Corflu 20: Location

Location, Location, Location

Hotel
Food
Getting to Madison
Madison Tourism

A Friendly Hotel in a Friendly Neighborhood

The Best Western InnTowner is a small hotel on the near west side of Madison, in the area where the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus begins to blend back in to the residential parts of the city. It's where the UW Football Badgers stay before games, so they're used to handling much larger crowds than ours. When calling for reservations, call 1-800-258-8321 and mention our function code, CORF, to get the $89/night rate. Do call soon if you need a smoking room.

Note: The hotel is at 2424 University Avenue; see a map here, courtesy of Mapquest. There is ample parking at the hotel for guests and lots of free street parking nearby.

One of the nice things about the area of this hotel is that there are a few little stores nearby where you might be able to find necessities you need. It's not a big shopping area, but you can satisfy more intense shopping urges on State Street (about a mile away) or Monroe Street (about a half a mile away). Undoubtedly we will be forming up some shopping expeditions and rounding up transportation.

This year's Sunday brunch (included in your attending membership) will include:

Fresh Scrambled Eggs
Bacon
French Toast
Chicken Fingers
Cocktail Sandwiches
Fresh Seasonal Fruit Compote
Assorted Pastries
Chilled Juice
Coffee, Tea, or Milk

To which we can only say, "yum!" If you have dietary restrictions, please let us know as soon as possible and we'll make every attempt to accommodate you.

"Fandom Travels on Its Stomach"

We will have a super-duper detailed restaurant guide for you when you get here. Restaurants, after all, come and go. But Jim Hudson, one of the many committee members living nearby, threw together this list off the top of his head, and we thought you'd like to see it. No promises.

Within a block:
Francie's, hotel restaurant with its own bakery and a Friday Fish Fry
Lombardino's, Italian
Sushi Box, Sushi and Japanese
New Seoul, Korean
Lulu's, Middle Eastern
Et Vous Pret?, coffee
Blue Moon, neighborhood bar with hamburgers, soups, etc.

1-3 blocks:
Qdoba, moderately-fast moderate quality mexican

4-5 blocks
Big Mike's subs
Regent St. Coop, market/take out deli
Magic Mill, market/take out deli
Starbucks, coffee
Victor Allen's, coffee
Steep & Brew, coffee
Sa Bai Thong, Thai
Bahn Thai, Thai

a little further
Whole Foods, market/take out deli
Atlanta Bread Company, sandwiches & soup
Ancora, coffee
Bruegger's, bagels
Bagels Forever, bagels
Michael's Frozen Custard, (it's not ice cream, it's better)
Pasqual's, southwestern

plus many other places that will deliver to the hotel, or are worth a drive.

Getting to Madison

By Air

Madison has only one airport, the Dane County Regional Airport. Connecting flights on major airlines are usually available from Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, et cetera.

Flights into Milwaukee (90 miles away) or Chicago (150 miles away) are often much cheaper, but you�ll need to take a bus into Madison. (See: �By Bus� below.)

The Madison airport is small, with eight gates plus a commuter gate for the puddle-jumpers. There are two baggage claim carousels right next to each other. The taxi rank is directly outside the main entrance. See the section �Getting Around Madison: Cabs� for, you guessed it, information about cabs.

If you arrive by plane, call for the hotel�s courtesy shuttle. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for it to arrive; meet the shuttle directly outside the baggage claim area.

Madison Metro Bus #16 stops at the Madison airport terminal on weekdays only, 6:17 a.m.�8:30 p.m. Contact the Madison Metro for more information: 608-266-4466

By Bus

Van Galder (800-747-0994) runs regular service from Chicago�s O�Hare Airport, Chicago Midway Airport, and from the Chicago Amtrak station to the Memorial Union in Madison (which is about 1 mile from the InnTowner). The bus also stops along the way in Rockford, IL, Beloit, WI, and Janesville, WI. Tickets (about $25 one way) can be purchased from the bus driver.

Badger Coaches(608-255-6771) make trips from the Milwaukee airport (Mitchell Field) and Madison, dropping off at both the Memorial Union and the Badger Bus Depot. Tickets are about $15 one way.

Once at the Union or bus depot, you could walk if you are an energetic person, or call a cab for the short trip to the hotel.

By Car

From Chicago: north on Hwy 90 to Hwy 12/18 West (also called the �Beltline�). Take the John Nolen Drive exit north�you�ll get a nice view of the skyline. Turn left on Broom Street at the light. Continue on Broom for about seven blocks until you reach Gorham, where you should turn left. This one way street becomes University Avenue. Stay on University Avenue (careful, don't split off to the right on big Campus Drive) for about a mile. The InnTowner will be on your right, at the intersection with Highland road.

From Minneapolis: At the I90/94 interchange, take Hwy. 151 exit (also called East Washington Avenue). Turn right on First Street. Turn left at the next set of traffic lights (Johnson Street). After one mile, Johnson Street becomes Gorham Street and becomes a one-way street. Continue on Gorham. This one way street becomes University Avenue. Stay on University Avenue (careful, don't split off to the right on big Campus Drive) for about a mile. The InnTowner will be on your right, at the intersection with Highland road.

From Milwaukee: come in on I94 and proceed as for Minneapolis. (Now, how often do you hear that?)

From the southwest on Hwy. 18 East: At the Hwy. 12/14/18 interchange, the road (Hwy. 18) will become Midvale Blvd. Hwy. 18 will join the other highways. Continue on Midvale. Exit Hwy. 12/18 West. Exit Midvale Blvd./Dodgeville. From ramp, turn right onto Midvale Blvd. Continue on Midvale Blvd. until road ends (forms "T" with University Ave.). Turn right onto University Avenue. Stay in right lane on University Avenue. University Avenue splits into Campus Drive/University Avenue. Stay on University Avenue. We are located at the first set of traffic lights after road forks (at the intersection of University Avenue and Highland Avenue).

By Train

The nearest Amtrak station is in Columbus, 25 miles north of Madison on Hwy 151. There is no direct transportation from there, so be sure to make plans to have someone pick you up in Columbus.

Cabs

Cabs from the airport to the InnTowner will cost around $15.

Badger Cab: 608-256-5566

Madison Taxi: 608-257-8294

Union Cab: 608-242-2000

Metro Buses

For routes and schedule contact Madison Metro: 608-266-4466, TDD 608-267-1143, Madison Metro website.

Parking

Free parking is available to all registered guests, and there is nearby free street parking if you are not staying at the hotel.

This page last updated on March 2, 2003.