{"id":158,"date":"2026-04-01T13:39:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/?p=158"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:09:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:09:39","slug":"a-cheese-curds-cheer-for-spring-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/2026\/04\/01\/a-cheese-curds-cheer-for-spring-break\/","title":{"rendered":"A Cheese Curds Cheer for Spring Break"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since Iowa had a blizzard over \u201cspring break,\u201d I guess the name was a little misleading. Fortunately, though, I didn\u2019t have to spend the week on campus by myself\u2013unlike fall break, after my family\u2019s thwarted Thanksgiving plans. I didn\u2019t fly home. No, that wouldn\u2019t be convoluted enough. Instead, I once again infiltrated my Ohio friend\u2019s car drive to Toledo. (A quick restaurant recommendation in Toledo is the Saucey Slice Pizzeria, which is a chain that my hometown sadly does not have.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From Toledo, I reunited with my parents, and we vacationed our way to my true spring break destination: Madison, Wisconsin. Luckily for me, spring break had a lot fewer cons compared to fall break. Here\u2019s a list of my favorite moments:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The Toledo Zoo\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Toledo, Ohio, may not be everyone\u2019s dream spring break location. But the few days my family and I spent there proved to be surprisingly interesting. The Toledo Zoo was very quaint and relaxing, and it was nice to dedicate a whole day outside when I\u2019ve been confined to indoor lecture halls and study rooms lately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-158 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"246\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-2-246x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"bird on rock at the zoo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-2-246x300.jpg 246w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-2-839x1024.jpg 839w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-2-768x938.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-2-300x366.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-2.jpg 983w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-1-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"bird on rock at the zoo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-1-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Zoo-1.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><b>The Milwaukee Art Museum\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shaped like a ship about to set sail on the Michigan River, the Milwaukee Art Museum hosts pieces of creativity ranging from century-old paintings to modern conceptual projects. The most compelling exhibit to me had layers that were impossible to photograph, but I\u2019ll try to describe it here. On the surface, it just appeared to be an open suitcase in the middle of a hardwood room. Then, you get closer and look inside to see a grate. Beneath the metal bars was a rippling, vibrantly blue underwater scene, bright corals and seaweed. At a certain angle, however, you can also see a hint of what else lies down there: two sets of pale, chalky legs. One statue is a man\u2019s, and on his lap is the statue of a boy. Your visibility of them is severed above the knee. Truly a beautiful museum with very distinct pieces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-161 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Art-Museum--300x211.jpg\" alt=\"external shot of milwaukee art museum\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Art-Museum--300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Art-Museum--1024x721.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Art-Museum--768x541.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Art-Museum--86x60.jpg 86w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Art-Museum-.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>The Mars Cheese Castle\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin. Over 700 flavors of cheese. Enough said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-162 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Cheese-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"external shot of mars cheese castle\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Cheese-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Cheese-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Cheese-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Cheese.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Visiting my Wisconsin Friends<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of my good friends from last semester decided to transfer out of Iowa and move back to her home state of Wisconsin. Since I was heading to Madison\u2013a lengthy but still manageable distance from my friend\u2019s home\u2013she (and another of our Wisconsin friends) was willing to make the drive. A lot of college friendships can form pretty quickly because of constant proximity and a general desire to meet new people after high school, but that means these friendships can also fall apart or fade just as fast. I\u2019m glad that I\u2019ve been able to avoid this outcome with some of my friends, even as we\u2019re not shoved in the same class or dorm hall anymore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-158 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Marie-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"two friends sitting in wooden jeep\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Marie-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Marie-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Marie-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Marie.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Astrid-238x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"two friends standing in front of WI state cap\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Astrid-238x300.jpg 238w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Astrid-812x1024.jpg 812w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Astrid-768x969.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Astrid-300x379.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Wisco-Astrid.jpg 951w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 238px) 100vw, 238px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Seeing Downtown Madison with my Parents\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though I think Iowa City is much more charming, I really enjoyed downtown Madison. I found the areas I was in to be fairly cozy. I particularly liked walking through Wisconsin\u2019s capitol building and eating cheese curds at The Old Fashioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-165 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Madison-Capitol-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"WI state cap building\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Madison-Capitol-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Madison-Capitol-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Madison-Capitol-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/Madison-Capitol.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Presenting at UW-Madison\u2019s Midwestern Undergraduate Conference for the Humanities\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason my spring break was spent on enemy Big 10 school territory was that I was invited to present at UW-Madison\u2019s new MUCH conference. I spoke on my final essay for my English major course last semester (examining the \u201cfeminist\u201d label of Mary Shelley\u2019s 1818 version of Frankenstein). Though I was exhausted by the end of the day, I appreciated the opportunity to share my work and hear different perspectives from other undergraduates in the region. (Also, presenting probably helped prepare me for my graded speech in rhetoric).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After saying goodbye to my parents, I was back in Iowa City, and spring break was over. While summer break is just around the corner, I\u2019m really grateful for the chance to (somewhat) rest for a week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-166 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/sunset-2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"beautiful WI sunset with clouds\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/sunset-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/sunset-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/sunset-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/files\/2026\/04\/sunset-2.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until next time!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since Iowa had a blizzard over \u201cspring break,\u201d I guess the name was a little misleading. Fortunately, though, I didn\u2019t have to spend the week on campus by myself\u2013unlike fall break, after my family\u2019s thwarted Thanksgiving plans. I didn\u2019t fly home. No, that wouldn\u2019t be convoluted enough. Instead, I once again infiltrated my Ohio friend\u2019s car drive to Toledo. (A quick restaurant recommendation in Toledo is the Saucey Slice Pizzeria, which is a chain that &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/emily\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}