For the love of music

Where have you been for the past 12 years? The event is organized by Duluth's Greater Downtown Council. You're hard pressed to get more a "near the area during the closures" organizer.

Were you inconvenienced in your car?

Actually no, I wasn't inconvenienced in my car because I bike to work year round. I just found the notion so abysmally stupid, as I wove in and out of gridlocked traffic and people making u-turns on Superior Street, that I had to bitch about it. 

Closing the street in front of Fitger's at 6 p.m. instead of before 5 p.m. would be smarter. Having a person directing traffic where Michigan Street dumps onto Superior Street would be an improvement, especially since everyone avoiding the downtown street closure takes Michigan Street, only to get hosed by the closure at Fitger's. I got bent because it would be so easy to not create the problem and still have the same result.

I have settled down a bit now that I have vented and consumed sedating adult beverages.

Two Harbors had its Heritage Days last weekend and closed Highway 61 to put on a parade. Two Harbors is the bottleneck of the north, and, on a Saturday in the middle of peak tourism season, they decide to close the road. SMRT.

Wow! Are you kidding! One day of a street closure, you get home 10 minutes later than normal and you think it's something to bitch about. Maybe you should park the car/bike and enjoy the festivities or accept a few days of minor inconvenience as payment for living in this beautiful area. I thank the Downtown Council for having free and low-cost activities that all can attend and enjoy.

Obviously Duluth and Two Harbors should have their events away from where the people are.

As a Two Harborsite, I'm OK with shutting down 7th Avenue for an hour for a parade. Maybe that can give the tourists some time to check their GPS so they don't miss the turn to Betty's, stomp on their brakes, and try to hang a U-turn on 61 while a timber truck is barreling down on them.

Or maybe they could enjoy some local color.

Seriously, there's really no better time than 1 p.m. on a summer Saturday to block that road a bit. On Friday afternoon, local people are still working and tourists who have taken Friday off are already coming in. Sunday afternoon, tourists are heading back after lunch. On Saturday afternoon, people aren't pouring into or out of town.

Inconvenience happens.

Meh.

I think it's events like this that make Duluth uniquely Duluth-y. Pretty much if you do anything downtown (or in other words, anything you expect people to attend)there's going to be congestion. Is it annoying that during the 4th of July fireworks or the City of the North parade it's a pain in the ass to find parking or drive? Sure, but you deal with the inconveniences of these few days out of the year for the time when it's something free you want to be at.

Wasn't Superior Street just shut down for Sidewalk Days?

What about the Fondle Youth Casino's street dance/concert thing?

You'll have to go to the Otsego Jam Fest or Verizon Wireless Center Riverfront Park for Eddie Money this year.

Fun To Lose Casino?

I work downtown and left work at 4:30 on Friday. I drove up to 2nd Street and made my way East in record time.  I also passed a line of backed up cars trying to get down Lake Avenue as I 'scooted' up to 2nd.  You just have to know how to get around the traffic vs. stick to the same ol' route.