Thunder Bay vs. Duluth

Yesterday I had some people over for a small holiday party. During the party a discussion came up about the merits of vacationing in Duluth or Thunder Bay. For those of you who aren't from Minnesota let me try to explain the allure of the city of Duluth. For most Minnesotans Duluth is next to their cabin on the lake as the most exciting place in the world. It is as if they are cats and Duluth is cat nip. Anyway, the discussion turned to how I thought Thunder Bay was a better place to vacation. Lets just say that it was a poor decision on my part to even entertain the subject. I would have been better off arguing the merits of hell vs. heaven. (It is warmer? More interesting people? Lower expectations?)

Here is my try of breaking down the two cities:

Duluth

• Population - 89,916 in the city and the greater Duluth area is 184,000
• Location - 2 hours north of Minneapolis on Lake Superior
• Known for - Grandma's restaurant, Grandma's marathon, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Great Lakes Aquarium, Aerial Lift Bridge, and the Glensheen Mansion.

Thunder Bay

• Population - 109,140
• Location - 6-7 hours north of Minneapolis on Lake Superior
• Known for - Sleeping Giant (voted #1 on the list of the seven wonders of Canada), Kakabeka Falls (the Niagara of the North), Ouimet Canyon, Mount McKay, Eagle Canyon (the two longest suspension bridges in Canada) and Fort William Historical Park.

Anyway, I tried bringing up some of the points and even busted out some pictures of Thunder Bay to show everyone. Mind you I wasn't saying that Thunder Bay was a better place to vacation than the Greek Isles. The only comparison I was making was that Thunder Bay was better than Duluth. That prompted the response "It is hard to take you serious" and "I can't believe you would rather go to Thunder Bay than Duluth." My point I guess is that if you find yourself in the same situation as me it is best to just keep your mouth shut.

I have to go to work now, but I thought I would share my thoughts on that argument.