Ships are extremely valuable and the potential for things to go very wrong is high.  A captain of any ship is responsible for the safety of the crew, guests, and the boat.  The captains of the tall ships docked behind the DECC aren't going to want uncontrolled pedestrian access to their gangplanks at 2am any more than the captain of a laker at an ore dock would.

     As for the price, yes $6 is high.  Also, gas is expensive, movie tickets cost way more than they used to, and the growth of college tuition has outpaced inflation for decades.  Its a "damn kids get off my lawn" thing to complain about.

I think it is just fine.  Avoid the street for one weekend.  You get most of the experience by walking by them so I understand why they charge to get close to them.  The festival adds a lot to the area so I am not going to spend my time knocking it for something that seems common sense to me.

$6 bucks for a wonderful city is nothing to me. Go buy some rolling papers or something and meditate in your back yard.

This thread reminds me of how much Duluth is not a city.  In any other metro areas, $6 would be a deal, the boats would be appreciated, the revenue they generate celebrated (what are occupancy rates this weekend at hotels?), people unable to afford the $6 would appreciate seeing them arrive, seeing them enter or exit the harbor 12-16 times a day for 3 days for free from the Canal, or appreciate the views from as far away as the Bellisio's parking lot.

Duluth is bustling with Other People's Money this weekend, and everyone in Duluth can experience the Tall Ships in some way, regardless of income.  This one is a win for VisitDuluth.

Considering that the $6 gets you in to see Pirates of Penzance and other fine entertainment, I say it's the best deal of the summer.  And, by the way, I went to Pirates last night and it was fantastic.  Best $6 I'll spend all month.  Perhaps all year.

Or you could walk across the blue bridge and see all the ships from behind Grandma's Sports Garden for free.

Yeah, Zoe's right on point.  Last time, you could walk and gawk [and harangue some kid who spit gum on the street at your feet, only to have his doting parents protest, but that's another story] for the low, low price of zero.  We weren't going to stand in line for hours, but we did take the kids down to see them last time.

My girlfriend and I spent close to 8 hours this weekend watching the ships from the canal, the lakewalk, the rose garden, and the Portland malt shop. We purchased drinks at Little Angies, fantastic malts and enjoy the great scenery of the lift bridge and the lake. Seeing a Laker and a Tall Ship both traverse the canal... that's pretty much priceless experiences right there.  

Frankly 12 dollars is a pittance for a great weekend of entertainment. Nice job, Duluth!

Because of the heat and crowds I have not ventured to Canal Park this year. I did watch and photograph the ships coming in down the lake on Wednesday from the parking behind the Holiday Station on 26th ave E (walk to Lakewalk) and from the Perkin's parking lot (overpass view).  They were spectacular as the sun reflected off their white sails and it didn't cost me one cent.  Had it been cooler I would have gladly paid the $6, plus the money to have some good food and a cold beer. I love that we are making the harbor friendly to more than shipping business. I was upset with myself for not thinking of going out on the Vista--those folks had a wonderful view, right in the midst of all those tall masts headed for the bridge. And next year I would like to be out there in a kayak.  Yup.

People will bitch about anything.

There was no blindly about it.  You clearly have internet access;  I'd bet there were 100 to 1,000 pictures and videos of those ships to see on the web.  

And there were plenty of ways to see them for free.  Just not in the secured areas immediately dockside.  This was an event that served the whole city, regardless of income.

It cost $6 to get into the park to get up close to the ships docked. You could see them under sail for free from many, many vantage points as they came and went. You just had to pay if you wanted an up close look at them were docked. If VisitDuluth hadn't done this, and a private promoter had, would you complain about the $6 or think, they invested in this, so I suppose they should make some money. 

How much did you pay to see the last concert you went to? Couldn't you have just borrowed a friend's CD and ripped it down for your MP3 player for free? How dare people who create and invest in a product or service or form of entertainment expect to earn a living from their work! The shame of it all.

Adam, the $6 may go to help cover the cost of all the advertising for the event, or for the fee charged by the owner of the ships to bring the ships here in the first place, or maybe to rent the space, or tents and tables, or buy insurance. Heck even passes and lanyards and t-shirts for the volunteers cost money.

It's an event, and the ships are the show. That $6 got you a close-up view of the ships, an opera, several music acts, a replica British naval training camp from the era of tall ships, a free child's activity tent set up by the Tweed, and other wandering acts (e.g., "MN Jack Sparrow"). Even folks to entertain the  good paying people waiting in line. If you wanted to, for a little more $ you could tour the ships, even more, take a short cruise on one. Lines were never longer than 1.5 hours. Last time, when it was free, lines were six hours long.

Local food and merchandise vendors had four days to sell their wares. (Folks happily plunked down $6 for a handful of cheese curds--you think they even blinked at a $6 entry fee?) Glensheen set a record for the weekend as shuttles left Bayfront for the mansion tours. I've also heard from reliable sources that many local restaurants had a great weekend, as did hotels and Canal Park retailers. They certainly did better than if Bayfront had sat empty this weekend.

I myself have said before that I think what VisitDuluth does best is to promote VisitDuluth, But this time I believe they truly did a great job. If they get financial support from us "taxpayers," then they did their job of bringing folks from out of town to spend their money supporting local businesses and paying sales tax on food, lodging, events, and merchandise, a good chunk of which goes back to the City.

I biked there, saw the HMS Bounty, which was the only ship moored outside the gate.  That was on Sunday.  I was happy to see it since it was the only ship I cared about.

I was actually expecting them to charge on the road near the Irving on that side, and the price to be more like $10 or $12.  Either that, or have people pay to board each ship.  I was more disappointed in me, because I didn't approach the gate to find out it was only $6 (I only had 8 bucks on me at the time, but would have gladly paid had I known).  Alas, I hate crowds and there were way too many people for my comfort at the time to bother checking.

En route, I was really hoping, complete with fingers crossed, though, that they'd let people at least walk by all of them at a respectable distance for free.

Linda,

Cost?  $6!?!?!?!??!!?  Crowds are one thing, but the cost was completely within reason.

There were tall ships here???

I don't think the public/private issue here was about.  I think this is what they meant... the public part was the parade of ships, the ability to view them while they are docked and sailing around the harbor and outside the lift bridge.  These things were all free to anyone who wanted to take the time to find a place to watch them.  The private part was if you wanted to pay to take a ride or get on the ships or attend one of the many private functions associated with the ships.

I just brought my family to Duluth for the weekend and spent well over a thousand dollars on hotels, meals, transportation, amusements, but not one cent on walking down the street that you're complaining about. I did that for free last time, and you couldn't pay me to put up with that crowd again. But what I did get was a lifetime's worth of pictures and memories from other vantage points that were just as satisfying if not more so. That is, until reading that petty people such as yourself have to ruin what was an amazing weekend by throwing a wet blanket over something you don't deserve in the first place. I hope you take your precious six bucks that you couldn't bear parting with and choke on it while you get off on free auto-erotic asphyxiation. Thanks for tainting what few positive thoughts of Duluth I had left. I only wish I could get my money back because I don't want any of it going to anything that you might enjoy in the future.

I work in Canal Park, and business this weekend sucked ass. Two years ago during the first Tall Ships (which was free), we were swamped. Methinks making people pay to sightsee just drains the cash they would have otherwise spent on local businesses and keeps them in one spot because they paid for the privilege of being there.

Dear Duluth,

Why do you hate capitalism?

Dear Duluth,

You used to love capitalism and entrepreneurial when you had the most millionaires per capita in the United States as recently as 1979. Since then, you've embraced an Iron Range mentality - a sense of entitlement without the hard work or creative ideas.

I miss the old you.

Love,
Bob

Big E, Bob knows not of what he speaks. The last time that Duluth had "the most millionaires per capita" was around 1905 or thereabouts, when it was on pace to outgrow Chicago -- and really, that was a claim: no one conducted a census of millionaires.

Good one! (Directed toward Zac B.'s Nazi actor comment.)