Take off to the Great White North.

I have been in Duluth for almost 12 years now and I have always wanted to go to Thunder Bay. Whenever I would mention this to fellow Duluthians the response would be the same, "Thunder Bay sucks" or "There is nothing to do in Thunder Bay." Well I finally made the trip to see for myself. V-Nick and I took off last saturday morning in his trusty Geo Metro. The skies were super blue and the sun was warm on our backs as we headed North. The drive was mostly uneventful. At the border we had to go in and answer some more questions, "what do you do? where do you live? how much money do you have? boxers or briefs?" I actually like being hassled at borders so this was not a problem. It makes getting on the other side seem more special.

Our Hotel, the Prince Arthur was located in downtown Thunder Bay right on the water. It is worth the extra 5 bucks for a lakeside room in case you ever want to go.

We arrived mid-afternoon and after checking in we set out looking for the Hoito restaurant which is about the only positive thing I had ever heard about Thunder Bay. Located in the basement of the Finlandia building the Hoito has been in operation for like 90 years. Some of the early Finnish lumberjacks started the restaurant when they couldn't find good, cheap food. The food is still good and cheap and from the crowds we witnessed still quite popular.

Surrounding the Hoito are 5 or 6 other Finnish shops. Mostly Sauna related and some gifty type shops the whole neighborhood is quite charming. I purchased some Lilac Sauna Soap and a hand knit Canadian hat.



After eating a light lunch we set out on a search for some beer. A couple blocks from our hotel we found a great neighborhood bar that served us up 4 beers for 6 bucks (that is $4.58 as of this weekend.) The bar was just the kind of place you want to hang out in on a cold winter afternoon. Pool tables, pinball and tabletop Ms. Pac-Man. Turns out Nick had access to Ms. Pac-Man in his own home as a youth so he kicked my ass.



Later saturday night we went to eat dinner at the Aurora Restaurant. This place was fantastic. I don't think Duluth has anything that can top it for style, food and service. I think the most surprising thing was the number of people that were out, the place was packed from our arrival and there were still folks waiting to sit down when we left. The mix of ethnicities was also suprising. Asian, Indian, White, Black. I guess I thought Canada would be mostly white.



After dinner we headed to the Apollo nightclub for the Punk -vs- Mod show. We missed most of the Punk part of the night but the club was great. They had a nice size stage with a proffesional P.A. system and the hosts for the night kept the party moving. The whole evening was a fundraiser for a local art gallery called the Painted Turtle and they raffled off prizes in between bands. The best band we saw that night were the Waybacks, a cross between the Oxes and the Dames these guys rocked so hard. They all sing and dance and joke and jump around like their lives depended on it. I wish I had talked to these guys but the Gin-n-Tonics were taking their toll and I was tired.



Sunday morning we made a return trip to the Hoito, get the pancakes. On our way out of town we stopped at a local grocery store to check out the weird condiments and treats but we were treated to much more. There are whole aisles of ethnic foods. Indian, Thai, Mexican and one half of an aisle dedicated to every kind of rice I have ever seen in big delicious bags. After soaking up these delights we were further wowed by the produce selection. I thought I knew about most of the vegetables of the world but I was wrong. There are veggies that look like sea monsters out there. Very scary and prickly. The organic section at this store was the biggest I have ever seen and so cheap. Why do we not have this in Duluth? We are the same size as T Bay.

I could go on gushing about the trip but it was good to get home. I spose the trip was kind of like seeing a movie that blows you away because you were not expecting much. I will go back again though and with a bigger crew of Dullyouthians. We could learn from the Canadians.