DULUTH, THE AIR CONDITIONED CITY

reveal your secrets!

guys i have lived in MN for twenty of my twenty-nine years and i think i've been to duluth like four times, the last being at least fifteen years ago

it's right there! how is that possible???

because you get there and realize you are in Duluth, so then you turn around and go back home

Explains why Dylan left.

Doesn't explain why Low are still there.

<3 Duluth

car can't get up the hill

aw guys, it can't be THAT bad!

i've lived in BOZEMAN, MONTANA.

(I don't really have anything against Duluth and enjoyed the two times I visited as a kid but really don't have any desire to go back)

srsly it's a great town, just enough city-type aspects but some nice small-townyness too

gbx do you need suggestions? I have been going there like monthly for the past year while waiting for my gf to move here.

it's been like 20 years, all i remember is burgers and shakes at grandma's sorry

oh for real?

fuck yeah, gimme something to do for a weekend.

Fitger's for local beer
Uncle Loui's Cafe for breakfast
Whole Foods Co-op for food (note: not an actual Whole Foods, but an actual co-op)
The Scenic Cafe for fancy dinners
Zeitgeist for cocktails

yeah I kind of reflexively and unfairly dislike small-town feel anything

go out to the end of Canal Park for sweet sandy beaches, water on 2 sides, straddle the border of MN/WI

xp maybe you should go read another thread?

that sounds like a good day

xxp

drive up MN61 for north shore goodness, also there is an awesome bike path for miles and miles

duluth is kinda magickal

it's a weird place

drive over the BONG BRIDGE to Superior, WI and giggle

yeah mostly in it for the north shore. like, i basically have never been there??!?!?! we have a mini-maine 3 hours from the city and i'm all "oh i'm bored there's nothing fun to do outside yah yah yah"

why is MN the best place ever for bike riding. it really is.

it feels kind of ancient, the north shore makes you feel small

check out some of the city's awesome hiking/biking trails, they're f'n everywhere

i need to do more "real" road biking in mn

the path up the shore basically follows the path of 61

oh shit for real?

*googles*

I think it's a rails-to-trails thing, it goes a looong way. Also the path of the Grandma's marathon iirc.

is fitzgers the super old restaurant, like 100 yrs old, that has the mural/border around the tops of the walls that has the cool fox hunting painting all around?

I think that might be the Pickwick, but I am not sure. Fitger's is a hotel/brewery/restaurant/store complex.

We went on a family vacation to Duluth and all we did was sit in our hotel watching Reagan getting shot, etc.

School friend had cabin by Two Harbors, totally gorgeous.

if there was better economic opportunity in Duluth I would srsly consider moving there

great place to watch a president get shot IMO

they have their own branch of Pizza Luce too

hmmm

i thought about doing a rotation up there, just to check it out.

i'm thinking about residency already, and while part of me wants to peace out from MN again and move to either NM or the PacNW, another part is like "fuck it, stay here," and is considering duluth as a possible target

Fitgers is in fact totally awesome! Never would have remembered the name, but its in kind of a biggish complex on the main drag, right? kinda reminded me of a factory tall ceilings etc maybe?

there are a surprising number of hospitals for a town of 80k

welcome to minnesota

oh man so many bizarro awesome things in the vicinity too. Devils cauldron! Magnetic Rock! Eagle Mountain!

it (Fitger's) was originally a brewery, now houses a brewpub + other stuff

full disclosure: my gf works there, for another month or so at least

oh duh, devils kettle, not cauldron

get smoked fishes here

I was thinking of the Pickwick, not Fitzgers...the Pickwick is the super old restaurant...pretty midwest "supper club" food but still it's reaaally cool inside...here's a detail of the stuff around the ceiling I was talking about:

http://countrymouse.blogharbor.com/_photos/Duluth%20Horns%20Pickwick%20Pub.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_C._R._Magney_State_Park#The_Devil.27s_Kettle

more info about devils kettle. hooray for bizarre outdoorsy crap!

magnetic rock:

The trail goes through a burn area over exposed bedrock, then to deep woods and a strange looking monolithic rock with magnetic properties. Under normal circumstances, a glacial erratic (a boulder dropped from a glacial ice sheet) wouldn’t get much attention in Minnesota. They are, after all, just big rocks that you can find almost everywhere, including in people’s front yards. But this one is special, not just for its magnetic properties, but also for its appearance. The rock’s dimensions are 10 by 20 by 30 feet and it is shaped like a big monument that seems to have dropped out of the sky. Multi-colored lichens cover the rock’s surface giving it various shades of yellow and orange. Its magnetism comes from the mineral magnetite, common to the underlying bedrock of the Gunflint Iron Formation. Special attractions: The rock (bring a compass to test out its magnetic properties) and wildlife.

I was going to go to a minor-league baseball game last time I was there (Duluth Huskies, iirc?) but it was rained out. 'Sposed to be a really fun, cheap, drunk (if you want) time.

Also the 2-3 universities in the area lead to a lot of good house shows/small-venue music.

^^^see that's what i assumed? like, city of 85k that is a college town has to be sorta fun, right? though tbh what is there other than UMD?

concordia?

St. Scholastica, I think? and UW-Superior (OK, not actually in Duluth, but cmon)

Soup-town is like Duluth's little brother, that also happens to sell liquor later

every show i've played in duluth w/a band has been really strange and interesting

if you like giganitic mechanical things there are regularly 1000-ft lake freighters to gawk at + a museum made out of a retired ship

xp oh man I wonder if you have played with my gf's band or any of her friends... I've seen some really strange and interesting stuff there too

that reminds me: Homegrown Music Festival in May is a rockin' good time

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2989273455_effcaa7318_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/3132627578_897e35950d.jpg

ok now note dude in front of rock to establish scale

http://www.ntoddblog.org/photos/minnesota/magneticrocke.jpg

sorry i have become distracted by "weird shit in northern MN that has nothing to do w/duluth itself" ill stop now

neato!

Who is the H.P. Lovecraft of Duluth?

that guy

i've always been curious about the band Father Hennepin, which i think was Starfire's band (the Starfire from the Low song)

idk re lovecraft, but the good old Glensheen Mansion is good for some creepy creepy times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glensheen_Historic_Estate

it is also crazy huge, and pretty well preserved. The furniture (attn museum curator dorks) is almost entirely the original stuff from 1908, not repros.

^^^the whole street that place is on is amazing, big big houses overlooking the lake

I love Duluth. I love being able to walk 4 blocks up a steep, steep grade and feel like I've gotten a good workout. I love the eccentric used bookstore. I love feeling like I'm in 1870s San Francisco. I love the Electric Foetus. I love that rocky, rocky beach just north of the Glensheen Mansion. I could spend hours there. Love it when the water turns rusty from taconite, and when the ice piles up on the shore. Ahhhhahahahhhahhahahh.

Used to go there every summer to visit grandparents and uncles ... iirc Grandma on one occasion had to chase a bear out of her garden (inside the city limits)

was wondering why you weren't on this thread yet tbh eazy

Been busy, but now I'm daydreaming.

When I was in fifth grade, I wrote an 11-page heist drama that ended with a car chase, and the "bad guys" driving toward the Lift Bridge while it was raised, and, Smokey-and-the-Bandit-style, splashing into Lake Superior.

http://image66.webshots.com/666/7/5/98/2658705980027605543BIhNqg_ph.jpg

stupid broken image

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9524/lastplaceonearth.jpg

Haha, yes, that's my impression of downtown Duluth, on that stretch near the casino.

oh yeah the crazy multibuilding bookstore is kinda unhinged and insane

i really need to get back up there soon

~road trip~

Was just up there this past weekend, Wisconsin Point on the Superior side is a great beach but the lake is SO. FUCKING. COLD. I could take about 2 min before I had to get out and warm up + my lips looked a little blue.

i saw zak sally at the downtown minneapolis government center today

Something very Lovecraftian about the name Duluth. Does the city consist of windowless black monoliths?

not really but there are some imposing industrial structures

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Skyline-Duluth-20060330.jpg

Ah yes, looks like the perfect environment for Elder Gods.

where does the name come from? there's a Duluth, GA, too, which i have to think was there first.

My contact lenses are from Duluth, Georgia! (made in Asia, but Ciba-Vision is headquartered in Duluth)

Always thought my lenses were from Low-ville, but they ain't, just looked it up because of this thread :-(

The city is named for Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the first known European explorer of the area.

Enger tower is up at the very top of the hill, looks really creepy, and is much taller than it looks in this picture. I can't go to duluth without going up it at least once: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bq7WvZXl3wE/SPwHAZ-rHSI/AAAAAAAABNA/PAwV7fZF7s4/s512/IMG_2612.jpg

Also, I think the best burgers in the whole area are at the Anchor Bar in Superior.

Insanely great view out of that thing

xp YES, I had one on Saturday night! Their menu is kind of awesome in its descriptions of the food, i.e. the ham sandwich: "A good choice if you like ham."

good relevant site imo

http://www.perfectduluthday.com/

Goin' 2 Duluth 2morrow!

envious actually
this is perfect go to duluth weather atm

bigtime

http://www.perfectduluthday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Lake-Superior-Rainbow.jpg

duluth is amazing

Who is the H.P. Lovecraft of Duluth?

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, July 28, 2010 5:15 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

this thread title is so lovecraftian, I love it

i fucking love it here

are you there? it seems like it'd be icy and dismal right now!

I want to go back there some day. I have only been once.

it's icy and dismal in such a great way tho

^^^for real. i ~thought~ it might be terrible to be here in the winter, but it's much better than the icy and dismal you get down in the cities. at least here there's the lake and the hill and the trees and the giant industrial structures to add some flavor.

icy and dismal giant industrial structures sound great, actually

dude I am totally planning a Day of Shooting here. Found a spot thats perfect---giant structures (and ships!) that's slightly overgrown, totally empty. Was gonna go today but it's overcast and would like to catch it in strong directional light.

sounds great! don't underestimate overcast days - if the light is still bright, it's like a giant softbox and makes everything kind of 'glow'

Duluth is haunted

sounds great! don't underestimate overcast days - if the light is still bright, it's like a giant softbox and makes everything kind of 'glow'

hmmm

Two things I remember about Duluth:

1. A terrible Chinese restaurant that was run by non-Chinese people who had, like, backpacked in China in the 60s or something.

2. They told me if I fell into Lake Superior I'd be dead in five minutes.

they were right

I just remember there being some cool old industrial buildings, a day when I arrived there being a little over 80 degrees and the locals complaining about it being "so hot", and some murder mansion I toured!

guys i am bored

i really like it here but i don't like not having friends and living out of a bag in a hotel. it is 730 and i just want to shoot the shit with bros somewhere but it's looking like another night of pizza + skyrim

can't go to fitgers because i have been grabbing a beer there after work like every other day and its making me feel self-conscious and everywhere else looks hell of local

Pizza Luce?

oh yeah

How long has that pizza luce been there? btw they are tasty

apparently there is a bluegrass jam somewhere downtown (stfu i like bluegrass) that could be dece

what this town needs is a burgeoning black metal scene

I kind of want to go to Duluth sometime

I like it

Burgeoning taconite scene

burgeoning red metal amirite

thirsty pagan in superior has shows and ok beer
my gf liked the roundup on 4th street E

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/enews/breaking/Duluth-Vikings-Stadium-Proposed-139025839.html

I loled

not a terrible idea tbh.

how much longer are you up there mang, trying to figure out a weekend to cruise up there with k. also are you blindingly busy so it wouldnt really matter anyway?

I'm back now!

oh ha

lets get drinks soon then

I'm down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZBS3HCs-Y

PHC did a show up there last weekend

kinda don't know what to think of this story

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/02/27/grand-marais-older-men-pursuing-teen-girls/

the courthouse shooting that prodded (conservative) lawmakers into changing gun laws in courthouses stemmed from a sex crime case with its own p bizarre story

"Back in them days, it was acceptable," said Perry Wilson, who is quick to defend his friend Schlienz. "That's the way it was — 16-, 17-year-old girls; that was their boyfriends back then was a 25-year-old guy."

In Grand Marais, most people know Wilson by his nickname, "Proof," short for "Hundred Proof."
"In this town all you need to pick up a 16-year-old high school girl is a nice-looking truck or a nice car."
- Perry Wilson

Wilson, now 53, arrives at a local cafe unshaven, in sweatpants and a jacket. Over coffee, he said that in his 20s he could have been jailed for his own exploits with teenage girls, during what he calls his "heyday." But he stops short of admitting to criminal sexual conduct.

Wilson also is adamant that he and other adult men did not pursue the girls. He said the girls pursued them.

"That's the way it's always been since man was born. The younger girls chase the older guys. Everybody thinks it's the older guys chasing younger girls, [but] that's wrong," he said. "It ain't that way. In this town, all you need to pick up a 16-year-old high school girl is a nice-looking truck or a nice car."

Hah, I was about to paste the exact same section.

That guy is a treat

I was in Duluth on Thursday. Found the Graffiti Graveyard.

Wait, that is newsworthy? I thought that was somewhat common in every small Midwestern town ever. Meaning the 25 year old dude that can't get over his glory days and still dates the high school girls mostly because thats his peer group. I mean, definitely creepy and awful, but not particularly earth-shattering is it?

Okay wait, I see now that this particular case was a dude even older than that and not quite the scenario referenced at the start of the article.

No one said it was earth shattering

it's newsworthy because the courthouse shooting by the man convicted was a huge deal

Yeah I should have withheld comment until I read the whole article. My first post was just after reading the headline and intro paragraph, which I think kinda sells the whole story a little short.

I mean, this:

In Grand Marais, pattern emerges of older men pursuing teen girls

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Beth Kennedy first heard the stories 34 years ago.

Not long after she moved to Grand Marais with her husband and 11-year-old daughter, people in the community told her that older men were pursuing and having sex with high school girls.

"We started hearing about these 20-, 25-, 30-year-old men who were constantly at football games, around the teenage girls, and who somehow believed that it was a great thing to be sleeping with virgins," she said. "And I was aghast."

... doesn't really clue you in to the real story here.

dazed-and-confused.jpg

i think this is pretty hard to judge tbh

the article goes up to the line in saying that 25+ dudes going after strings of -18 girls was a uniquely bad problem in grand marais. sure it happens all over but it turned into some kind of uh 'lifestyle' up there. that's sort of what the whole case implies, but who knows? as characterized by this journalist, there is an "entrenched minority" in the town that feels that schleinz was railroaded for something nbd. the city's legal/social organs thought it was something close a public health menace.

crazy stuff either way tho

The population of Grand Marais is 1,351 according to ye olde wikipedia. I'd guess the school district is a bit bigger, but still... that is not a lot of teenage girls in total

great bad weather pics

minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/02/29/photos-duluth-blizzard/

http://images.publicradio.org/content/2012/02/29/20120229_blizzard5_53.jpg

spending one year anniversary in THE AIR CONDITIONED CITY yall

boss

any decent websites about shows etc that might be going on that you can recommend?

honestly have no clue, even when I was up there I found it difficult to get a feel for what was happening where. when I went out, I typically went to fitgers.

yeah :/

i've heard this place is good but i've never been

http://www.sceniccafe.com/

congrats btw!

btw if (when) you go there, say hi to barb for me. she'll be the loud old dyke (which is how she introduced herself i should note) sitting at the bar with the wall street journal. shes great she will prob talk to you first tbh

perhaps when it gets really hot this summer I will make a trip to the air conditioned city!

my gf's bff works at scenic cafe

jj check out http://www.perfectduluthday.com/

oh cool! thx man

lol here she is http://www.sceniccafe.com/our-family/wait-staff.shtml#page=W&id=4

oh heyyyy

(sorry)

naw dude go for it she is A+

word

there appears to be a record shop named "vinyl cave" in superior? maybe i must go to there.

superior is weird

used to have the highest number of bars per capita until v recently?

spending one year anniversary in THE AIR CONDITIONED CITY yall

― Rachel Profiling (jjjusten), Thursday, April 26, 2012 10:40 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

have fun! grandma's is stupid but you know that. go up the shore

used to have the highest number of bars per capita until v recently?

― catbus otm (gbx), Thursday, April 26, 2012 12:48 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I think that's lacrosse, wi - that's what friend was saying who was just up from

could be pretty much any small town in WI tbf

COATES

i know that at least for a little bit coates def had the highest number of strip clubs per capita

apparently this is right next door to Vinyl Cave

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3075/2842202424_14a8481f47_z.jpg

http://blog.thecurrent.org/post/2012/05/happy-homegrown-duluths-annual-music-festival-showcases-talented-tight-knit-community

need to make it back for this again sometime, such a great weekend

air conditioned city, i will see u tomorrow

why is it called the air conditioned city

2-B-1-ASK-1

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Midwest/Duluth-Geography-and-Climate.html

duluth, u r awesome

Apparently all the zoo animals are on the loose during flash flooding?

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/603023_3720103754591_994469233_n.jpg

ha o fuk!

npr reporter this morning said the cops had it under control.

wider ilx needs to see that picture, where'd you find it?

Reporter friend's FB page. Not sure where she got it (she's Mpls-based, not Duluth, so I can't verify for sure).

Yeah, reports say it looks like all but a few "barnyard" animals have been recaptured or died :(

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3325923232673&set=p.3325923232673&type=1

Johnson said many of the zoo’s animals have drowned, including all but one of the zoo’s barnyard animals. She said the zoo’s donkey, goats and sheep have died. She said it’s possible others have drowned, as flooding on the grounds have consumed some of the exhibits, such as the raven and vulture cages.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/234914/

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/538628_190589321070498_915083053_n.jpg

really sad

ftr i didn't know there was a duluth zoo.

https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/550830_10151823038050142_823325277_n.jpg

holy crap

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/234914/

a friend is posting a lot of pics on fb

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/283729_444534708903552_70282728_n.jpg
https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/575653_444533935570296_300496340_n.jpg

jeez MN, very apocalyptic run-up to my trip here

whoa

crazy pics here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/statewide/archive/2012/06/photos-duluth-north-shore-endures-major-flooding.shtml

http://i.imgur.com/uAzYV.jpg

awww

skateboarding in the ruins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCrmw4goFYQ&feature=player_embedded

cool!

every once in awhile it boggles my mind how the prevalence of cheap/free editing software and ubiquitous digital HD video capable devices have made it so easy to see amateur stuff that looks so professional

its crazy how many skate rats populate the streets of duluth, its like traveling back in time.

fyi since i apparently never reported back, vinyl cave was awesome, new scenic cafe is the shit, and the thirsty pagan in superior had some of the best beer i have had in forever and was super cool. i would totally live in duluth if i didnt have to have yknow a job and stuff

Jet ski Deluth, with bonus Nicki Minaj:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T1Rm-j_iy4

i would totally live in duluth if i didnt have to have yknow a job and stuff

This. Although my searches have been somewhat fruitful of late in unearthing possibilities.

that was awesome. i haven't been to duluth in ages, wonder how depressing it would be to see it now after all the nasty flooding.

It wasn't all that noticeable last week. There are some parts south of town, especially near the river, that got pretty messed up and a couple roads still closed, but overall I don't think most of the city was too flooded.

Air conditioned my ass. It was like 95 when I passed through last week and ate at a rather elaborate rest area with a crazy up on the hill.

i will totes be looking for jobs in duluth when the time comes

Forgot to update: Gonna be gettin' married in Duluth next year. :)

congratulations man! totally amazing place to get hitched in i would imagine.

nice one

Went to a Duluth wedding and, yes, it was a fantastic city to do it in.

The view, the wind, the groom's dinner in the rotating restaurant.

Hi from the Hammond in Superior.

Go to the thirsty pagan immediately, and if they have the anise saison, drink all of it for me

I didn't make it to Thirsty Pagan unfortch. But I did sample some awesome wedding eats at Midi in the Fitger's complex and drink a lot of Surly at Luce, where we're having the groom's dinner. I fucking love the Twin Ports.

Also while wandering the streets of Superior I stumbled across the former headquarters of the Finnish Marxist newspaper Tyomies, something I had researched a little for a paper in college. My girl said that she had only ever known the building as a bar of the same name, which has since closed. There was a faded sign painted on the side of the building that said "DRINKING GETS DONE HERE" that initially caught my attention.

Loving these fast-motion videos of boats arriving/departing the Twin Ports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsN4ydT_Ql4

https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1530309_10201128037034751_1806748996_n.jpg

I am in Cloquet, like 15 miles away. This was the first gig I've ever done where my boss emailed me beforehand to let me know the customer was fully ready to come pick me up from the hotel in case my rental didn't start.

The temp this morning was -20'F with a windchill of 20+ deg below that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PofmKxIwArk

Really weird, 'cause that must have been filmed not too long after the Glensheen murders!

Going to Duluth today :)

:)

http://i.imgur.com/c0vNwf3.jpg

Lift Bridge Operator job opening

http://www.oldpoliticals.com/ItemImages/000018/25877_lg.jpeg

love this thread title, sounds like a lost jules verne novel

http://www.startribune.com/duluth-bear-enjoys-an-afternoon-snack-a-dip-in-the-pool/388328241/

bear conditioned city

Haven't been to Duluth in too long. :(

Welp, solved that, currently eating Pizza Luce and drinking Bent Paddle. This town never fails.

Nice

love me some duluth

http://www.citypages.com/news/watch-this-gnarly-1000-ft-freighter-whip-a-sick-360-in-duluth-video/461837323

excellent

Nice digs for only $1.2 mil

http://www.startribune.com/ultra-modern-1-2m-home-by-minnesota-s-most-renowned-architect-overlooks-lake-superior/475287433/#8

Second fire, larger than first, now raging at Superior refinery: https://t.co/FFWfm1sT7G

— John Myers (@newsduluth) April 26, 2018

holy shit

holy shit

"Now that working from home is widely accepted, more and more people are choosing where that home should be. For some people, that means places they feel are safer from the impacts of climate change, including Duluth."

https://www.marketplace.org/2022/01/28/how-much-is-climate-a-factor-in-where-people-are-moving/

don't have much to add about duluth but want to chime in that i did the MS150 once, which starts in cloquet. the night prior to the ride i found an attempt at a tourism brochure for cloquet, and the front featured a picture of the lift bridge, and read 'close to duluth... yet far enough away!'

apologies, it was not cloquet. it was proctor

i guess i do have duluth related insights, my dad grew up there, and his father worked on the railroad in proctor, which sounds like basically an alien existence to me. i never knew my grandpa particularly well and most of the memories i have of him were being scared of him. anyway, when he retired, with no musical background he ended up buying some kind of electric organ. after he passed and they were cleaning out his belongings, someone found a cassette tape he'd made. it opened with his creaky old voice announcing 'this... is my music...'. followed by ten to fifteen minutes of straight up drone music. i know i've heard this tape once, i know someone has it somewhere. i really really need to find and acquire this recording of grandfather folk-drone

xxp
Doesn't matter how hot it gets in Duluth, it's air-conditioned!

It's hard for me to equate 'climate refugees' with current tech workers who probably make their own keffir

lol

Awesome Final Jeopardy answer today. All 3 contestants got it WRONG. 2 guessed Green Bay, and the other Minneapolis. Not bad guesses, but no. pic.twitter.com/GxtC7zk6Nv

— Bruce McGuire (@dunord) February 15, 2022

I disagree btw, Minneapolis is a bad guess

yeah who the hell thinks minneapolis is on the great lakes?

that said i don't think i would have gotten it right.

I got my first vaccine shot last March in Duluth (no MN residency required) and explored the city for the first time in 15-20 years. Had no idea about the cool distillery/BBQ/taproom district that had sprung up since then.

Yeah the west side of town is on the come up for sure.

anyone know what the deal is with the Cargills buying up property on park point

they are billionaires and terrible people who are going to build some ugly shit hole compound is the sense I get

like are they buying the whole thing, it's nuts

Similar to the Monaco real estate guy buying up more than 13 properties in Carmel, CA.

I think I've only driven around Park Point, usually just to the end and then turning around, maybe gone to the beach there once.

My wife is running the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth in June. We've never been. We're staying in the Lincoln Park area. Any current recommendations for dining? Looking for something casual and comfortable for Saturday night after the marathon. Breweries/Brewpubs with good food would work for this or at other times as well.

I'm also going back through the thread. I am way more excited than I was originally seeing all the enthusiasm for the city. Thanks in advance.

Fellow Brit I bumped into here in Rochester MN sent me some recommendations he'd given some friends, if we were ever up Duluth way too. Dunno if it's any use but it's what I have.

https://www.vabenecaffe.com/
https://northernwaterssmokehaus.com
https://www.bettyspies.com/
https://fitgers.com/restaurants-nightlife/

Va Bene is great, and hanging right over the lake. New Scenic Cafe is fantastic, but a little ways north up Highway 61. Duluth Grill is just south of town and nearly a mandatory stop for our family when we're heading that way. Love Fitgers for the old school vibe.

Thanks for the recommendations. Looks like some fun places. For Fitgers, which restaurant do you recommend?

We're a month out from being in Duluth. It looks like we are going to rent a car so I think we're going to do the drive up the North Shore one day. We will probably try to hit Glensheen Mansion as well. I am excited!

Still figuring out dinner the night before the marathon. We might try OMC Smokehouse out of convenience (right next to our hotel). Might be ok, but my wife prefers a cleaner meal (chicken breast, sweet potato, and greens) for pre-race dinner. Any deli/marketplace in that will have grilled chicken or other foods for takeaway that could be reheated in our hotel microwave/oven?

(Maybe I should just be less self-conscious about cooking in the hotel room?)

There are so many breweries and barbecue places (this is excellent)!

*deli/marketplace in Lincoln Park area*

Dunno exactly how close it would be but Whole Foods Co-op (not that Whole Foods) is my first inclination for something like that.

Fitger's for local beer
Uncle Loui's Cafe for breakfast
Whole Foods Co-op for food (note: not an actual Whole Foods, but an actual co-op)
The Scenic Cafe for fancy dinners
Zeitgeist for cocktails

― Danny Dyer (dan m), Wednesday, July 28, 2010 3:20 PM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Evergreen joek

Thanks! Whole Foods Co-Op doesn't look that far by car.

By any chance do you know how crazy the area around the finish line in Canal Park gets (closed streets, congestion, etc.)? In other words, how far might one have to walk to get an Uber or cab?

I was never around for the marathon but I would imagine it's very busy.

Thanks. Hope my wife is able to walk afterwards!

We had one of those perfect vacation days in and around Duluth filled to the brim with new experiences. We had a hearty breakfast at Duluth Grill (multigrain pancakes had such a satisfying texture), drove up to Enger Park for the views, stopped by Bob Dylan's childhood home for a few quick photos, and drove out to Park Point and walked on the beach. Then we left Duluth and drove up Scenic Highway 61 listening to Highway 61 Revisited (yes, I am a cornball) and marveled at the foxgloves the entire way. We went to the Split Rock Lighthouse and walked on the stony beach at the Split Rock State Park, then backtracked to Gooseberry Falls State Park. The Falls were nuts! Someone said earlier in the week they had 9 inches of rain North of there and the falls were incredibly muddy and violent.

On the way back to Duluth we stopped for an early dinner at New Scenic Cafe, which was very good. They had awesome wines at gentle prices, the smorgasbord platter was delicious, and we had a duck dish and fried fish sandwich that was crispy, spicy, and perfect. Went to bed at 9pm happy and satisfied.

nice, sounds like fantastic day! (have seen lots of falls footage this week after that monster rain)

The postcards in the gift shop all showed polite little waterfalls.

Sounds great. Love Gooseberry Falls!

Also, thanks dan m for the Whole Foods Co Op recommendation - it really fit the bill.

Glad it worked out! I'm gonna fish out my copy of the Duluth Grill cookbook as a substitute for not having visited the area in too long.