Famous Aerial Lift Bridge

Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth is a broad-shoulder shipping city, sandwiched between Lake Superior and hundreds of mountainous piles of flux and taconite used in processing iron ore. Its citizens are proud of its "famous aerial lift bridge" whose center span quickly ratchets into the stratosphere (well, 227 feet high) whenever a big freighter chugs into port.

At water's edge, next to the bridge, is the Marine Museum, a good place to park. Outdoor video monitors display the schedules of upcoming ore carrier arrivals -- like at an airline terminal -- so that fans know when they'll chug past. It's quite a spectacle, as locals and tourists race out to see a big ship float by. The bridge rises, the freighter honks its greeting, the aerial lift bridge hoots in return, the folks on shore applaud, and one guy on the ship yells "Duluth rocks!" to no one in particular.