The Pinnacle of Madison

I love where I work. It is without a doubt, the most beautiful building in all of all Madison; an icon for the city; a sight to be looked upon from miles around. It invoked awe-inspiring wonder the first time I saw. Now it's a comforting sight on the horizon when I return home to downtown. I still marvel at my luck every time I walk into the building to go to work.

It's a great walk to work. Only ten-to-fifteen minutes from home, I walk up State Street past an eclectic mix of store fronts and bars- Subway is the only global "chain store" I pass- with the Capitol building in my sights the entire way. Thankfully it isn't far to work, so when the snow comes it shouldn't be too much of a slog. I am also thankful for work being so close when I wake up 15 minutes before I am due to start work because the alarm clock application on my phone failed, as happened on Friday. I have never gotten ready so fast in my life, literally throwing my lenses in my eyes, swishing back mouthwash and then out of the door. But I made it, just one minute late.

I experienced a great perk of my job on Thursday. I was lucky enough to go to the very top of the State Capitol, right below the towering bronze statue. We climbed dozens of stairs, and then up and over the inner dome to peer down inside the Capitol, before heading up another spiral staircase, and up to the watchtower. Walking around at the top on such a mild day, and taking in the sights of Madison, was a great experience.



Looking down State Street



Looking in the opposite direction- East

The two views look kind of similar right? A big lake at the side. That's because Madison is on an isthmus, with Lake Mendota on the North side, (the lake our apartment looks onto) and Lake Monona on the South side. Standing up at the tallest point in Madison really gives you a sense of how narrow the city of Madison is. Such a short distance between the two lakes. Really quite a unique city, and a great place to live.