Tootsie Yr2: Madison, WI part 2
Jun. 19th, 2023 08:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39Thursday was fairly normal. I did a bit of worrying about my new transcription job...mostly I just hate waiting on that background check! It makes me feel I don't truly have a job yet. Impatient!
So I distracted myself with finishing the Minneapolis Foodie Finds sheet,
and a list of to-do's for post-tour life,
and a list of post-tour to-buy's on Amazon,
and a list of my personal Top 10 Tour Eats to share later.
Are you seeing a trend here? Lists and lists :p
I wanted to explore Madison's famous State Street lined with quaint shops, and take a walk around the Capitol building.
But every time I tried to get dressed and get going, my brain was like..."nnnnnnnOOOOOOOoooooo thank you."
So it turned into a very lazy Thursday of slumming around in pajamas, drinking tea, steaming some broccolini for dinner (which stank up my whole hotel room), and watching anime. Outside it was hazy and yellowish; the smoke from the Canada wildfires has finally moved into this area and it's definitely apparent. Not as bad as New York, but certainly noticeable. It is supposed to clear up tomorrow, so perhaps it was better to stay inside today anyway.
The evening show was just fine.
Our mascots collaborated on their poses this week.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday turned out to be a very lovely day, one of those rare in-the-moment adventures that I will miss badly once this chapter of my life is over.
After breakfast I struck out for Gotham Bagel because they make bagels in-house and I am almost out of bread.
They only do pickup orders, so although it felt foolish I preordered an egg bagel and grabbed it at the window.
Next I walked about 1.5 miles to Lazy Jane's Bakery & Cafe, because supposedly they have the best scones in town.
I mean, they looked dang good.
I picked up a strawberry peach scone.
Next since I was near the co-op again, I grabbed some fruit to get through the weekend.
At checkout I noticed that they have enamel pins! Had to get one.
I'm pretty sure the graphic is a dill flower.
All this time I'd been walking, I'd been stopping to take pictures of wildflowers along the way.
It is still spring and temperatures are gently warm, and it seemed like EVERYTHING was blooming :)
Lots of beautiful blue chicory, and red and purple clover (I had never seen red clover before!)
Many fruiting trees growing in yards and randomly around town:
apple tree, sour cherry, white mulberry, serviceberry.
Someone's balcony absolutely drenched in wind chimes.
An all-electric Amazon delivery van (these are still only in select cities):
As I was walking back I remembered an article I'd read about the glowing rocks that you can find around the Great Lakes, called yooperlite. It's nothing rare per se, just a rock that contains sodalite, a mineral that glows orange or yellow under UV light (blacklight). But what makes it unique (and trademarked "yooperlite") is that you can only find it around Lake Superior.
At one point I had considered hunting for some, but none of these cities are close enough to specific yooperlite areas to justify the trip. So instead I quickly Googled rock and mineral shops nearby.
And there was one, just a few blocks away! Called Burnie's Rock Shop.
I went over and stuck my head in the door, and was surprised to find it pretty busy in there!
Parents with kids pointing at all the cool crystals; teens hovering over display counters probably trying to get "vibes" from this or that gemstone; a couple of older women there to have a bracelet repaired (because it was a jewelry shop also.)
The clerks had their hands full, so I poked around the shelves packed with colorful raw and polished gems.
There were a lot of beautiful stones to admire. My mom used to collect rocks and minerals, and would have liked this store.
When the crowd lessened a little I went to the counter and asked about the yooperlite.
They only had nine pieces, and the clerk said that they sell out pretty quickly because they make good souvenirs.
They looked like unassuming river rocks, or decorative gravel that you might see in someone's landscaping.
The clerk pulled out a UV flashlight.
Oooooo pretty!
Each rock had different patterns of sodalite hidden inside.
I spent some time rolling them around, looking at each one to see which I liked best.
I settled on two, one that was flat like a skipping stone and had lots of speckles of sodalite, and the other that was ovular and had streaks as well as speckles. I also bought a small UV light since the shop had them for sale and I don't own one.
I was more excited than I should have been about this find...because I'd remembered to look for yooperlite at all, and then just when I remembered it there happened to be some for sale a few blocks away! Riding the high from that excitement, I posted these pics in the tour's group chat in case anyone else enjoys nerding out over glowing rocks.
It's true that you can order these online. But they are specific to this part of the US, so being able to buy one in the same area where it was found, from a local shop, to me is something special. And certainly I'm not alone in feeling that way.
After finishing my walk back and putting my bagel and scone and fruit and rocks away, I walked the few blocks to Paul's Pel'meni for lunch.
Paul's is one of the top-rated restaurants in Madison, yet they only sell one thing: Russian dumplings called pel'meni.
They have two flavors, potato or beef. You can get one or the other or a mix of both.
I got a half-order of both flavors (about 20 dumplings.)
The available toppings were curry powder, butter, cilantro, sweet hot chili sauce, and sour cream.
For me it was everything but the butter, and I asked for the hot sauce and sour cream on the side.
The dumplings were super small, about half the size of a potsticker.
Here are the fillings:
I liked the beef best, it had a rich flavor like the meat had been simmered in broth and herbs.
The potato ones were yummy too though, and both of them were awesome with a dip of the sweet hot sauce and a little sour cream.
And since I ate them at the restaurant, there was the additional condiment of sweetened vinegar at each table.
That was REALLY good with both types of dumplings, although it did sting my stomach later on. Worth it!
I ate half the dumplings and took the rest home to eat for a snack later.
Chilling out in my hotel room, I reflected on what a beautiful solitary day this had been.
When the temperature is just right for walking;
and the local bakery has freshly baked scones;
and there are flowers in bloom everywhere you look;
and there are magical discoveries to be made in stores and on sidewalks...
it was the kind of day that comes rarely,
That makes me feel present, and alive.
I felt so grateful.
Who knows what will come tomorrow.
But for now, I had today.
-------------------------------------------------------
The show in the evening went well.
Of course I brought the glowyrocks for show-and-tell, and everyone oohed and aahed over them.
Taking pictures and videos of glowing rocks under black light is DIFFICULT, btw.
I managed to get just a few good shots
(CLICK HERE to see, use the arrows to right and left to scroll between media)
------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I had a very slow morning, and finally practiced all of Spamalot Act 2 (it's been tough because I am tacet for a lot of it, so it's hard to pay attention when you're not playing.)
We had two shows, and both of them went pretty well with a full house and enthusiastic audiences.
Can't think of anything special to report; it was a normal two show day.
------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, the usual pre-packing.
Prepping a tote of snacks and supplies for the 6-hour bus ride to Milwaukee tomorrow.
Both shows went well. Jameson's parents came to the evening show, so I got to chat with them briefly afterward.
It's been nice spending time with them while in Wisconsin; hopefully they'll come visit us in Florida or Jameson and I will get to visit them together soon.
We now have only eight shows left before the tour is over.
------------------------------------------------------
Other Stuff:
Pictures of the Capitol building, at night and during the day.
I never did do that tour, but it was nice to just look at the building.
Peaches, my childhood favorite stuffed animal, who I brought on this last leg of tour to keep me company.
I built him a pillow fort, but he looks annoyed. Perhaps the thread count isn't up to his standards.
The final Megan's Foodie Finds restaurant recommendations sheet can be found HERE.
It's been really fun making these and running the group, and I think people have enjoyed it :)
So I distracted myself with finishing the Minneapolis Foodie Finds sheet,
and a list of to-do's for post-tour life,
and a list of post-tour to-buy's on Amazon,
and a list of my personal Top 10 Tour Eats to share later.
Are you seeing a trend here? Lists and lists :p
I wanted to explore Madison's famous State Street lined with quaint shops, and take a walk around the Capitol building.
But every time I tried to get dressed and get going, my brain was like..."nnnnnnnOOOOOOOoooooo thank you."
So it turned into a very lazy Thursday of slumming around in pajamas, drinking tea, steaming some broccolini for dinner (which stank up my whole hotel room), and watching anime. Outside it was hazy and yellowish; the smoke from the Canada wildfires has finally moved into this area and it's definitely apparent. Not as bad as New York, but certainly noticeable. It is supposed to clear up tomorrow, so perhaps it was better to stay inside today anyway.
The evening show was just fine.
Our mascots collaborated on their poses this week.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday turned out to be a very lovely day, one of those rare in-the-moment adventures that I will miss badly once this chapter of my life is over.
After breakfast I struck out for Gotham Bagel because they make bagels in-house and I am almost out of bread.
They only do pickup orders, so although it felt foolish I preordered an egg bagel and grabbed it at the window.
Next I walked about 1.5 miles to Lazy Jane's Bakery & Cafe, because supposedly they have the best scones in town.
I mean, they looked dang good.
I picked up a strawberry peach scone.
Next since I was near the co-op again, I grabbed some fruit to get through the weekend.
At checkout I noticed that they have enamel pins! Had to get one.
I'm pretty sure the graphic is a dill flower.
All this time I'd been walking, I'd been stopping to take pictures of wildflowers along the way.
It is still spring and temperatures are gently warm, and it seemed like EVERYTHING was blooming :)
Lots of beautiful blue chicory, and red and purple clover (I had never seen red clover before!)
Many fruiting trees growing in yards and randomly around town:
apple tree, sour cherry, white mulberry, serviceberry.
Someone's balcony absolutely drenched in wind chimes.
An all-electric Amazon delivery van (these are still only in select cities):
As I was walking back I remembered an article I'd read about the glowing rocks that you can find around the Great Lakes, called yooperlite. It's nothing rare per se, just a rock that contains sodalite, a mineral that glows orange or yellow under UV light (blacklight). But what makes it unique (and trademarked "yooperlite") is that you can only find it around Lake Superior.
At one point I had considered hunting for some, but none of these cities are close enough to specific yooperlite areas to justify the trip. So instead I quickly Googled rock and mineral shops nearby.
And there was one, just a few blocks away! Called Burnie's Rock Shop.
I went over and stuck my head in the door, and was surprised to find it pretty busy in there!
Parents with kids pointing at all the cool crystals; teens hovering over display counters probably trying to get "vibes" from this or that gemstone; a couple of older women there to have a bracelet repaired (because it was a jewelry shop also.)
The clerks had their hands full, so I poked around the shelves packed with colorful raw and polished gems.
There were a lot of beautiful stones to admire. My mom used to collect rocks and minerals, and would have liked this store.
When the crowd lessened a little I went to the counter and asked about the yooperlite.
They only had nine pieces, and the clerk said that they sell out pretty quickly because they make good souvenirs.
They looked like unassuming river rocks, or decorative gravel that you might see in someone's landscaping.
The clerk pulled out a UV flashlight.
Oooooo pretty!
Each rock had different patterns of sodalite hidden inside.
I spent some time rolling them around, looking at each one to see which I liked best.
I settled on two, one that was flat like a skipping stone and had lots of speckles of sodalite, and the other that was ovular and had streaks as well as speckles. I also bought a small UV light since the shop had them for sale and I don't own one.
I was more excited than I should have been about this find...because I'd remembered to look for yooperlite at all, and then just when I remembered it there happened to be some for sale a few blocks away! Riding the high from that excitement, I posted these pics in the tour's group chat in case anyone else enjoys nerding out over glowing rocks.
It's true that you can order these online. But they are specific to this part of the US, so being able to buy one in the same area where it was found, from a local shop, to me is something special. And certainly I'm not alone in feeling that way.
After finishing my walk back and putting my bagel and scone and fruit and rocks away, I walked the few blocks to Paul's Pel'meni for lunch.
Paul's is one of the top-rated restaurants in Madison, yet they only sell one thing: Russian dumplings called pel'meni.
They have two flavors, potato or beef. You can get one or the other or a mix of both.
I got a half-order of both flavors (about 20 dumplings.)
The available toppings were curry powder, butter, cilantro, sweet hot chili sauce, and sour cream.
For me it was everything but the butter, and I asked for the hot sauce and sour cream on the side.
The dumplings were super small, about half the size of a potsticker.
Here are the fillings:
I liked the beef best, it had a rich flavor like the meat had been simmered in broth and herbs.
The potato ones were yummy too though, and both of them were awesome with a dip of the sweet hot sauce and a little sour cream.
And since I ate them at the restaurant, there was the additional condiment of sweetened vinegar at each table.
That was REALLY good with both types of dumplings, although it did sting my stomach later on. Worth it!
I ate half the dumplings and took the rest home to eat for a snack later.
Chilling out in my hotel room, I reflected on what a beautiful solitary day this had been.
When the temperature is just right for walking;
and the local bakery has freshly baked scones;
and there are flowers in bloom everywhere you look;
and there are magical discoveries to be made in stores and on sidewalks...
it was the kind of day that comes rarely,
That makes me feel present, and alive.
I felt so grateful.
Who knows what will come tomorrow.
But for now, I had today.
-------------------------------------------------------
The show in the evening went well.
Of course I brought the glowyrocks for show-and-tell, and everyone oohed and aahed over them.
Taking pictures and videos of glowing rocks under black light is DIFFICULT, btw.
I managed to get just a few good shots
(CLICK HERE to see, use the arrows to right and left to scroll between media)
------------------------------------------------------
Saturday I had a very slow morning, and finally practiced all of Spamalot Act 2 (it's been tough because I am tacet for a lot of it, so it's hard to pay attention when you're not playing.)
We had two shows, and both of them went pretty well with a full house and enthusiastic audiences.
Can't think of anything special to report; it was a normal two show day.
------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, the usual pre-packing.
Prepping a tote of snacks and supplies for the 6-hour bus ride to Milwaukee tomorrow.
Both shows went well. Jameson's parents came to the evening show, so I got to chat with them briefly afterward.
It's been nice spending time with them while in Wisconsin; hopefully they'll come visit us in Florida or Jameson and I will get to visit them together soon.
We now have only eight shows left before the tour is over.
------------------------------------------------------
Other Stuff:
Pictures of the Capitol building, at night and during the day.
I never did do that tour, but it was nice to just look at the building.
Peaches, my childhood favorite stuffed animal, who I brought on this last leg of tour to keep me company.
I built him a pillow fort, but he looks annoyed. Perhaps the thread count isn't up to his standards.
The final Megan's Foodie Finds restaurant recommendations sheet can be found HERE.
It's been really fun making these and running the group, and I think people have enjoyed it :)
