SilGF

Hi!

I'm a Spanish girl who is going to work all summer in Grand Marais. I would like to know if someone can help me by giving me information about this village, the weather there, activities to be done there... I've seen that it is a very small town and far way from Duluth and I am a bit worried about that. Is there much turism in that area?

Thanks!

ziggypop

SilGF, the temperatures are probably a lot cooler than you are used to. The water in Lake Superior is cold, and Grand Marais is right next to the water. Tourism is the vast majority of the summer activities. It is a small town and probably two to three hours from Duluth.
Activities are mostly outdoor stuff like hiking, fishing etc. I'm sure you will have the time of you life if you have an adventurous attitude. Check out their chamber of commerce website for more info and links.

flpab

http://www.visitcookcounty.com/commu.../grand-marais/

I lived there during the late 70's and returned several years go to visit. Small community but very tight knit. Lots of free spirits, artist and back to nature people. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is big and brings in many tourist dollars.
We use to go get ice cream and head to the dump to watch the bears forage for food. They would send their cubs up the trees and dig. Lots of nice places to eat so there was good pickings for the bears. You will see Moose also.
It is beautiful and walks along the lake were my favorite thing. The temps are cool because the lake stays cool. About two hours to Duluth which is a pretty city and has changed so much for the better. It is a slow road because it is very scenic. Bob Dylan even has a song about it. What are you going to do there? They have a small hospital and a beautiful main st overlooking Lake Superior. Hope you like it.

Cali

I grew up in that area and get back there several times a year. There are many foreign students who work in the area all year, but mostly in the summer since the major tourist season is in the summer. If you are working at one of the local restaurants, resorts or hotels I am sure you will meet other foreign students as well as locals your age. There are several different festivals and other events in the town over the summer with various things you can do. Duluth is a two hour drive but many of the foreign students I have met have gotten to Duluth several times during the summer. Some even get to Minneapolis which is about a 5 hour drive. Almost every foreign student I have known who has worked up there have also gone to the Minnesota State Fair in late Aug. Also, several of the student workers have come back to work in Grand Marais for several years. Grand Marais is a pretty town on Lake Superior and there are many inland lakes close by so there are lots of water activities as well as hiking and camping. The arts community in Grand Marais is very vibrant and there are many artists taking classes at the Art Colony or North House Folk School. There are also plays and music events at the Performing Arts Center. If you are even a little artistic I am sure you will enjoy some of the programs that are offered in Grand Marais. As flpab said, there is a small hospital (and I must add it is very good - first hand experience on my part) and a beautiful downtown area which sits right on the lake. I don't know anyone who goes to watch the bears anymore, but we did back in the 70's and maybe early 80's. However, you can see a lot of wildlife if you go up the Gunflint Trail which starts in Grand Marais and goes 60 miles into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Most people are eager to see Moose and most do see them. Hope you like it there as much as we do. For those who wonder why they employ so many foreign students - they cannot get enough employees to work in the restaurants, resorts, hotels, etc. which cater to the tourists who visit this beautiful area.

flpab

Cali, I went online and googled the map. Brought back great moments. The dairy queen is still there, Blue Water café and the Ben Franklin. Probably stopped people going to the dump. They have a brewery now. Big time!

SilGF

Thank you so much for all the info, you have been great help! It sounds like you had a great time in your childhood, so I hope to see you both if you go there this summer. I'll be working at Genes Food, by the way.

Cali

flpab, yes many of the old places are still there and then there are new ones too. There are several very good restaurants in recent years and the brewery opened very recently. They are doing a good job of having lots of things going on in town. I still love to go to the DQ as we don't have one near us in CA. SilGF, I will be in Grand Marais this summer and I do go to Gene's foods so do hope to see you. I know Gene's has had foreign students working there for several summers. One of my friends has worked at Gene's for several years but I believe she has retired. I will have to check.

SilGF

I'm so sorry with all the questioning, but I have another doubt... is there good transportation in the area? I was thinking to come down to Duluth in some of my days off and I would like to know is that is possible.

Thank you!

Cali

SilGF, I don't know if there is a bus or anything to take you to Duluth. There used to be daily bus service, but don't believe it runs anymore. I have seen some vans running around and have met people from Grand Marais when coming out of a restaurant in Duluth and they were all getting off a van so assumed they came down together in the van. The students I have known who have gone to Duluth usually went with some other friends they have met (locals) who have cars. Many people from Grand Marais go back and forth to Duluth regularly so I assume you could get a ride with some of the people you meet. I have family who still live there and know more about the foreign workers and I will ask them if they know about the van/bus service to Duluth. I will let you know what I find out.

SilGF

Thank you so much, that's very nice of you!

WhereAreWe

There are only 3 options I can think of:

1) http://superiorhikingshuttle.com/
This is kind of expensive and since it is geared for hikers, the normal pick-up/drop-off locations are not real convenient.

2) http://arrowheadtransit.com/services/cook-county/
http://arrowheadtransit.com/wp-conte...ok-county7.pdf
This one has pretty limited service, just two days a month and you have little time in Duluth (4.5 hours).

3) Share a car ride with friends or co-workers

Other things to do on your days off....
Take a day or overnight trip to Isle Royale National Park. There is a ferry from Grand Portage to the island. It is pretty remote and not heavily visited, visitors go primarily to hike and experience wilderness. You would need to get to Grand Portage to get on the ferry...the link above for Arrowheard Transit/Cook County bus service shows that schedule.
http://www.nps.gov/isro/index.htm
http://www.grand-isle-royale.com/

Or go to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Not sure if that would be interesting or worthwhile but you can look into it. You'd have to take the bus to Grand Portage, then (hopefully) take the free casino shuttle from Grand Portage Casino to Thunder Bay. The reason I hopefully is because the shuttle is for customers going from Thunder Bay TO the casino, it's not really intended as a public transportation link between the two cities. You can call and check with the operators if that interests you.
http://www.httours.com/grand-portage-lodge--casino.html

Cali

SilGF, I spoke to my family members in Grand Marais and they verified everything that WhereAreWe said. The only service to Duluth is on the 2nd Tuesday and 4th Thursday each month. My friend's son has worked with foreign students in GM and he said that the ones he knew usually got rides to Duluth with local workers who had cars. Sorry I don't have better news but at least you know there is not daily bus service to Duluth.

Cali

SilGF, I forgot to ask you. Where do you live in Spain? My niece was a foreign student in Seville for a year. We also took a trip to Spain last year and loved it.

SilGF

Thank you to all of you! It relieves me to know that foreign students usually get rides with locals.

I live in Madrid, but I've been in Seville a couple of times, it is a very lovely city. I'm glad to know you like Spain!

Cali

SilGF, We didn't get to Madrid unfortunately, but hope to get there on a trip at another time. Our trip started in Barcelona. I hope you have an enjoyable time in Grand Marais. I will stop in at Gene's Foods to see you when we are there this summer.

SilGF

Hello!

I'm sorry to disturb you again, but I finally got my Visa and now I'm trying to buy the plane tickets. I've entered the United Airlines webpage to buy the Chicago-Duluth ticket, but it is the first time I use this company and I have some doubts (I actually send them an email about this, but they haven't answered yet). Does the ticket include any checked-in luggage? If so, how many siutcases and which is their weight limit?

Thank you in advance!

Dukey1

United offers the only non-stop service to Duluth from Chicago O'Hare airport as far as I know.

The baggage rules are clearly outlined on the United.com website and I will try to add a link here

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...e/default.aspx

and be sure to read THIS:

http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/trav...edBaggage.aspx

Cali

Yes, United is the only airline that offers service to Duluth from Chicago. Delta offers service to Duluth from Minneapolis and Detroit. Both airlines charge for baggage unless you are one of their premium passengers or are flying first class. They also offer a free checked bag if you have their airline visa or American express card. The maximum weight per bag on both airlines (unless first class) is 50 lbs and I believe they charge $25 a bag for the first two bags. As Dukey1 said you can find this on their airline website.

SilGF

Yeah, I've read it now, thank you! But I can't find any info about lugagge while booking the ticket, shall I assume that you have to pay for it once you are at the airport? Or does the ticket include it?

Cali

You usually pay for the luggage when you get your boarding pass. You will not get your boarding pass until 24 hours before the flight or when you get to the airport and check-in. If you are getting the ticket as one ticket (even though two or more flights) I assume you will check the luggage right through to Duluth and get all the boarding passes at once. Is your original airline United or a United partner?