This week: north shore artists, south shore apples
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
Crossing Borders is a tour of North Shore artist’s studios that runs through Sunday. Print off a map and go visit local artists in their studios. You can also wander the South Shore by heading over to the 52nd annual Bayfield Apple Festival Friday through Sunday.
Lyric Opera of the North (LOON) presents two “bite-sized” operas at the Underground. The Face on the Barroom Floor and Bon Appetit! run Thursday through Saturday.
Chefs compete. You win. At the Lake Superior Fish Classic 10 chefs from Wisconsin and Minnesota are cooking up fish in a judged competition at the Depot on Friday.
Bradtober Fest on Saturday celebrates running, music, beer… it’s like a fest with attention deficit disorder. And if you wander downstairs from the Bradtober Fest Afterparty at Tycoons, you can have a bawdy time in the Rathskeller with Duluth’s only burlesque troupe, the Duluth Dolls.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Three reminders of Duluth along the Delmar Loop in Missouri
Playing at the Tivoli Theatre: In a World…, based on Duluth native Don LaFontaine.
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Shoddy construction
Before I begin my condemnation of BlueStone Lofts and the Park Point Marina Inn, I just want to preface my position with this. I don’t mean to vilify anyone personally. I do not begrudge anyone for trying his level best to make an honest living. I just feel there has to be a voice of reason where there is none and that happens to be me on this occasion.
I’m far from perfect and I’m not a know-it-all. I simply hate this throw-away practice of our modern, disposable society. And for some reason, I still want the very best for Duluth even though I haven’t lived there for decades.
There are some good people there doing great things. In architecture and house building, it’s David Salmela and the Bruckelmyers. Builders’ Commonwealth is up with the best, too.
It is the armchair urban planner, the aesthete, the eco-warrior, the idealist and the public advocate that is writing this. That said, here is my tirade.
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Lake Superior Aquaman Highlight Reel
Summer 2013 at various Lake Superior beaches and Lester River swimming holes.
Here’s a link to all the original videos if you missed any.
Traps, again
Via Wildwoods Founders:
Yesterday evening, friends called about a red squirrel caught in a leghold trap set on the edge of a city park. We don’t know how long the squirrel had been trapped there. See the brown discoloration on the fur by his mouth? He’d been trying to chew his way out of the trap.
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Bonding Bill
Best Duluth Restaurant Poll
In a previous poll, PDD readers made it clear there are four restaurants in the Duluth area worthy of consideration for the distinction of “Best Restaurant.” They are: Duluth Grill, Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar, New Scenic Café and Zeitgeist Arts Café. So now it’s time to pick a winner.
[poll id=”45″]
This poll is now closed. The results were:
New Scenic Café — 30.7 percent
Zeitgeist Arts Café — 28.7 percent
Duluth Grill — 25.7 percent
Lake Avenue Restaurant — 14.9 percent
Nerd Nite
An account from Tim Broman:
NERD NITE: Had a fine dining experience friends, followed by Nerd Nite. (more…)
Rachel Maddow talks EPA MED in Duluth
For those of you who don’t know, we have a branch of the EPA in Duluth called the Mid Continent Ecology Division. Last night, Rachel Maddow used an example of some of the work that is done at MED to demonstrate what could happen during the government shutdown at the EPA. She also uses it as a lead in to an interview with the EPA administrator. And finally, she uses it to demonstrate how old EPA training videos look.
Minnesota North Shore Fall Colors Report 2013
The leaves are starting to fall and colors are starting to change in Duluth and along the North Shore. Let us know where you are in the Northland and if you are seeing any great fall colors yet.
Four main groups of biochemicals are responsible for the various yellows, oranges, reds and browns that we see in the fall — chlorophyll, carotenoids, anthocyanins and tannins. Each has its own color and chemistry. Varying amounts of these chemicals will give subtle variations in color from one leaf to the next or even from tree to tree.
Media Night Owls, Early Birds, and Loners
I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, and so at late hours, I hop online. The vexing part of Facebook is the way that it tells you who else is online. But are they really online, or did they fall asleep with Facebook open? (more…)
R.I.P. Mike, Mike and Tom graffiti on Central Avenue
I’m not sure when this changed but I just noticed it today. I met the new owner of the Italian Village a month or so ago and he seems to be doing a lot to expand and spruce up the storefront. So today I was only a little surprised when the graffiti that was painted on the side of the building years decades ago had been covered up by what looks like will eventually be a new mural.
Here is a post by Paul Lundgren from a few years ago with some fun history and comments about the two Mikes and the Tom who had their names painted on the building. According to the comments, it has also been painted over before, so perhaps it’s not gone forever.
Video Archive: Meet the Bulldogs
In case you were wondering about the 1987 basketball team roster.
This week: live music recorded live and drunk nerds with (fake) swords, lightsabers, shuriken and sonic screwdrivers
Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.
One Week Live at Beaner’s, a celebration of live music being recorded, runs today through Saturday.
Mayor Don Ness invites you to meet with him one on one during Mayor’s Night at City Hall on Tuesday.
There are two events for the chattering classes this week. Nerd Nite returns to the Underground on Wednesday with presentations about martial arts, Santa Claus, and computer games. Chester Chats, modeled on TED Talks, opens at Glensheen Mansion on Thursday with presentations on public service.
Moliere’s hilarious farce, The Miser, gets the Wise Fool treatment and opens in the Harbor City Theater on Friday and runs two weekends.
The annual Pirate Ninja Jedi Trekkie Browncoat Whovian Reddwarvian Pub Crawl (otherwise known as “Pub Crawl for Indecisive Nerds”) starts at R. T. Quinlan’s on Saturday. The organizers urge you, as always, please, do not bring a real sword.
Ottertoberfest is Sunday at the Great Lakes Aquarium with accordion music and root beer! Because apparently that’s how you celebrate Ottertoberfest.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.
Native Duluthian Don LaFontaine was inspiration for the movie, In a World…
In a world where the greatest freshwater lake on the planet laps up on the shore of the Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas, there is now showing a movie that was inspired by the career of a native son – and nobody around here seems to notice. The movie is now showing at the downtown Zinema Theater. Check out Jim Heffernan’s Blog to get a run down about the movie, some good links to learn more about La Fontaine and to hear “the Voice of God.” And by the way … it’s a perfect movie.
PDD’s Best Restaurant Poll
Through the highly scientific method of asking people what they think, we developed a list of 38 nominees for Best Restaurant in the Duluth area. This poll whittles the list down to manageable list of finalists.
[poll id=”44″]
This poll is now closed. The four top restaurants in alphabetical order, are:
Duluth Grill
Lake Avenue Restaurant and Bar
New Scenic Café
Zeitgeist Arts Café
Lake Superior Aquaman Patrols Undersea Landscape
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwcX7kg_i_0
Missing cat alert in Hunters Park / Morely Heights area
My friends cat has gotten out. It’s been gone for 48 hours now, in the area of Sussex and Leicester.
Daycare recommendations Chester Park
Does anyone have any recommendations for daycare providers in the Chester Park neighborhood?
What is the best restaurant in the Duluth area? We’re working our way up to a poll.
Next in PDD’s series of restaurant awards is probably the one we should have started with — the grand champion: the best restaurant of them all. We’ll begin this process by taking nominations in the comments to this post.
The criteria is somewhat up to you. In our previous polls there were a limited number of restaurants that could be considered “new” or “breakfast” restaurants, but virtually any restaurant in the territory is eligible to be considered “best.” And whatever makes it “best” is certainly subjective.
We expect people will lean toward fancier operations and consider money no object on this one, but if you truly feel the best restaurant in town is a cheap pancake house or burger joint, we’ll respect that. However, if you nominate a fast-food chain we’ll tell you right now it won’t be on the ballot. So here it is right up front we so can all get a good laugh: “I nominate the West Duluth KFC.” Oh, ha ha ha. Very funny.
Also, we know some of you snobs are dying to rant about how Duluth doesn’t really have any good restaurants because your advanced taste buds can barely survive outside of New York or Marrakech. Shut up.
And, of course, we must define our territory: Any restaurant in Duluth or 10 miles of its border is eligible. So establishments in Superior, Hermantown, Proctor and the various bordering townships all qualify; Two Harbors and Cloquet are out of bounds.
With all that out of the way, let’s begin. Once the nomination list reaches a satisfactory conclusion, a poll will be posted.
Fresh Hops For Sale
Hello, kind Duluthians. I have for sale three varieties of fresh hops, all picked today (Tuesday) and yesterday. Hand picked, by me, no branches, no leaves, no pesticides applied ever.
3.5# Cascades
1.2# Centennial (these smell amazing, by the way)
4 oz. nearly dry Mt. Hood
$30 for the cascades, $15 for the Centennials, $8 Mt. Hood. I will also trade for beer. E-mail me, my PDD username at gmail