A little over 10 years ago, I called my friend Plum for some advice on where to stay in Madison, Wisconsin. He told me that the Edgewater would be my speed. "It's what a third-world country would have as a four-star hotel" he said. That IS my speed.
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I am writing this all as a memorial. Soon, the hotel will be gutted and rebuilt. The development plans have been a political topic in Madison for a the past few years, but it is moving ahead. I was at least able to confirm that the new window designs will still open to fresh lake air.
The patina and the vibe there is one that is dying out. Bars where well-dressed men and women drank Cutty Sark and a dinner-jacketed crooner smoked and drank his way through a night-long set-list. In those days, you ordered your drinks and food by type, and not by brand. Nobody said "I'll have a martini with Bombay", they just said "We'll have martinis". "Whiskey, please" was a complete order, and no further details were solicited.
Years ago, I sat in the comfortable chair at the large floor-to-ceiling windows, high above the water's edge. The landscape was overcast but in the peak of autumn, and I drank hot tea alone in the empty restaurant, and watched a storm slowly work its way across the lake from the north. When the squall line began pattering the windows and the view went opaque, the Scandinavian manager sent over some white wine and a small dish with chunks of pickled herring. "I thought this would go well", he said. Of course it did.
A decade ago, I was a young businessman able to sweet-talk my way into using one of the university boats to sail around the lake for an hour or so. The bellman always drove us to the Tornado Room for well-drinks, and I half-expected to see Bill Murray's character Nick Summers singing his heart out and working the crowd.
A pseudo-deco exterior and an early 90's interior. It reminds me of those old has-been hotels with a billion great stories and a lot of charm for those willing to ease up a bit. All of the windows open wide, and the bar and restaurant overlook Lake Mendota. It's kooky and worn out, but I still love it.
The bar has a fantastic view, an out-of-date interior, and dirt-cheap drinks.
The walls are covered with the framed headshots of stars who have passed through over the years. I found a few I liked.
Apparently, the University of Wisconsin had a mermaid team.
I am writing this all as a memorial. Soon, the hotel will be gutted and rebuilt. The development plans have been a political topic in Madison for a the past few years, but it is moving ahead. I was at least able to confirm that the new window designs will still open to fresh lake air.
The patina and the vibe there is one that is dying out. Bars where well-dressed men and women drank Cutty Sark and a dinner-jacketed crooner smoked and drank his way through a night-long set-list. In those days, you ordered your drinks and food by type, and not by brand. Nobody said "I'll have a martini with Bombay", they just said "We'll have martinis". "Whiskey, please" was a complete order, and no further details were solicited.
Years ago, I sat in the comfortable chair at the large floor-to-ceiling windows, high above the water's edge. The landscape was overcast but in the peak of autumn, and I drank hot tea alone in the empty restaurant, and watched a storm slowly work its way across the lake from the north. When the squall line began pattering the windows and the view went opaque, the Scandinavian manager sent over some white wine and a small dish with chunks of pickled herring. "I thought this would go well", he said. Of course it did.
A decade ago, I was a young businessman able to sweet-talk my way into using one of the university boats to sail around the lake for an hour or so. The bellman always drove us to the Tornado Room for well-drinks, and I half-expected to see Bill Murray's character Nick Summers singing his heart out and working the crowd.
YWP,
ReplyDeleteI am moving back to the Madison area and I am sad to hear that the Edgewater is being gutted. Definitely a Madison landmark. Shirley Manson from the band Garbage lived there for a while. If you have a few more days in Madison, try to make it to the Chocolate Shoppe for some great ice cream, and for a very classy dining environment, you must try Porta Bella. It is just off State Street at 425 North Frances Street. Good food and an amazing old-time, super classy atmosphere. I eat there whenever I am in town. Enjoy the Edgewater and the Mad City!
PS--Check out Hoofers: http://www.hoofers.org/
ReplyDeleteThe end of an era, sad to hear of the switch. The Edgewater was very convenient when I lived at the top of Mansion Hill two blocks away, and having a quiet drink there as a squall passes over the lake is just about the perfect way to see it. It wasn't as close as the handsome Mansion Hill right across the street from my porch, but unlike the Inn it was free of a fake-historic applied charm. Instead of that kind of recreated history, the Edgewater had the feel of a history that was shorter but still lying around the place, alive and untidy.
ReplyDeleteLuckily Madison still has a dozen or more places with that kind of character, not hotels but restaurants, bars, and the like. I heard lately that the wonderful Restaurant Magnus finally shut down though, a place that was a godsend for us uprooted east-coast academics back in the day. I wonder what the new places are.
Sigh. This makes me so homesick for Madison. I spent five of the nicest years of my life so far there in the 90s. Central Illinois simply can't compare.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Ulrich von B.
Sigh. This makes me so homesick for Madison. I spent five of the nicest years of my life so far there in the 90s. Central Illinois simply can't compare.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Ulrich von B.
Wisconsinites love these sorts of places:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.supperclubmovie.com/