The bar closest to the Blatnik Bridge is the Hammond. 

There are at least two downtown bars closer to Superior than Quinlan's: the Spot (formerly Kegler's) and 5th Avenue West (bar inside the Radisson). Of these, the Spot is closest. (Three other bars, Score, the Pioneer, and Sneaker's, are in close contention with Quinlan's.)

The Western Tavern closed long ago, and is actually the furthest West End bar from the Blatnik. The closest West End bar to the Blatnik Bridge is the Northstar Pub (formerly the Blue Crab).

As Pune said, Grandma's in West Duluth is the closest West Duluth bar to the Bong Bridge and the Shack is the closest Superior bar. HOWEVER, things get shaken up depending on which direction you're going. If you're traveling from Superior to Duluth, there's an on ramp right next to the Shack, so it's even closer in that direction. Also the bike lane enters/exits there, so the Shack is closer if you're traveling by bike or on foot.

In sum, according to Google Maps:

- Hammond to Northstar Pub: 3.2 miles
- Hammond to the Spot: 4.0 miles
- Grandma's Grand Avenue Cafe to the Shack, via car: 3.0 miles
- Shack to Grandma's Grand Avenue Cafe: 2.6 miles

JTs to T-Bonz: 3.9 miles. Lost in the 50s to T-Bonz: 4.1 miles. Ramos, I'm not sure why you think bars that are farther from the bridge would result in a shorter overall distance, but I'm guessing it involves some kind of cabbie math. That kind of drunk-eye mind trick might work on the road, but I'm sober with access to Google Maps.

Eddie's Ribs to the Lakeview Castle is 21.7 miles. Eddie's to the Afterburner is 16.7 miles. I know the Castle is closed, but it'll open again.

Amazing how excited people get over the combination of local geography and bar knowledge.

1. Know your town.
2. Support local business.

Ramos, I didn't see your stipulation of straight-line distance. The 4.1 miles I quoted is via car.

The City of Duluth website has this [pdf] map of Duluth neighborhoods, which we've referenced here before. And these great maps showing Duluth's districts and precincts. But I've never seen a map that shows the various townships surrounding Duluth, along with their borders. Paul, are you doing this from memory, or is there an online reference we can all look at?

If we're talking about road distance (no matter if it's driving, biking, or walking) then it's the Shack and Grandma's Grand Avenue Cafe. CASE CLOSED. Both the map and simple logic confirm that obviously it's going to come down to which bars are closest to the base of the bridge. 

In that equation, bars like T-Bonz aren't even an option, because you have to pass several other bars in order to get to them. Duh. 

As the crow flies, however ... that's another story. Lost in the 50s to T-Bonz seems most likely, since as Ramos said, Lost in the 50s looks like the Superior bar that's closest to the bay, and T-Bonz is right across from it.

The Shack and the North Pole are close too, but seem a little farther apart. 

I don't feel comfortable making a ruling on straight-line distance, because I don't have a reliable online utility for it, and we might be talking about a difference of just a few hundred feet.

As far as the bars that are farthest apart, that seems to depend on which ones fall within the actual city limits, and I don't know where the townships begin. (Billy's, for example, looks like Duluth to me -- it's on the corner of Tischer and Jean Duluth Road. Isn't that Duluth?)

I'm looking at the map right now, and Ridgeview Road is 7.3 miles away from Billy's, and the entire Woodland neighborhood lies between them.

OK, I've got it. 

Straight-line distances are as follows:

T-Bonz to Lost in the 50s: 2.292 miles
The Shack to the North Pole: 2.128 miles
The Shack to Grandma's: 2.348 miles

So, on the road, the Shack and Grandma's Grand Avenue Cafe are the closest bars between Superior and Duluth. But as the crow flies, it's the Shack and the North Pole Bar. 

As for the farthest, in my opinion, the aforementioned Eddie's Ribs and the Afterburner are still in the lead at 16.7 miles apart. The address I'm finding for the Other Place is 3960 Kenroy Road, which is in Hermantown. Not that it matters, because it's only 13.2 miles from the South-West Junction Tavern.

ONE LAST TIME

Closest by road: The Shack to Grandma's Grand Avenue Cafe -- 2.6 miles

Closest by straight-line distance: The Shack to the North Pole Bar -- 2.3 miles

Farthest by road: Eddie's Ribs and the Afterburner -- 16.7 miles