So far I have not had too much difficulty getting around Madison.
When I had visited previously I stayed at the hostel downtown and explored a lot of the city on foot, particularly the Downtown and Near East regions of Madison. I had spent a little time in the Far East and Near West parts of the city as well but only enough time to get a sense of what were the major roads.
To my surprise, that knowledge of just the few major roads in the Near West section of the city proved quite useful in finding my way around. I live in the south-central part of the Near West region or southwest of the state capitol building downtown. I am on the main north-south road (Midvale Blvd.) through this part of the city and close to a main secondary route to downtown (the Nakoma Rd. / Monroe Rd. corridor).
Of course, all of this road info would be important if I was driving everywhere, but I am not. I am walking or biking everywhere. The Southwest Bike Trail passes my place less than one-quarter mile away. On it, I have a direct, car-free route to downtown and a connecting bike path—again, care free—that takes me across the Downtown region to the Near East and Far East regions of the city.
To be continued.
