Every lake facing ground floor window in the Holiday Inn on Park point was broken. I wouldn't even want to hazard a guess at how far back from the water the hotel stands. I'd be accused of exaggerating.

It is no longer a Holiday Inn. I'm not sure, but I think it is now The Inn on Lake Superior. Hard to tell if the building has changed, Google Street View stops two blocks away... sigh.

But, it's not too ironic that The Inn on Lake Superior's tag line on their web site is, "Peace, Serenity and Oooey Goooey Smores." I don't imagine guests were to serene on Nov 10, 1975. Though, their smores were probably soggy.

http://www.theinnonlakesuperior.com/index.php

Here's a link to their "About Us" page, which shows how far the place is set back from the water. I can't tell from that shot if it is the building I am talking about or not.

http://www.theinnonlakesuperior.com/about.php

Here on the Chesapeake, if the wind blows out of the north at 15 kts for three days, Our tide cycle drops about 2 feet as the water piles up in Norfolk. Imagine the water that would pile up on the lee shore (Park Point) with 350 miles of fetch during a NorEaster blowing 40 kts or more for several days.

Looking at the pics in the gallery, it is not the same building. But all of the hotels on that strip are about the same distance from the water. I wonder if they evacuate during big Nor'Easters now? (the November 10, 1975 storm was actually 5+ days long.)

I remember it well. It was one of the few times classes were closed. We had to walk through the storm to the liquor store and roll a keg of beer back to the dorms because they hadn't plowed our parking lot. It was miserable work...

Until some of us took a toboggan and rigged it with a sail. :D The good news was, the Liquor store was North East of the dorm and it was blowing 60 kts out of the North East.

The bad news was, when we blew out the sail, I was out a blanket for my bed...

Having lived and worked on that water for five years, I have the deepest respect for it. Of all the places I've dreamed of sailing. Sailing home to Duluth across that lake, gives me the biggest willies. I wouldn't want to have to beat across that lake. That water is damned cold.