26 Signs You’ve Lived In Madison, Wisconsin

1. Your head turns at the phrase “spicy cheese bread.”

2. You’ve had a fling with a state employee.

3. You know that mac and cheese on pizza is a glorious thing.

4. You’ve bribed a bouncer at Church Key to get your confiscated fake ID back.

5. You have a prepared list of your favorite Babcock ice-cream flavors.

6. You’ve contemplated stealing a Union chair.

7. You’ve attended (and maybe got arrested at) the Mifflin Block Party.

8. You know that you can go to a bar in snow boots and a flannel shirt and still get laid.

9. You cut through the capitol building when you’re running late.

10. You’ve enjoyed the sweet, sweet goodness of Mickey’s Dairy Bar.

11. You recognize out-of-staters immediately, either by their lack of accent or lack of proper winter apparel.

12. You’ve run into an ex or one-night-stand on State Street.

13. You have a favorite Badgers football player. (Call me, James White!)

14. You protested at the capitol during the Teachers’ Union Protests.

15. You are not startled by the sight of a certain dapper gentleman wearing head-to-toe Blaze Orange. You do You, Piccolo Pete.

16. You have sailed on, swam in or generally enjoyed the gift that is Lake Mendota.

17. You’ve smelled gloriously like free bacon on a Wednesday Morning after Wando’s Bacon Night.

18. You’ve found some pretty solid thrift finds at the local Dig n’ Save.

19. When your friends or family visit, you’ve taken them to The Old Fashioned, because that shit is classy.

20. You break out the winter coat when it hits 40 degrees in November.

21. You break out the shorts when it hits 40 degrees in April.

22. You know that there is life on the other side of the capitol. It’s called adulthood.

23. You understand the sheer terror that is walking up/down Bascom Hill in the winter.

24. You stock up on wine and cheese for Concerts on the Square in the summer.

25. You understand the pure bliss that is sharing a pitcher of ice cold Spotted Cow on the Terrace with friends.

26. You know that even if you move away, you will always feel truly home when you see that beautiful white dome come into view, topping the city you love.