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Duluth is now on the map … in 3-D!
If you Google “Duluth” and go on the Maps section, there’s a button on the upper right that says Earth. Click that, and you can see a 3-D rending of Duluth including some of the buildings downtown! It’s still a work in progress because this is such a small city, but it’s still very interesting. You might need Google Earth for it to work … I’m not sure exactly. I just found out about this moments ago.
Paranormal Duluth
Hello! This is my first PDD post. I have lurked on the site reading other’s posts for awhile and have enjoyed the site a ton. So thanks all!
This post is about the paranormal in Duluth. I thought that perhaps with the vast PDD audience I could get some more stories or information on sites that are supposed to be haunted.
I know of the Blue man at the Depot (mainly seen in the Duluth Playhouse Theatre), the supposed haunting of Fairlawn, of Glensheen, and I’ve heard stories about the Nemadji Cemetery in Superior’s East End. Does anyone else have any good spots in the area or stories of ghosts, apparitions, or unusual activity? If so please share.
We rule the plastic people!
So your former geek royalty (King Neal and Queen Katie) now live in LA. Not together, but oddly enough only about a mile from each other (which when you realize how big this city is, that’s amazing). The question is, what should be our first order of geek? I’m leaning toward renaming Pasadena to Shatnerburgh.
I hate those family rental bikes
I was longboarding to work today on the Lakewalk, riding on the paved section like I should, and I ended up behind a family riding those huge rental bikes. I yelled, “On your left!” and then continued to repeat it. They apparently never heard it, or didn’t care. I had to squeeze past them, and they ended up running into the fence because they freaked out. Their little girl started crying and said she couldn’t breathe and had a panic attack. I stopped and checked if they were all right, and they were.
I don’t believe those things should be used on the boardwalk. Actually, I don’t think they should exist in Canal Park at all. They are big, people don’t know how to correctly use them, and they just get in the way of bike/board/walking commuters.
Sorry if someone reading this owns the stand that rents these, or if you love them so much that you are offended by this, but I still hate them.
Duluth Turban Lady, 1997
In 1994 I worked for six months at the Holiday Stationstore at 3401 Grand Ave., next to Wheeler Fields. The store closed around 2003 and the building is empty now. As you can imagine, there were a number of characters that frequented the store. One of them we called Turban Lady. (more…)
Duluth 12th Best City in U.S. to Find Jobs?
Dailybeast.com has posted it’s top 20 Best U.S. Cities to find a job (not necessarily a career) and our beloved Duluth ranks 12th and Rochester, MN is #1. Hailing from Rochester I could understand it being nemero uno, but stating that Duluth is 12th in the country is a little baffling. Is it that good here?
#12. Duluth, MN
Job Growth: 11.26 percent
Jobs Gained: 14,208
Manufacturing and mills are a major part of Duluth’s economy, and the city is a huge transportation hub for manufacturing materials. But health care and education are major employers, too.
I wonder what statistics the DailyBeast accessed to get Duluth placed right behind Boulder, CO and right in front of Brownsville, TX?
I don’t get why I am annoyed by kids dressing like Marty McFly from Back To the Future II
I wanted those Nikes so bad. Why do I get so bothered by it now? I think I might be jealous.
Zombie film in Duluth?
I was thinking of my favorite zombie genre films. I’ve always thought that Duluth would be such a great setting for a post-apocalyptic zombie film. We have great terrain and the different sections of the city have their own cool spots that could be filmed. I hope someone does this someday. I even came up with a story.
“After the recall of kombucha tea, the Amazing Grace decided to brew its own batch. Little did they know the hell they were about to unleash upon the city of Duluth, Minnesota.”
Short and stupid, I know.
New DECC Arena
I think that the new DECC Arena is uglier than the original. What architectural style is it in? Looks like ‘Early American Trailer’ to me. Too bad something so big and so expensive is so ugly.
Skunk
Dog: Direct hit in the face with skunk in back yard.
Human: Let her in not knowing this had happened.
Dog: Foaming at mouth like Old Yeller, getting slobber all over the floor.
Human: Out you go.
We got the dog cleaning part down. Just wondering how we might ever get this smell out of the house. Please advise. And don’t tell me the spray eventually breaks down, yada, yada. This is horrid.
Competition in the corn maze business
Engwall Florist, Greenhouse & Garden Center is growing a 52,000-square-foot corn maze that will open Sept. 10 at its Hermantown Road location.
Engwall’s Corn Maze at the Garden Center will be the closest corn maze to Duluth … at least that I’m aware of. Silver Brook Corn Maze is in Wrenshall and opens Sept. 17.
Engwall is partnering with the Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, donating a dollar from each paid admission to the corn maze.
Nazi sighting
So I’m driving down Michigan Street at 8:45 tonight, and walking down the sidewalk toward the main entrance of the Depot is this guy dressed in full Third Reich regalia. I’m talking military-grade Lederhosen, swastika arm-band and even an olive flack helmet, walking like he’s got a stick up his ass. I did overcome the urge to yell obscenities or throw things out the window, but I couldn’t resist slowing way down and gawking. I mean, who does that?
I considered that maybe the Playhouse is doing some thing involving the holocaust, but in that case don’t they have dressing rooms? Who in their right mind would be caught dead in that get-up outside? Then my co-worker suggested that maybe he was going to attend one of the court-ordered group sessions for drunk drivers they have at the Depot and trying to make some political statement. But that just begs the question, what kind of person has that stuff laying around in his closet?
I’m compelled to wonder, is this something ugly that blew in on a tall ship, or just some local dumbass making an idiot out of himself?
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
This may be a long shot, but I am hoping PDDers can help. Last night I had two wicker chairs stolen off my front porch by Eighth Ave. E. and Seventh St. Normally, I wouldn’t mind, but these chairs were my great grandmother’s, so they have some sentimental value to me.
They are a darker green with green- and white-striped cushions (although one of the cushions I found in the neighbor’s yard, so one is missing). One is a rocking chair and the other looks the same, but it’s just a regular chair.
I can’t imagine people carrying them around too far, as they are kind of heavy, unless they took them away in a car. I have scoped out the neighborhood, but have not found any sign of them. I’m hoping they weren’t ditched on the side of a street and someone else picked them up thinking they were free for the taking.
If you could keep your eyes out for them, I would greatly appreciate it. If you are the dirty rotten scoundrels that took them, please put them back where you found them. I just don’t understand why people do this type of thing — it really irks me. Thanks for your help!
DSL Slowdown?
We use Qwest DSL and for the last two or three weeks we have been having weird slowdowns. Most of the time, web pages load almost instantly but sometimes a page takes so long to load that we get a “can’t find the server” message. It’s not site dependent and we haven’t changed computers, DSL modem or router. It’s almost like we are getting a busy signal or something. Anyone else who uses Qwest DSL (especially in the Woodland area) experiencing these slowdowns?
Graffiti Timeline
I recently came across this photograph of myself observing graffiti at an I-35 underpass in West Duluth, probably from 1997 or 1998. So I went back and rephotographed the spot to show how the graffiti has changed. (more…)
Bat Girl & the Walrus
Has anyone else been following their romance in the personals of the Reader? It’s better than watching daytime soaps! The Walrus sounds like quite the romantic who is actively pursuing his love, Bat Girl. Who are they? What’s the back story? There was no ad in this week’s Reader from them but I am a total fan.
Need Fun!

I don’t get it. Is the billboard telling me I need fun in Hulk/Caveman language? Does Roper’s need fun people to facilitate a positive atmosphere and therefore generate more customers? Does the billboard proclaim that people in general need to have fun in their lives? Is there really someone (like Mr. Norman Fell in Three’s Company) named Roper? Or does the place belong to all people who rope things, in which case the apostrophe is misplaced? This is what I’m asking you.
Canal Theft Park
It always sucks to have something stolen from you. Recently (within the past 3-4 days) I was sitting down on the north side of the pier right by the bridge with some friends, when I walked away to go back to my car, realizing: Oh wow, I forgot my backpack! So, not even 5 minutes had passed, and when I went back to get it, it was gone. I thought, “Oh, someone just picked it up and will read my contact info on the inside and call me later.” That never happened. It was a black Duluth Pack that was given to me from my girlfriend, and then inside was my favorite pea green sweater ever, my iPod Classic, and then my headphones. In the front pocket was a whole lot of fun stuff too. So, I’m just saying, if anyone has it, please return it. I’d be so thankful and probably give you a few bucks for being an awesome person and returning it. If I find you wearing it, I’m going to have to punch you.












