Creature Comforts and Local Knowledge

Meals are not included in the conference registration. There are excellent options at or near the conference site. the Memorial Union lies within minutes of State Street, Madsion's pedestrian-mall shopping street, which runs between the university campus to the west and the state capitol building to the east. The length of State Street, around the Capitol Square. and for a few blocks' radius around those areas lie diverse cuisines: Russian, German, Thai. Turkish, Afghani, Nepali, Japanese, vegetarian, Eritrian, American, continental, regional/seasonal Wisconsin and more.

For the caffeinated...and decaffeinated...coffehouses abound in Madison, including a number of locally roasted brands (Steep and Brew, Victor Allen's, Ancorra). And there are plenty of sources of live music, dancing, and nightlife -- from jazz to juju, folk to techno, classical to klezmer. Check the free alternative newspaper ISTHMUS for leads

Local History and Flavor

Wisconsin's state capitol building, with its huge white granite dome and carefully executed interiors (gilded wood, marble walls, mosaics, stenciled ceilings, statuary, and oil paintings) is one of the outstanding capitol buildings in the nation, completed in 1917 as a temple to progressive democracy. It lies at the east end of State Street, at the center of the isthmus and surrounded by the capitol square, the site of the weekly farmer's market (held each Friday during the Summer -- an event not to be missed).