Historic American Exchange Bank Building
The American Exchange Bank is on the Capitol Square across the street from the State Capitol Building. The building is constructed with huge blocks of Wisconsin sandstone. That seems to be the building material of choice for many of the historic buildings in south-central Wisconsin, and the sandstone apparently holds up well. This structure, built in 1871, is still a handsome place.
One of the best things about Madison’s downtown square, however, is the number of benches always available to a quick rest or people watching.
...and waiting and waiting and waiting
Though Madison has five lakes in the city or just south of the city, it is usually called the City of Four Lakes. The four lakes are successive lakes of the Yahara River. In the summer, it’s great fun to launch a boat in Lake Mendota (“Fourth Lake”) and travel through the lakes and connecting waters passages, heading south past Lake Monona (“Third Lake”), Lake Waubesa (“Second Lake”), and into Lake Kegonsa (“First Lake”). The Yahara River eventually flows into the Rock River which eventually flows into the Mississippi. Lake Wingra, the fifth lake, is not a part of the Yahara system, though it is inside the city proper. Wingra, quite small, is mostly used for canoeing or fishing or just lake watching.
Downtown Madison is positioned between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, and the area is usually referred to as the Isthmus. As in “I’m going to the Isthmus” or occasionally one might say “I’m going to the Capitol” (which is smack dab in the middle of the isthmus). Only infrequently does one hear “I’m going downtown.” Every school kid in Madison grows up knowing what an isthmus is, and how to get to Madison’s Isthmus. Madison even has a newspaper called The Isthmus.
Of Madison’s 85 square miles, 81% is land and 19% is water. Lots of water fun in Madison.
Though right now, it’s more like lots of ice fun – skating, cross-country skiing on the snow covering the ice, kite sailing, and ice fishing for hardy souls.
The Isthmus and The Onion
If you were to define a city by its weeklies, this would be a solid description of Madison.
I’ll let you come up with your own interpretation.
Living in the capitol of Wisconsin, it is hard to pass this stately building wthout taking a photo now and then. Friday night my Sherpa and I lugged the camera gear to the Isthmus (the Capitol building is on a narrow strip of land between two large urban lakes) where we dallied with dinner at a local brew-pub, then strolled over to the Monona Terrace Roof Garden.
We enjoyed the steady breeze off Lake Monona, and watched the clouds move in, cover the Capitol dome in gray, and then slip away again. Finally the Capitol lights went on and I set up and took a few photographs. She’s a mighty handsome building – this Capitol with the loveliest gold statue of ‘Miss Forward’ standing atop her highest stone.
or perhaps like Abbott and Costello.
The building is a geographical one-of-a-kind. It’s the only Capitol Building to be built on an isthmus in the world.
Does everyone remember what an isthmus is from 5th grade geography? Hmmm. I didn’t think so. 
