Milwaukee for some reason which I do not understand. Milwaukee is a bit more working class, Madison is pretty yuppie and affluent, so it just comes off as snobby when Madisonians hate on MKE. 

 

*Wage disparities/ cost of living/ jobs! Now, I do not have a professional job in Madison, because since graduating I have not been able to find one. I work two part-time jobs, which I think is fairly common for 20-somethings here. I have been searching for a full-time job in Madison since 2010. Time to move? Probably! Competition for jobs is FIERCE... and wages are fairly low. The minimum wage here is $7.25, and I see plenty of job listings that pay no more than $10/hr. Since the cost of living is somewhat high in Madison, it doesn't compute. Also, since we have all our coffee shops and restaurants, there are a large number of people who work for low wages in the service industry, even people with advanced degrees because they simply cannot find anything else here. I know this is true for many places across the country, and Madison is not immune. It's supposed to be "a great place to live" but it can be hard to see it that way when you work hard and only make $12k per year. Then, there are plenty of wealthier people with extremely nice houses in Madison. Don't know too many personally, but I have cleaned up their dishes and trash!

 

*Diversity. Madison lacks diversity. It's been a problem for a long time. People of Color often feel invisible here. But people in Madison like to think they are 'culturally sensitive' and it's not uncommon for white people to listen to Native flute music or reggae and feel like they are globally aware. Depending on where you live, you could go for a long time without interacting with a non-white person. There are a few somewhat ethnic neighborhoods, notably the Bayview Neighborhood, which is mostly Southeast Asian. Again, it's not a large city.

 

*Wisconsin politics have been a total mess for the past several years and it's put a huge damper on the local consciousness of Madison. The state has become extremely polarized and there's a lot of tension here in that regard.

 

CAN GO EITHER WAY:

 

*Public transportation. Hmm...this depends so much on where you live. It can be easy and quick to take the bus (and then you don't have to park!) and UW students get a free bus pass. I am definitely grateful that we have a bus system. However, there are many buses that only run during "peak" times (morning and then late afternoon) so it can be difficult to get somewhere during the day if you need to. If you have to get across town there will likely be transferring involved, and the buses can be very indirect. I live about 8 miles from the Capitol and my bus commute takes over an hour each way, plus transferring buses plus walking. The closer you live to downtown, the more expensive rent will be, but if you live further out without a car, it can be extremely frustrating! Keep that in mind when moving here.

 

*The people. Just like our winters, the people here can be ice cold. I wouldn't say that Madisonians are rude, necessarily... they can just be tough nuts to crack. I don't know if it's a combination of the Scandinavian/German heritage here and the cold weather, but people are generally reserved. It's a city of introverts. I often try to say "hi" to people and they just look confused. I am not outgoing at all- I'm a product of my Upper Midwest upbringing. But I do wish that people were a little friendlier/warmer here. To a non-native, Madisonians can appear stuck-up. Even to natives they can appear stuck-up! That being said, I think that once you get to know people here, they do open up a lot- it just takes a lot of effort. There are plenty of community things to get involved in like volunteering, meetup groups, etc. Meeting people is sort of what you make of it. If you are a reserved, private person you probably won't have an issue in Madison. If you like to drink you probably won't have too much of a problem either, which brings me to...

 

*Beer culture. I don't drink much, so it can be difficult to live in Madison. Wisconsin has a HUGE drinking culture. It can be really difficult to socialize, as well, if you are not into drinking. People inevitably end up at bars. Wisconsin actually has more bars than grocery stores. On the other hand, people take a lot of pride in our local beer and we have a lot of craft beer makers and events around our beer heritage. We have a lot of craft breweries which give tours and tastings, which can be cool. If you are into beer you will be in good company. If you're not, it can be a little lonely!

 

 

This was really long...and there's probably lots more to say. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!!

Edited February 28, 2015 by ruylopez88

[Macabea]

Wow, thank you so much MangoSmoothie and Ruylopez88! Both of your replies have been very helpful to me! I'm very grateful to you both for your time

MangoSomoothie, after spending all afternoon reading and reading the forum, I've found a few more pages (appart from craiglist) to widen my search. The one you advised me is awsome, so thanks for the tip! The problem I'm finding now is that everything is mostly taken (I'm very interested in the Willy st. neighborhood and it's surroundings, everyone in the forum advices that zone for grad students; I'll begin to look in some of the places you advised me, thanks again for this). Also, contacting with the tenants from abroad and without seeing the place before renting it's very risky. Again, I'll have to find a way of managing this   Thanks a lot for your help!!

Ruylopez88, thank you for your very detailed contribution to this thread! I found it really useful as I've never been to Madison. With your post I can make an idea of how the city is like. If I have any question about Madison I know I can ask you

[ruylopez88]

Hey Macabea, I'm so glad the post was helpful!

 

Like MangoSmoothie, I recommend living slightly east of the Capitol, and the Willy Street neighborhood is a great option. Not many undergrads live in that area so you won't have to worry about loud parties- you'll also get more of the 'local vibe' in that neighborhood. There are some very nice flats on Jenifer and Spaight streets in that area- check out the area near BB Clarke Beach and Orton Park- you'll be right next to the lake, biking distance to UW, and walking distance to the Willy St. Coop for groceries, as well as walking distance to several coffee shops and restaurants.

[bindlestiff]

Hello! Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of UW-Madison's French House? Or even just hearsay? 

 

I was recently accepted to Madison's grad program in speech-language pathology, but I've studied French throughout undergrad and I'm interested retaining what I know.

 

I've also read (on this thread and others) that the housing scene in Madison is pretty crappy, so I'm thinking this little residential community could be a good option for me. Their website is uwfrenchhouse.org

 

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

[ruylopez88]

On 3/8/2015 at 5:48 PM, bindlestiff said:

Hello! Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of UW-Madison's French House? Or even just hearsay? 

 

I was recently accepted to Madison's grad program in speech-language pathology, but I've studied French throughout undergrad and I'm interested retaining what I know.

 

I've also read (on this thread and others) that the housing scene in Madison is pretty crappy, so I'm thinking this little residential community could be a good option for me. Their website is uwfrenchhouse.org

 

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

The French House is cool, although I've only been there once, so I don't know much about it. They host a lot of communal dinners with traditional French food. It's also in a very beautiful old building overlooking Lake Mendota. It could be a nice community for you! You'll definitely get a lot of practice speaking French with native speakers of many nationalities, as well as American students studying French. I think it sounds like a great option!

[talha_sheikh]

Hi everyone,

I am an interntional  mba student and will be attending UW this Fall. I just got in and all the advice regarding how crazy it is to find decent apartments this late is making me tense. here most of the people are recommending willy street or atwood. Isn't a good distance away from the campus and wouldn't it be a problem in the winters to travel? any other locations besides them? i do have a limited budget of around 11k per 9 months stipend. so aim to have a max of 750 or less per month. Also regarding sharing 2 bedroom apartments? any advice or recommendations? 

Also for now the harvey street apartments look like great considering the low cost for studio and all amenities included with furnished. any cons of harvey street except that its too far away from all the happening places? 

it would be great to know where most of the mba students live. 
thanks
 

[elzy2015]

Hi everyone,

I am an interntional  mba student and will be attending UW this Fall. I just got in and all the advice regarding how crazy it is to find decent apartments this late is making me tense. here most of the people are recommending willy street or atwood. Isn't a good distance away from the campus and wouldn't it be a problem in the winters to travel? any other locations besides them? i do have a limited budget of around 11k per 9 months stipend. so aim to have a max of 750 or less per month. Also regarding sharing 2 bedroom apartments? any advice or recommendations? 

Also for now the harvey street apartments look like great considering the low cost for studio and all amenities included with furnished. any cons of harvey street except that its too far away from all the happening places? 

it would be great to know where most of the mba students live. 

thanks

 

 

Hi Talha, I'm a Management PhD student who is coming in in the fall and I just rented a place on West Main, quite near Grainger Hall where the business classes are. It seems like a nice area, though I'm working overseas at the moment so I haven't had a chance to look in person. Before that I was looking at places on Gorham Street which seems very pleasant and is also quite close. I hope we run into each other at Grainger Hall in the fall!

 

For those who have already been living in Madison: what's a reasonable grocery budget? I'm a bit obsessive about budgeting ahead of time (years in business will do that to you) so I'm wondering what some people's experiences are. It'll just be my wife and I, fairly average eaters (don't care if things are gluten free and organic etc. but healthy-ish). In anyone's experience what is a reasonable weekly/monthly grocery budget and where should we be shopping when we get there? I hear good things about the farmers market on weekends for produce.

[ruylopez88]

Hi Talha, I'm a Management PhD student who is coming in in the fall and I just rented a place on West Main, quite near Grainger Hall where the business classes are. It seems like a nice area, though I'm working overseas at the moment so I haven't had a chance to look in person. Before that I was looking at places on Gorham Street which seems very pleasant and is also quite close. I hope we run into each other at Grainger Hall in the fall!

 

For those who have already been living in Madison: what's a reasonable grocery budget? I'm a bit obsessive about budgeting ahead of time (years in business will do that to you) so I'm wondering what some people's experiences are. It'll just be my wife and I, fairly average eaters (don't care if things are gluten free and organic etc. but healthy-ish). In anyone's experience what is a reasonable weekly/monthly grocery budget and where should we be shopping when we get there? I hear good things about the farmers market on weekends for produce.

 

Definitely check out the farmers' markets! Lots of cheap and delicious produce, and you can buy loaves of bread, cheeses, eggs, meat, jams, flowers, and pretty much anything else you can think of... There are usually open early in the morning and wrap up around two pm. During the warm months there is a farmers' market on Saturday (the HUGE one) and on Wednesday, which is a bit more low-key but still has lots of options. They are both located on/near the Capitol square. Those are just the "Dane County Farmers' Markets," but there are also neighborhood markets other days of the week, which are located in other parts of Madison. There is a neighborhood market in Brittingham Park (W. Washington/Park Street) which is open on Tuesday afternoons during the summer. This will be easy to walk to from where you'll be living on West Main Street.

As for grocery stores, I recommend Trader Joe's (Monroe St., slightly west of campus...you can get there on the bike path or #3 Bus). I am always surprised when I get a big bag stuffed with groceries for like $25 (and this includes organic stuff!). If you need staples like rice, Midway Asian Foods on W. Washington/Park is a great little store with lots of cheap goods.

The most expensive grocery stores are probably Whole Foods, Fresh Madison Market, Metcalfe's and Willy St Coop. They are very nice stores but may not be great if you're on a budget. However, I do like to get coffee from the Willy St Coop because they have a great selection. There are a few campus grocery stores, Fresh Market and Capitol Center Foods, that are convenient for students but the prices are a little high. There is also a grocery chain in Madison called Copp's, which has locations all over the city. It's a regular all-purpose grocery store. I would say prices are average there. If you have a car, there's a large grocery store on the east side, Woodman's, that is also pretty affordable, and they are open 24 hours a day.

[tud]

Hi folks,

 

I am an incoming grad student at Wisconsin. Never been to the US and Madison, I face a huge challenge in finding an apartment close to school (within a walkable distance). I have been looking at La Ciel, Towers on States, and Lucky, but not sure if those are good places for grad students to stay (e.g. noisy and crazy parties are undesirable).

 

If you have experience with those apartment buildings or other buildings in the neighborhood, could you kindly share your experience and any advice? Thank you so much!

[savay]

I would like to bump this post. 

I've just received an offer from UW for the fall term and will be visiting campus for a recruitment event at the end of the month. I know housing can be very hard to find based on this thread, and while I'm still waiting to hear back from my first choice school -- I figure it doesn't hurt to start planning this stuff now. I would love to continue living by myself, but with my stipend offer I'll probably only be able to afford $700 - $900 a month on rent -- can you find a studio/1 bedroom close to transit for this much in Madison? Is campus housing a good idea?

Anything I need to check out while I'm there? I'm excited to visit, I've only been to Madison once and it was for a night.

[KaffeeCafe]

Hi everyone. I'm admitted as a PhD student in the physical sciences. I have a question about stipend etc. Even though $ certainly isn't everything, I noticed that while UW's stipend seems to be lower than other schools, it is also required to pay for health insure + University fee (1-2k/year). Every other school (I believe) waives these things or gives a reimbursement in addition to the base stipend. I was just wondering if this makes UW's financial offer less than ideal, or if this is the norm and the other schools I'm looking at are just above average in their funding. I've heard UW system has suffered some financial cuts and I was wondering if maybe there is a lack of funding in some cases. Thanks for the input !