Madison
Fire-fighting sports enthusiasts patronize Jingles’ Coliseum Bar (232 E. Olin, 608-251-2434). William “Jingles” O’Brien founded his original stadium bar in downtown Madison in 1957; now its successor, run by Jingles’s son Mike, occupies a building catercorner from the Dane County Expo Center. At Jingles’ the hamburgers are cheap ($3.75), the beer is plentiful (7 brands on tap, another 30 bottled), and the many television monitors are tuned to news during the day and sports at night. An ebullient Mike O’Brien greets regulars, and there’s a monthly newsletter called “Jingle Bells,” its cheery yellow pages filled with customer birthdays and a word jumble.
The Washington hotel was the unofficial community center for Madison gays and lesbians but it burned down in February 1996. Now the reigning gathering place is A Room of One’s Own Feminist Bookstore & Coffee House (307 W. Johnson, 608-257-7888), which specializes in feminist, gay and lesbian, and transgender fare. The homey store hosts readings, plus book groups and such support groups as Incest Survivors Speak Out.
Saint Charles
Saint Charles is perhaps best known to outsiders as the home of the 30-year-old Kane County Flea Market, where you can pay $5 to look at dirty old toys, expensive antique furniture, and glassware of every color in the spectrum. It’s held the weekend of the first Sunday of every month at the Kane County Fairgrounds (Route 64 and Randall Road, 630-377-2252).
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The hotel serves Sunday brunch ($19.98) in the Rainbow Room, an elegant oval ballroom with a lighted floor. Nearly every table has a view of the Fox. The airy Trophy Room restaurant next door is designed to look like an outdoor Spanish courtyard, complete with a spouting lion’s-head fountain and Salamancan columns. It also overlooks the river; entrees range from fish and pasta to grilled chicken and filet mignon and average about $18.
