BADGER BAR IN NYC

Friday, March 17, 2006 9:50 PM CST

New York City is probably one of the more unusual places for a bar which has the theme of Wisconsin Badger sports. But, indeed, that's what we have out there. And, it's run by a native of Watertown, no less!

The Mad River Bar and Grill is located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan and it's managed by Kyle Martin, son of Jim and Gola Martin. Kyle is a graduate of Watertown High School and of course, also of UW-Madison. From what we've read about it, this bar is themed top to bottom with everything that's UW Red.

Kyle had originally planned to move to New York to continue a career as a sports radio show host like he was in Madison, but it didn't take long before he was managing this bar.

We learned about the bar when some friends of ours passed along a copy of an article which appeared in the Daily Cardinal, a student publication on the UW campus. The article was written by Sam Pepper, a junior majoring in political science at UW and also a contributor to the student newspaper.

We're sure the place was jumping Friday afternoon for the Badgers' NCAA game, and we're also pretty certain that, despite getting pounded, the UW alumni that were at the bar really offered a lot of loud support for their alma mater.

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The article was a first person account of a visit to the bar by Pepper.

Kyle was quoted in the article as saying, “The Madison vibe of football Saturdays, you know waking up and hearing the band play outside your window, I missed that. I had a venue where I could improve and put a lot more smiles on people's faces.”

Pepper said he felt right at home, drinking Wisconsin beers and eating cheese curds and bratwursts. The guy next to him at the bar was in an Anthony Davis Jersey drinking beer poured from a Memorial Union Terrace pitcher.

The author was there on a Badger football game day and he said after every score by the Badgers, the music would play and the entire bar would be singing the Bud song, with the culminating “When you say Wisconsin, you've said it all!”

But, Pepper said, “Just when I thought I saw it all, I heard Steve Miller Band's ‘Swing Town' played over the bar's speakers. People all over the room put their hands up in ‘O' formation and then followed with the appropriate student section” cheers.

Just as in Camp Randall, between the third and fourth quarters, those in attendance packed it up and in to “House of Pain” as the bar rumbled with the jumping of recently graduated Badgers. When the game was over and Wisconsin had a victory, hands went over shoulders as the alumni joined in singing the time-honored tradition of “Varsity.”

Kyle makes it a pretty realistic experience. He not only plays songs the UW band performs but also uses songs that Wisconsin fans hear the PA system play at Camp Randall. He plays songs like “Build Me Up, Buttercup,” “Sweet Caroline,” and others.

Sounds like this place is the one to see if you're visiting New York City and want a little of the Wisconsin feel!

We're sure there is no shortage of Badger fans in New York City and this bar will gain more and more fans as the word gets out that it's there.

NATION'S BUSY AIRPORTS

Everyone who travels by air today knows planes are crowded and the airports are bulging with people. It's quite an effort getting from point A to point B and it's not as much fun as it used to be.

One of our readers recently passed along an article which detailed the volume of the top 10 airports in the country and it's mind-boggling how many people they handle.

Some of the biggest names will probably come as no surprise to our readers, but others may.

Most people know the airport with the largest passenger volume is Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta. In 2005 that airport had 85.9 million passengers pass through its gates.

Number two is our neighbor to the south, O'Hare in Chicago with a volume of 76.9 million, and number three is Los Angeles International with 61.5 million passengers.

Rounding out the top five are Dallas/Fort Worth with 59 million and then McCarren at Las Vegas with 44.3 million.

Atlanta is the largest hub for Delta Airlines and it's also a key gateway for travelers to Europe and South America. Chicago is United Airline's biggest hub and it's also an international gateway. Los Angeles is the major connector for international flights to the Pacific Rim.

But, of them the biggest gainer in recent years has been Las Vegas which is virtually all comprised of vacationers coming for the gambling.

Rounding out the top 10 spots are Denver Internationalwith 43.3 million, Sky Harbor at Phoenix with 41.2 million, Kennedy International in New York with 40.6 million, Bush Intercontinental in Houston with 39.7 million and Minneapolis-St. Paul with 37.6 million.

How do our two neighboring airports compare? Well, Milwaukee's Mitchell International in 2005 handled 7.2 million passengers which ranked it 53rd and Dane County Regional in Madison handled 1.6 million passengers which put it in 91st place.

We've been through most of the top 10 airports at one point over the years and we believe those statistics. It can be a real zoo in some of those locations.

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