Weather continues to get colder, bicycle transportation is less comfortable and fresh produce is becoming more difficult to obtain. When the sound of milk curdling is echoing throughout the empty and cavernous fridge and the cupboards are occupied by nothing but crumbs from an old box of cereal, it might be time to head to the local grocery store.
Getting to and from the store, arms laden with plastic, paper and canvas bags and a two-gallon jug of milk can seem like a daunting task, especially once the snow starts falling. Chin up, buttercup. There is a warm, affordable, reliable source of transportation that picks you up at your door—well, almost at your door.
Remember that blue thing your house fellow told you to get at the beginning of the year?
That is your bus pass. Thanks to ASM, you can go anywhere in the city of Madison and surrounding areas on the bus as many times as you want, free.
If you have already taken advantage of your bus pass, you have most likely seen them—the people taking up the handicapped seats with their grocery bags. You can be that person, too, and it is easier than you might think.
The easiest grocery store to get to from downtown, the Southeast dorms and the Lakeshore dorms is Copp's at 3650 University Ave., across from Hilldale Mall. A variety of routes can get you there, but route 2 is the only bus that runs all day, every day. There is another Copp's that is close to campus, at 1312 S. Park St. Route 5 can get you there all day, every day, with convenient bus stops around campus and downtown.
Route 2 can also get you to Whole Foods at 3313 University Ave. and Sentry in the Hilldale Mall.
There are also other grocery stores in the area that are fairly easy to get to by bus from anywhere. You can get to Trader Joe's at 1810 Monroe St. by taking route 3, which has stops around campus/downtown and right by the store. However, route 3 only runs Monday through Friday.
One of the most affordable grocery stores in the area is Woodman's, which has locations on the east and west sides of Madison. To get to the east side location (at 3817 Milwaukee St.), take routes 3, 5, 14 or 15 during the week and routes 5 or 7 on the weekend to the East Transfer Point, which is right across the street from the store. The west side location (at 711 S. Gammon Rd.) is a little harder to get to because of the required transfer. To get there, take routes 2, 3 or 6 all the way to the West Transfer Point, and then take route 50 to the store. Route 50 only runs every hour.
As you may know, Capitol Center Foods is the full-service grocery store in the campus and downtown area, at 111 N. Broom St. Also, those in the dorms have access to Ed's Express (Southeast dorms) and Carson's Carryout (Lakeshore dorms), which have a limited supply of groceries. However, with a little planning, you can take advantage of your bus pass by going to any of the grocery stores off-campus and save a few bucks, too.
For more information about the bus pass or different bus routes, pick up a yellow Ride Guide on any Madison Metro bus (including routes 80 and 85) or go to trip.cityofmadison.com. That website has a convenient form to plan a bus trip anywhere for any day, allowing you to type in your address, the store's address and when you want to leave.
