Dana and Ben's Wedding Weekend: Capitol Square and Monona Terrace

Wisconsin State Capitol, west entrance

We were on the street by 9:00 a.m., on our way to breakfast at Marigold Kitchen, recommended by the customer service rep at the Hilton desk. The "organized chaos" created an environment that was full of sensory stimulation -- a little too much for one small child who had a major meltdown at the neighboring table.

There must have been a lot of new patrons that morning, as we were not the only ones who had to be told to order food before getting a table. Turns out we ended with the same corner table near the door that we had selected when we first entered the restaurant. We each ordered the breakfast scramble, a good meal for the long day ahead of us, though more than either one of us could eat.



Inside the Capitol

The Farmers' Market on Capitol Square is busy, energetic and fun. The land around the Capitol is flat, so the grounds are very people friendly, with many benches perfectly positioned for watching Saturday morning visitors. Bob gave me a little time to myself so that I could go into the beautiful, historic capitol building. This is a lovely "people's house", a fitting monument to our long and successful, if messy, democracy.

We took a break at Starbucks and walked down the hill to Monona Terrace, on the lake next to our hotel. The gardens and tables with umbrellas welcome visitors to Lake Monona, where boaters and swimmers were enjoying the midday sun. Made me think that Saint Paul's riverfront development is a good thing ... and it has a long way to go.

More pics.