Graduate Student Guide

Banks

The two most convenient banks for the campus-centric are

• UW Credit Union

• Associated Bank

with the first probably the most popular. There is a free ATM for members of both banks in Ingraham Hall next to VV.

Food

Despite being settled in the middle of the country, there are a ton of restaurants in Madison – Indonesian, African, Italian, Himalayan, Laotian, Bakeries, Brew Pubs, Coffee Joints, you name it -- and everyone has their favorites.

The biggest resource for finding food (and entertainment!) in Madison is probably the Daily Page (the online version of our local paper, the Isthmus), where you can search local restaurants by name, locality, and cuisine. There, they have reviews, hours, contact info, pricing, etc. Be sure to peruse their Madison's Favorites section for some quick tips!

Here are some general food facts:

Campus Food

• Food Carts: Open for lunch in Library Mall at the foot of Bascom Hill near Lake & State Street. Very good and very cheap, and out as long as it's not too cold.

• Ingraham Hall: Not as good and not as cheap, but very close to Van Vleck, and has acceptable coffee (bring your own cup to save money!) and decent snacks. Try the lunch special: sandwich and 4 sides (soda, fruit, cookies, etc.) for five bucks.

• State Street (past the food carts) is full of restaurants and Coffee shops – there are at least a half dozen coffee roasters in town, and each supplies a different set of shops. In particular for lunch, there are the popular chains, such as Potbelly Sandwich Works , Einstein Bros. Bagels, or Chipotle... or hit the more independent spots such as the Sunroom Cafe or Ian's Pizza.

Madisonian food

The local foods are beer, ice cream, cheese, and brats (say hello to your new-found Wisconsin-love-handles). Each year Madison hosts Bratfest, a record breaking event. UW has Babcock Hall Ice Cream on campus which creates delicious ice cream available in the Unions. Other great local places to hit are the Chocolate Shoppe (which has also experimented with soy creams) and Michael's Frozen Custard. Local breweries include the Great Dane and Ale Asylum. You could also take a trip out to the New Glarus Brewing Co -- camp out in the New Glarus Woods State Park and take the tour of the brewery while you're there.

In early September (2nd-3rd), check out Taste of Madison to see many restaurants all in one place at one time.

Try a good ol' midwestern Fish Fry on Friday night – All you can eat fried fish generally served with a bran muffin, clam chowder, or coleslaw. Most Brew Pubs and some churches have them, and the Orpheum has a particularly tasty fry.

Farm fresh food

The Dane County Farmer's Market is amazing and HUGE. The big one is open every Saturday morning, and is located on the capitol square for most of the year. In addition to the ludicrous amount of fresh produce, there are also bakery stands, coffee, and fresh juice carts for quick breakfasts.

There are also a few smaller markets scattered around town, almost every day of the week:

     *Sunday: 8:30am to 12:30pm in front of Pierce's Northside Market
     *Monday: (none)
     *Tuesday: 4pm to 7pm on Ingersol at Williamson, 2pm to 6pm at 1602 S. Park St,
     *Wednesday: 8am to 2pm on MLKJr Blvd, 7am to 1pm at the Hilldale Shopping Center,
     *Thursday: Thursdays, 2pm to 6pm at the Villager Mall on Park St., 2pm to 6pm in the McFarland Centre, 7:30am to 1:30pm in the Greenway Station shopping center,
     *Friday: (none)
     *Saturday: 6am to 2pm on the Capitol square, 7am to 1pm at the Hilldale Shopping Center, 9am to 2pm at 1602 S. Park St, 7am to 1pm at Sheboygan Ave. and Segoe Rd., and 8:30am to 11am in Watertower Park.

During the summer and fall, you can wander out to one of the many local farms. Grab some friends and drag them along to a U-Pick farm while strawberries, raspberries, apples, or pumpkins are in season -- the distance can detract, but the produce is much cheaper when you pick it yourself.

If you're in town for the summer, you might consider signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture food box. CSA is a way to support a local farm by paying an annual fee in the winter or spring which buys you a share of the season's harvest. Once harvesting begins, members pick-up a weekly box of fresh foods which may include produce, fruits, cheeses, eggs, meats, poultry, flowers, herbs or preserves. The typical CSA season in Wisconsin runs from the end of May through mid-October. You do have to pay the lump sum up-front, and some weeks you'll find yourself with five pounds of chard... but for most of the summer you'll have your produce needs met, and you can feel good about supporting small local farms. Better yet, most of the university's insurance providers offer rebates for signing up for a CSA -- somewhere between $50-$300, depending on the plan and how many people you're sharing with (for example, if two people on GHC share a box, they might pay $450 for the box for a box lasting 25 weeks, but they they could each get $100 back, making that $5/week per person). If you're interested, remember to sign up early -- most programs are full by May.

Furniture

St. Vincent DePaul's: Like Goodwill. Has cheap dressers, desks, chairs, and general household stuff. Will deliver for a small charge. This is also a great place to donate any furniture or other items that you no longer want – they will pick up the items from your apartment. There is also a Goodwill in town, but they won't have nearly the same volume of furniture.

Craig's List: a free online classifieds site. Great not only for furniture, but also pet resources and last minute apartment hunting.

Eagle Heights Apartment Bulletin Boards: Lots of cheap stuff from people graduating, many of whom are moving overseas. You can even find cars. You can try posting your own wanted posters on the boards. You can find these boards at the bus stops for the (free) bus 80 route.

Freecycle: A community "give stuff away for free" website with a Madison branch.

The Todd Drive Area: Just west of park street on the beltline. American Furniture for furniture and electronics, Home Concepts for cheap but nice looking furniture, and Steinhafel's for furniture and mattresses.

SWAP. The UW's surplus supply store.