I was talking about the lake shore dorms and Bascom hill down past observatory drive area. That is a really scenic part of Wis campus that most non-students never see. I guess there are some grass areas down below the west bank, but that is hardly the sense one gets walking through there and its not like there aren't big empty fields by the lakes at UW. It is hard to beat the Mississippi bluffs though that is a great touch at the U. I'm not trying to say one is better then the other, simply refuting the idea that there aren't scenic areas around UW.
Not to take anything away from the urban scene of Madison, the cool view of the capitol building, and the better areas by the lake (IMO) up where the frats are (on the hill with a better view, close to campus still). I share Jike's view of Madison. Most of the buildings are terrible in architecture (lots of concrete or VERY bland 1960s brick), very few patches of grass or trees in campus, and drops off to a scuzhole south of campus pretty quickly. I 100% agree that UMN is part of an urban environment (walkable to downtown, buses, soon LRT) yet feels much more removed. While some areas such as West Bank can feel pretty concrete-y and you're more aware there's a city right there, when I'm on the East Bank (or St Paul), I can be sitting on plenty of grassy areas and not hear a car or even see the city save for peeking through some trees on the river bluffs. I can go for a run along East River Road/Flats and enjoy the scenery and quietness. In Madison, every block of classes feels like a city block, where crossing the street to get to your next class seems like a pain (University and Johnson cut through the thiick of campus whereas University and Washington surround UMN). Bascom Hill may have some classes, but as I gathered being there on many school days (and tours), the majority of classes are not in that area. It being a hill also limits its use as a general student hang-out area (frisbee, football, etc).
Lotta great things about UW-Madison. Lot's of reasons I didn't go there, either. To people who think UW is any better for partying, more progressive, or anything else.. Well I guess I don't know how one campus could be noticeably more progressive than another. Never noticed the U lacking in liberals, hippies, people expressing themselves, or anything else. I also disagree that it's any better of a 'party atmosphere' on any given college weekend. I never, EVER had a problem finding parties or fun crap going down when walking through Dinkytown, Stadium Village, Como Ave, or even West Bank. I enjoyed the different vibes you got at the different areas surrounding campus. West Bank bars felt half-university, half regular young people partying. Let's not forget the ability (as many have mentioned) for students to attend Twins games with ease (and cheap when at the Dome), hop down University to any bars there, go to Uptown for a plethora of other options, Nordeast and beyond. The immediate radius surrounding East Bank has fewer options than Madison does between State Street and near the stadium, but the rest of the options within a very quick cab ride make Mpls/StP a better overall scene. As others have said, the U cannot become a college "town" but must rely on building as good an atmosphere on campus as they can and then highlight the many benefits outside its proximity.
