Farewell to a Familiar Place

Each time I visit Madison I’m astounded by the changes happening in the city. The neighborhoods I once knew like the back of my hand have changed dramatically since I left the city in 1994. Oh sure, I know change is inevitable and all that but each time I read about another of the places I used to visit closing, I feel a twinge of sadness for the city as I knew it.
I now read that the Mifflin Street Co-op is closing. I lived just down the block from the place for two years and used to grab a few items from the store from time to time.
I suppose if Mifflin street in Madison can now have a building with 300 condos, it isn’t surprising that the co-op can close. Back when I lived on the street it was largely a dump filled with student housing run mostly by slum lords.
I can only wonder what the students just starting off at the UW this year will think of the Madison they visit some 20 years later. I’m sure the city will have changed as much for them as it has for me in the past 20 years.