Madison WI Recap - GREAT college town. NB could be similar

[ScarletKid2008]

Made the trip to Madison for the game this weekend. Wanted to share some thoughts on the experience but mostly come here to say .. New Brunswick “could” be as good but a few super important elements may never change for it to happen.

1. The town
Madison felt like a nicer Hoboken. Not much vehicle traffic on the steeets which just made walking around so enjoyable. Kept mostly clean and visually appealing . The university integrates the lake into some really incredible spaces. The student Union beer hall is incredible .

Rutgers has a master plan out there to transform the college Ave campus area . They need to hurry that up. College Ave could be so beautiful if you tie in the park on one end, the River along the other and beautify everything in between. I’ve said for years but college Ave should be closed to vehicles. We have the elements there but it’s not optimally displayed and all tied in.

2. Everyone loves the Badgers and has so much pride
This is the element that you hope one day improves for Rutgers and truly unleashes the potential of everything our great University could be. In Madison , everyone is all in on the Badgers. Store owners and restaurants/hotel staff all wearing Badger gear all weekend. Statues of their mascot all throughout town. Just a ton of pride. Which they’ve had a ton of athletic and academic achievements to be proud of

3. Rutgers tailgate experience still continues to be one of the best in the country
Madison was mostly bars and restaurants turn their parking lots into mini outdoor dive bar style parties. Jam packed with people. Definitely a lot of fun to hop around . And I liked that style of tailgating. Definitely not as kid friendly . I’m sure there were more traditional options but this seemed like a huge majority of the pregame atmosphere . Rutgers parking lots and everything that the university offers pregame is a more novelty experience.

Just a few thoughts there. Madison is great. University of Wisconsin is first class. The city, school and people are all on the same page.

Only until recently can you say Rutgers was on the same page with itself. And then it’s partnership with NBDEVCO has been transformative , but imagine if that level of progress and planning had been going on for the last 100 years and not just the last 10.

Rutgers will physically and structurally get there. And then, hopefully, the people of NB and NJ grow their pride and sense of ownership of our state flagship University. And that’ll be the moment when NB will grow into a similarly great college town.

 

[jaydogsmooth1]

Tons of potential for Rutgers to do so much more
I look forward to the next 10-15 years of progress on that front and am excited to see what they have in store

 

[ScarletDave]

Madison downtown “State Street” (which a lot of Big Ten towns have) is the best in the country. The parade and pep rally Friday night was a sight to behold. Something RU could integrate instantly. That said, where we have them beat is the parking lot tailgate scene around the stadium. Camp Randall is in the middle of a neighborhood and theres next to no parking there so they will never have that.
Also the food is totally ridiculous, the cheese and beer and brats live up to the billing, a must-go trip when we play them again in 2 seasons

 

[MrsScrew]

I greatly concur with the OP.

The people of Wisconsin were extremely nice, even after realizing that the red that we were wearing wasn't for Wisconsin but was for Rutgers.
The homecoming parade Friday night was just amazing. Something Rutgers could probably replicate down College Ave.
We went to the Wisconsin equivalent of the boardwalk Saturday morning, which was absolutely nothing like the boardwalk. No one has that anywhere. That was a win for our column.
We also went to their pregame pep rally where the band and the cheerleaders marched in and performed. They even did the Rutgers fight song. I was the only person chanting along and got quite a few looks.
In game experience was fabulous. Music played but it wasn't eardrum penetrating. They allowed their band to play numerous times during the game. A lot of the music that they piped in were things that the entire crowd sang along to. There was no train horn despite the fact that the student section was chanting " eat sh*t f*ck you". It's apparently a thing that they do only once during the game, and, according to all of the people that were sitting around us not really directed at anybody or any team it's just a chant. Participating in jump around with a fun thing to do as well
We stayed for the famous 5th quarter which involved the band and the cheerleaders breaking up into groups all over the field and performing while laying on the ground, crawling on the ground dancing around in circles and doing the Polka. They even involved the Rutgers cheerleaders that made the trip. It was a lot of fun to watch.
As we walked out of the stadium we ended up seeing the band performing for what we called The 6th quarter. They were seemingly performing for all of the people that were in the parking garage alongside the stadium as well as all of the fans that were surrounding them. Again another fun time. We then watch them all March out into the street around the cars that were driving heading off to wherever the band goes after the game
We saw small clusters of postgators mostly in backyards and in a few small parking lots but absolutely nothing like what Rutgers has.
Definitely a very fun time and a trip that I would recommend.

 

[mdk01]

Made the trip to Madison for the game this weekend. Wanted to share some thoughts on the experience but mostly come here to say .. New Brunswick “could” be as good but a few super important elements may never change for it to happen.

1. The town
Madison felt like a nicer Hoboken. Not much vehicle traffic on the steeets which just made walking around so enjoyable. Kept mostly clean and visually appealing . The university integrates the lake into some really incredible spaces. The student Union beer hall is incredible .

Rutgers has a master plan out there to transform the college Ave campus area . They need to hurry that up. College Ave could be so beautiful if you tie in the park on one end, the River along the other and beautify everything in between. I’ve said for years but college Ave should be closed to vehicles. We have the elements there but it’s not optimally displayed and all tied in.

2. Everyone loves the Badgers and has so much pride
This is the element that you hope one day improves for Rutgers and truly unleashes the potential of everything our great University could be. In Madison , everyone is all in on the Badgers. Store owners and restaurants/hotel staff all wearing Badger gear all weekend. Statues of their mascot all throughout town. Just a ton of pride. Which they’ve had a ton of athletic and academic achievements to be proud of

3. Rutgers tailgate experience still continues to be one of the best in the country
Madison was mostly bars and restaurants turn their parking lots into mini outdoor dive bar style parties. Jam packed with people. Definitely a lot of fun to hop around . And I liked that style of tailgating. Definitely not as kid friendly . I’m sure there were more traditional options but this seemed like a huge majority of the pregame atmosphere . Rutgers parking lots and everything that the university offers pregame is a more novelty experience.

Just a few thoughts there. Madison is great. University of Wisconsin is first class. The city, school and people are all on the same page.

Only until recently can you say Rutgers was on the same page with itself. And then it’s partnership with NBDEVCO has been transformative , but imagine if that level of progress and planning had been going on for the last 100 years and not just the last 10.

Rutgers will physically and structurally get there. And then, hopefully, the people of NB and NJ grow their pride and sense of ownership of our state flagship University. And that’ll be the moment when NB will grow into a similarly great college town.

Point 2 is the norm for the Big 10 which I don't think RU fans can fully appreciate unless they've experienced it live. Beyond that, that attitude applies to the states as a whole. The only time I've seen anything close in NJ was Louisville 2006. That is the NORM in Big 10 land

 

[RU Husky]

I went to Madison for graduate school just as RU was completing its first building boom in the mid 60s and before RU want coed. The differences in campuses couldn’t have been more striking and this was long before Madison closed off State Street. I became an RA in one of the dorms along Lake Mendota. It was beautiful but brutally cold. The Badgers were awful when I was there and Camp Randall was half empty on game day. Nonetheless school spirit was high. It was a great two years.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Often have I thought that state pride is not something eastern schools benefit from. Defend the state.. yes.. but not actual pride and a feeling of ownership of the state.

I think this is because all midwest to western states started as territories that needed to defend themselves. Settled by pioneers that built the territory and state into what it is. The formation of those state Us was to benefit the people of those states directly. they chose to build it to fill a need and took pride in doing so.

That is not what happened with Rutgers and I do not think Rutgers can ever "get there". We have to go our own way. In NJ.. we have to make Rutgers games a "scene".. an "event". The people won't support it for state pride.. for a feeling of ownership... but they will support it for FOMO (fear of missing out). I think "The Boardwalk" is a very smart way to go about it. Win or lose, we need the people who came out for a football game to return home happy they went. Every aspect of their decision to go to a Rutgers game must be good. They need to spread the word and generate desire, or at least curiosity, in the people they talk about their experiences with.

 

[NotInRHouse]

I believe it is in the master plan to close College Ave to vehicles or maybe just limit it to buses.

 

[Knight Shift]

Had a great visit, misti because we got to visit our day and tour the campus of her employer, Epic Systems. My be be the coolest corporate campus in America

Game atmosphere was fantastic. Very little DJ noise and piped in crap music and sounds. Their chant First and Ten Wisconsin got old mostly because they got a lot of first downs.

Seats were very tight, especially with the wide people sitting nearby. Our Wisconsin friend said Wisconsin is third in nation in obesity. It was difficult getting in and out of the seats to go to bathroom. Our seating is cavernous in comparison.

State Street and area bordering the lake were very nice. Fans were friendly and apologetic after the loss. Very different from the asshat fans that have visited SHI when they played us.

Not sure how far that Badger pride extends outside Madison. Did not see much in Milwaukee or Mt Horeb, about 20 miles outside of Madison.

 

[mdk01]

Often have I thought that state pride is not something eastern schools benefit from. Defend the state.. yes.. but not actual pride and a feeling of ownership of the state.

I think this is because all midwest to western states started as territories that needed to defend themselves. Settled by pioneers that built the territory and state into what it is. The formation of those state Us was to benefit the people of those states directly. they chose to build it to fill a need and took pride in doing so.

That is not what happened with Rutgers and I do not think Rutgers can ever "get there". We have to go our own way. In NJ.. we have to make Rutgers games a "scene".. an "event". The people won't support it for state pride.. for a feeling of ownership... but they will support it for FOMO (fear of missing out). I think "The Boardwalk" is a very smart way to go about it. Win or lose, we need the people who came out for a football game to return home happy they went. Every aspect of their decision to go to a Rutgers game must be good. They need to spread the word and generate desire, or at least curiosity, in the people they talk about their experiences with.

I think you have to separate state pride from support for state university athletics. Eastern states also went through the settler stage and, actually, fought a revolution to become self determining. And most have more state pride than NJ. But they also had significant private colleges and universities before public universities were created. And NJ was particularly late in that process. Pennsy and Ohio are hybred in that process. But the result is state schools in the East don't get the support for their teams that the others provide

 

[koleszar]

2. Everyone loves the Badgers and has so much pride
This is the element that you hope one day improves for Rutgers and truly unleashes the potential of everything our great University could be. In Madison , everyone is all in on the Badgers. Store owners and restaurants/hotel staff all wearing Badger gear all weekend. Statues of their mascot all throughout town. Just a ton of pride. Which they’ve had a ton of athletic and academic achievements to be proud o

21 straight years of winning seasons will do that for any fanbase and area.

 

[BadgerInSpartyland]

21 straight years of winning seasons will do that for any fanbase and area.

I grew up in Madison, graduating HS in the early 80s. Go ahead and check how horrible the Badgers’ records were in football and basketball in that era. Yet, Bucky Badger was still everywhere. We learned the words to On Wisconsin in kindergarten, taught by the teacher. We all hung out on campus or State Street a thousand times growing up. The point is, success on the field isn’t the main ingredient. It intensifies things, but Madison has always been all in and always will be.

 

[retired711]

I believe it is in the master plan to close College Ave to vehicles or maybe just limit it to buses.

Yeah, that's been in Rutgers' plans for decades. McCormick really wanted it. But no one has yet figured out an effective way of doing it.

 

[ScarletKid2008]

I grew up in Madison, graduating HS in the early 80s. Go ahead and check how horrible the Badgers’ records were in football and basketball in that era. Yet, Bucky Badger was still everywhere. We learned the words to On Wisconsin in kindergarten, taught by the teacher. We all hung out on campus or State Street a thousand times growing up. The point is, success on the field isn’t the main ingredient. It intensifies things, but Madison has always been all in and always will be.

Agree with this a lot. There have to be more events and experiences at Rutgers for all to enjoy and be part of that are non-athletics.

The theatre in NB is great but draws a very limited and older crowd .
What about more teacher and guidance counselor annuals conferences/ events.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

Just pointing out that Madison not only has the flagship state university, and also state capital.

 

[retired711]

Just pointing out that Madison not only has the flagship state university, and also state capital.

Columbus is the same, but Madison is a much nicer town by all reports -- except that it's freezing cold ten months a year.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Agree with this a lot. There have to be more events and experiences at Rutgers for all to enjoy and be part of that are non-athletics.

The theatre in NB is great but draws a very limited and older crowd .
What about more teacher and guidance counselor annuals conferences/ events.

What was the total actual attendance at its peak?
90% full?

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Columbus is the same, but Madison is a much nicer town by all reports -- except that it's freezing cold ten months a year.

Columbus is a much larger city

 

[ScarletKid2008]

What was the total actual attendance at its peak?
90% full?

I’d say at peak it was a full. 95%. Only couple seats here or there.

For an 11am start the fans were nearly all in their seats before kick. It’s much much easier and quicker to go from tailgating to inside the stadium there.

The students were late arriving. Took them until about the 2nd quarter to fill it but they did fill 100% of the student section for the 2nd and 3rd qtr. students left in the third and student section was maybe 70% still full even in the fourth qtr when the game was all but done.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

I’d say at peak it was a full. 95%. Only couple seats here or there.

For an 11am start the fans were nearly all in their seats before kick. It’s much much easier and quicker to go from tailgating to inside the stadium there.

The students were late arriving. Took them until about the 2nd quarter to fill it but they did fill 100% of the student section for the 2nd and 3rd qtr. students left in the third and student section was maybe 70% still full even in the fourth qtr when the game was all but done.

Wow. That’s solid fan support for a game that early against a non rival.

 

[ScarletKid2008]

Wow. That’s solid fan support for a game that early against a non rival.

Like I said in my original post. That’s one of the most impressive fan bases I’ve been around. Definitely up there with Huskers . Just super friendly and wildly supportive people. They love their Badgers there .

There definitely was a strong sense of apathy about who the opponent was. Rutgers didn’t evoke any emotion or excitement from the fan base for sure. And understandably so based on our football brand and lack of history or competitiveness with them

 

[RUskoolie]

Madison is a very impressive college town. It's really no comparison at all to New Brunswick sorry to say. We are making some progress but it's not close. If you go out there you will realize if a kid is deciding between RU and Madison its a very hard battle for us to win.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

We had a blast on our trip to Madison. I highly recommend a visit the next time we play them. Here are my impressions of the experience:

1. Most of the campus is. very much a "city campus" with lots of roads and buildings on the streets. Very different from a place like Michigan State or Penn State. Even the football stadium is in the middle of a residential area surrounded by streets. The architecture is a mix of classic collegiate with modern high rise buildings. Part of the campus is more bucolic and on a hill, which was a nice change from the urban feel of the rest of the campus. Also, the campus is HUGE!

2. The upsides:: The campus is very much defined by its proximity to the lake, and the student union has outdoor seating in a beautiful area overlooking the water. The student union also features a German Rathskeller and an outdoor bar and over 100 chairs and tables filled with students. It was the most beautiful part of the campus, and perhaps the most beautiful student union that I've ever seen. Finally, the downtown area (State Street) is filled with restaurants, bars, and retail shops and leads right into the campus. It actually seems like part of the the campus. It was a great example of a nice meld between the "town and gown."

3. The downside to all of this is the campus is COLD! It was in the 50's but it felt like it was 10-15 degrees colder because of the wind from lake. We spoke to several people who ackkowledge that the winter months are unbearably cold. and the semester only has 2-3 months of nice weather during the academic year. They said that students don't seem to mind the brutal weather, and that's what we observed as well. Sadly, there we did see a number of homeless people living on the streets. I don't know what happens to them when the winter weather really sets in. Finally, the parking situation is terrible, especially for campus visitors. The locals also admit this.

4. Comparison to Rutgers: As the earlier posters stated, we have a superior tailgating scene, and the Boardwalk is great, but it's nothing like State Street. George Street in downtown New Brunswick kind of has that "State Street look" for three or four blocks, but the problem is that it's very far away from the stadium. As others have said, we do not take advantage of our location along the Raritan. We need a student center with a large deck overlooking the river. Finally, Wisconsin doesn't really have any major colleges nearby, so it literally is the only game in town. That's different from Rutgers, where we have almost 100 colleges and universities within a two-hour radius. The sense of schools spirit is diffused among the regional population because there are so many other colleges and professional sports teams in the area.

We can't change many of the things that make us different from Madison, but there are areas that we can improve (the new College Avenue plan, making the Boardwalk bigger and better, and of course building a winning tradition) that will help us have an even better game day experience. My overall takeaway is that it's great to be in the Big Ten and have an opportunity to visit other amazing campuses. Each one is very different, and has their own positives and negatives, and I encourage everyone to get to at least one Big Ten away game a year, if you have time and can afford the trip. It really is a great experience.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[MrsScrew]

Also, gas in Wisconsin is $2.97 a gallon!

 

[RUforJERSEY]

Madison is a very impressive college town. It's really no comparison at all to New Brunswick sorry to say. We are making some progress but it's not close. If you go out there you will realize if a kid is deciding between RU and Madison its a very hard battle for us to win.

Depends on the kid. Where's he's from, his demographic background etc.

 

[BadgerInSpartyland]

Just pointing out that Madison not only has the flagship state university, and also state capital.

In addition to Columbus, this is also true of Lincoln and Lansing, if you count MSU as a flagship. It's also sorta true of Minnesota. Madison and Austin often get compared.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

I think you have to separate state pride from support for state university athletics. Eastern states also went through the settler stage and, actually, fought a revolution to become self determining. And most have more state pride than NJ. But they also had significant private colleges and universities before public universities were created. And NJ was particularly late in that process. Pennsy and Ohio are hybred in that process. But the result is state schools in the East don't get the support for their teams that the others provide

I think YOU have to consider that New Jersey could have built a state university at its inception but did not. It was a different time then.. different than when the western territories were settled and became states and created State Us that they had shared an identity with, a feeling of ownership.

I was clearly talking about state pride as it related to Universities and athletics all along.

Your response is exactly what I referred to when I said states like New Jersey do not show state pride unless questioned about it.. challenged. You just got defensive... exactly the point.

 

[retired711]

I think YOU have to consider that New Jersey could have built a state university at its inception but did not. It was a different time then.. different than when the western territories were settled and became states and created State Us that they had shared an identity with, a feeling of ownership.

I was clearly talking about state pride as it related to Universities and athletics all along.

Your response is exactly what I referred to when I said states like New Jersey do not show state pride unless questioned about it.. challenged. You just got defensive... exactly the point.

New York is in the same situation. Just as New Jersey made a private institution its land-grant university (Rutgers was private in the 1860s), New York made Cornell its land-grant. SUNY did not exist in anything like its current form until the 1960s, which is why the state university centers at Binghamton and Buffalo began as private institutions that later became public.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

New York is in the same situation. Just as New Jersey made a private institution its land-grant university (Rutgers was private in the 1860s), New York made Cornell its land-grant. SUNY did not exist in anything like its current form until the 1960s, which is why the state university centers at Binghamton and Buffalo began as private institutions that later became public.

yes... exactly the point I was making. Other than Pennsylvania.. there is no Northeastern state U with great athletic support for football, state pride or not. UCONN comes close but I think that is mostly WIN-generated for men's and women's basketball. Some places can leverage a great twinning tradition in basketball and turn it into support for football... Louisville, Kansas, Memphis and Houston are such examples. But that is different than the state-pride-generated support that the Big Ten State Us to which we are compared.

 

[SteveVA2]

Made the trip to Madison for the game this weekend. Wanted to share some thoughts on the experience but mostly come here to say .. New Brunswick “could” be as good but a few super important elements may never change for it to happen.

1. The town
Madison felt like a nicer Hoboken. Not much vehicle traffic on the steeets which just made walking around so enjoyable. Kept mostly clean and visually appealing . The university integrates the lake into some really incredible spaces. The student Union beer hall is incredible .

Rutgers has a master plan out there to transform the college Ave campus area . They need to hurry that up. College Ave could be so beautiful if you tie in the park on one end, the River along the other and beautify everything in between. I’ve said for years but college Ave should be closed to vehicles. We have the elements there but it’s not optimally displayed and all tied in.

2. Everyone loves the Badgers and has so much pride
This is the element that you hope one day improves for Rutgers and truly unleashes the potential of everything our great University could be. In Madison , everyone is all in on the Badgers. Store owners and restaurants/hotel staff all wearing Badger gear all weekend. Statues of their mascot all throughout town. Just a ton of pride. Which they’ve had a ton of athletic and academic achievements to be proud of

3. Rutgers tailgate experience still continues to be one of the best in the country
Madison was mostly bars and restaurants turn their parking lots into mini outdoor dive bar style parties. Jam packed with people. Definitely a lot of fun to hop around . And I liked that style of tailgating. Definitely not as kid friendly . I’m sure there were more traditional options but this seemed like a huge majority of the pregame atmosphere . Rutgers parking lots and everything that the university offers pregame is a more novelty experience.

Just a few thoughts there. Madison is great. University of Wisconsin is first class. The city, school and people are all on the same page.

Only until recently can you say Rutgers was on the same page with itself. And then it’s partnership with NBDEVCO has been transformative , but imagine if that level of progress and planning had been going on for the last 100 years and not just the last 10.

Rutgers will physically and structurally get there. And then, hopefully, the people of NB and NJ grow their pride and sense of ownership of our state flagship University. And that’ll be the moment when NB will grow into a similarly great college town.

Rutgers grad, 1965. After retiring from the federal government I spent ten years at UW as a semi-senior administrator. My wife also retired from the feds and took a position with the state. We had a condo overlooking Lake Monona and a condo in River North Chicago 2.5 hours away.

We loved Madison. A great university, pleasant students some of whom drank too much (a Wisconsin state wide problem), great neighborhood, and wonderful Madison. Some of the faculty were idiots which, unfortunately, I had to deal with. We were happy there but had to leave. Too damn cold for old people. One hundred and nine inches of snow in 2009. Live at the beach now. Miss it though.

 

[toby83]

fat people observation made me laugh

 

[LeapinLou]

I went there in 2015. It was Halloween weekend. People were all wearing costumes in the bars. Good time but I had two unfortunate things I couldn't control.
- It rained during the game which impacted the crowd size and stadium atmosphere
- The Mets lost their World Series game that night in horrible fashion which soured my mood
Probably for those reasons, I enjoyed Iowa and Nebraska a LOT more.

 

[ScarletKid2008]

For those that want to know more about Rutgers NB continued growth and development plans.

This link is the “Rutgers 2030 University Physical Plan”. It was released in 2015 so interesting enough we’re currently at about the half way point (in absolute time)

https://ipo.rutgers.edu/pdd/university-physical-master-plan-ru2030-nb

Page 32 of the PDF in the linked master plan had the “money shot” of Rutgers NB future. Opening up an open space with a direct view of the Raritan river and park across the river from the college Ave gym. That’s the magazine cover. That’s the shot that changes everyone’s perspective of how beautiful or not the NB campus is.

 

[retired711]

Some of the faculty were idiots which, unfortunately, I had to deal with.

View embedded media

Having been a faculty member, I am well familiar with the concept of faculty idiots. It's amazing how many very intelligent people can lack even a trace of common sense in their beliefs or dealings with others.

 

[Knight Shift]

Having been a faculty member, I am well familiar with the concept of faculty idiots. It's amazing how many very intelligent people can lack even a trace of common sense in their beliefs or dealings with others.

There are idiots everywhere. Many occupy corner offices and hold positions of power in government and corporations. Yet, we do OK.

 

[RutgersMC]

Despite the outcome, we had a really good time for a 1st time visit to Madison. Rutgers Alumni Association did another good job with an indoor tailgate for the Rutgers fans that made the trip. I think we were the only Rutgers fans in our section but had some nice conversations with the Wisconsin fans around us.

Nice to experience Jump Around and the students/bands did a nice job with the 5th Quarter show. Someone proposed to his girlfriend in the end zone and not only the students on the field but it seems that most of the fans that stayed know the choreography to the songs the band played. True Americana feel.

Really nice campus. After the game, it looks like the Wisconsin fans were hanging out everywhere, either via post tailgates or in the restaurants/bars.

We walked down to the Union Terrace and it was still pretty full and can imagine it being a really nice place to hang out on a slightly warmer day. Then we made the walk-up State Street up to the Capital building.

Thanks to the recommendations provided on the other email string. Went to the Nitty Gritty on Friday night and it was full of families and students in town for Homecoming. Wanted to try the Old Fashioned restaurant but there was a 75-90 minute wait so we passed.

Definitely recommend at least one visit to check off of your bucket list if you get a chance.

 

[SteveVA2]

Having been a faculty member, I am well familiar with the concept of faculty idiots. It's amazing how many very intelligent people can lack even a trace of common sense in their beliefs or dealings with others.

Especially when it comes to dealing with female undergraduates.

 

[srru86]

Concur with the comments on this being a top flight campus town, welcoming fan base, and superior road trip destination.
Enjoyed my second trip to Madison for game day and look forward to going back.
The lakes make a big difference over some others in visual attractiveness.
If you haven't been I encourage you to partake.

 

[retired711]

Especially when it comes to dealing with female undergraduates.

The good news is that students in law schools are not undergraduates. The bad news is that things happen anyway that shouldn't.

 

[RUBOB72]

Made the trip to Madison for the game this weekend. Wanted to share some thoughts on the experience but mostly come here to say .. New Brunswick “could” be as good but a few super important elements may never change for it to happen.

1. The town
Madison felt like a nicer Hoboken. Not much vehicle traffic on the steeets which just made walking around so enjoyable. Kept mostly clean and visually appealing . The university integrates the lake into some really incredible spaces. The student Union beer hall is incredible .

Rutgers has a master plan out there to transform the college Ave campus area . They need to hurry that up. College Ave could be so beautiful if you tie in the park on one end, the River along the other and beautify everything in between. I’ve said for years but college Ave should be closed to vehicles. We have the elements there but it’s not optimally displayed and all tied in.

2. Everyone loves the Badgers and has so much pride
This is the element that you hope one day improves for Rutgers and truly unleashes the potential of everything our great University could be. In Madison , everyone is all in on the Badgers. Store owners and restaurants/hotel staff all wearing Badger gear all weekend. Statues of their mascot all throughout town. Just a ton of pride. Which they’ve had a ton of athletic and academic achievements to be proud of

3. Rutgers tailgate experience still continues to be one of the best in the country
Madison was mostly bars and restaurants turn their parking lots into mini outdoor dive bar style parties. Jam packed with people. Definitely a lot of fun to hop around . And I liked that style of tailgating. Definitely not as kid friendly . I’m sure there were more traditional options but this seemed like a huge majority of the pregame atmosphere . Rutgers parking lots and everything that the university offers pregame is a more novelty experience.

Just a few thoughts there. Madison is great. University of Wisconsin is first class. The city, school and people are all on the same page.

Only until recently can you say Rutgers was on the same page with itself. And then it’s partnership with NBDEVCO has been transformative , but imagine if that level of progress and planning had been going on for the last 100 years and not just the last 10.

Rutgers will physically and structurally get there. And then, hopefully, the people of NB and NJ grow their pride and sense of ownership of our state flagship University. And that’ll be the moment when NB will grow into a similarly great college town.

Nice post but to hope that New Jersey will someday have a similar pride in Rutgers? I would not be overly hopeful. I love this state even with all the warts but maybe 20 years from now? Different mind set … history of winning … considered to be almost a Blue Blood school. We can only hope so.