Sun Is Still Shining In Anchorage

Many of us have cruised Alaska and returned home dreaming of going inland to visit one of the vast national parks near Anchorage.

Whether you take a packaged tour or travel independently, you are not going to see all of Alaska.

If you could see a million acres a day, it would still take a full year to see all of Alaska.

Denali/Mt. McKinley National Park alone is six million acres.  Wrangell-Elias National Park is more than twice as large.

The fact that there are no roads to most of Alaska makes seeing it all virtually impossible, no matter how much time you have to devote to the project. 

If you only have a week, I still think the best way to get a concise experience of Alaska is a cruise, but you can have a fun vacation land only, too.

There are plenty of safe, civilized trails in Anchorage.

Intrepid explorers who've attempted to see all of Alaska traveling by the seat of their pants are why there is a triangle of land in Alaska where more people mysteriously disappear than in the more famously spooky Bermuda Triangle.

However, we don't want you to disappear, so here are some tips.

Flying to or from Anchorage is a long flight, and Fairbanks generally takes longer, in a way similar to how flights to Vancouver takes longer than to Seattle.  You can fly to Anchorage and back from Fairbanks, as our daughter Gina's family did, or roundtrip Anchorage, which Julie and I did in order to simplify arrangements and hotel changes.

In Downtown Anchorage, there are lots of nice restaurants and watering holes.

The Anchorage Museum (which has free entry the first Friday of each month) and occasional civic events, like a free Fourth of July Concert in a beer garden constructed in a park, make downtown more of a tourist hub.  

Hotel Captain Cook would be an excellent choice downtown, although there are others nearby.

Gina's family went with a modern condo in Midtown Anchorage, where they were less than a mile from Wal Mart and fast-food outlets.

There is a relatively efficient bus system ($2 for adults, $1 for seniors, free for students).  A weeklong pass is $26, if you don't want to carry a lot of one-dollar bills).  I think Julie and I spent about $10 on buses, including once when we got on the wrong bus and had to switch a few stops later.

For meals, we dined at Snow City Cafe and Humpy's in Downtown.  Gina had scoped out these restaurants as top picks in Anchorage.

In Midtown, we went to Moose's Tooth Pizza (another of Gina's recommendations) and Buffalo Wild Wings.  All proved to be good choices, although we learned some valuable lessons.

Humpy's was touted as the most authentic Anchorage brew pub, according to Gina, who served as an advance scout, arriving a couple of days before us.  Julie and I went there on our first night, when we arrived in Anchorage about 10 PM on a bright, sunny night.

There was good country/folk singer who for me was a nice follow-up to the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, that I had enjoyed on our flight.  The bar performer also had a folk singer-songwriter, imperfect voice and guitar presentation that appealed more to me than to Julie.  

I can recommend the Alaskan Class 5 Pale Ale, which was very much like an IPA, that I drank during the surprisingly diverse set of songs.  When we walked out of the dark bar, it was still a bright, sunny day outside.

This was the downtown Convention Center where we caught our bus to Denali.

Snow City Cafe is always busy during their business hours that end at 3 PM, so phone in to put your name on their waitlist before you go.  No specific reservations are allowed, but calling to say you are on your way will save you sitting around for 45 minutes of waiting in queue while locals who phoned ahead take their seats shortly after walking in.

The specialty of Snow City is breakfast, so even if you go for lunch, order the breakfast.  The turkey sandwich Julie ordered and shared with me was not remarkable beyond not on toasted bread, and perhaps because I ordered after the lunchtime rush, a new batch of the daily-special soup, Chili, was delicious but had not really had a chance to cook down.

Breakfasts, on the other hand, are terrific.  Various unique takes on Eggs Benedict were delicious.  Figure $19 plus beverages per meal, and the entrees would be big enough for most seniors to share, if they aren't walking ten miles a day. 

When Gina's family had boarded the GoldStar Dome Train to Anchorage, Julie and I returned to Snow City Cafe for a midday meal, this time getting the breakfast that is served for lunch, too.

Laszlo pic from Open-Air Observation Deck exclusive to GoldStar Class.

The breakfast Go Go Sandwich that Julie had for $10 was more than enough for a meal, and very tasty.  I had the Country Style Eggs Benedict, which has biscuits, sausage and gravy with poached eggs.

In midtown, we tried to go to Moose's Tooth one night, only to find the wait would be over an hour.  So, after being turned away at an Asian eatery which was had a long wait, we walked back to Buffalo Wild Wings and got a booth right away. It was a good meal, probably about the same as one you probably have near your home.  It was reminiscent of PJ Whelihan's where we sometimes go for happy hour.

When I mentioned the overcrowding at Moose's Tooth to my old buddy Mike, who worked in Anchorage for several years as part of his project management position, he said he was surprised it was that busy. It had been a regular place he frequented for lunch a few years ago and he too recommended it.

We decided to try for lunch, and getting to Moose's Tooth at 11:30 AM instead of 7 PM, we were immediately seated.  Julie and I split a 10-inch Classic with Italian meats and mushrooms for $12.95, so about in line with California Pizza Kitchen, and they had similar non-standard pizzas.

Laszlo ordered a 14-inch Amazing Apricot Chicken pizza, eating half there and boxing the rest to take home.

Emma joined us a few minutes after we arrived at the restaurant, walking over by herself, but didn't order a meal.  Gina joined us after the pizza had been boxed and walked home with us.

After lunch, Julie and I went to our home away from home to rest up, while Gina took Emma to an ice-skating rink to practice her figure skating later that day

Gina said that it turned out to be quite exciting, because some Olympic caliber skaters shared the ice with Emma, doing Triple Axels and such.  A guy dressed like a lumberjack showed up.  Gina wondered what he was doing there, but when he started skating, he was better than all the other great skaters, who backed off to make way for the king of the forest to do his thing.

That turned out to be the stylistically spectacular Olympic Skater, Keegan Messing.  That practice session proved to be a highlight of Anchorage for Gina and Emma.  The rest of us could have been there, had we said yes to the opportunity to go.

Once you've traveled far, say "Yes!" to the possibilities.

Instead, I watched an old western starring Robert Young (from Father Knows Best fame), the kind of flick I would watch on "Million Dollar Movies" some summer afternoons as a boy.  Lest I be misunderstood, I really did enjoy my time, too.  It brought back childhood memories, a nice chapter in a wonderful life.

Along those lines, while I tout staying at a downtown hotel, especially if booked along with a cruise where it becomes a seamless part of the itinerary, Julie stresses that she liked the routine we established in our rental house, which was sort of a little old lady's house from the 1950's preserved in Amber, except for the Roku flatscreen TV.

We would make our morning Keurig coffee and toast Egg-O Waffles before heading out.  Located about a half-mile from downtown, the walk was not unpleasant.  We regularly passed a vintage locomotive engine stationed permanently in a park.

On the scenic train ride back from Denali a few days later, the narrator mentioned that very steam engine as having been on that very line a few decades back.

Children's novel author Shannon Cartwright, who homesteaded a place along the Alaska Rail Tracks between Anchorage and Denali, penned a book called Ol' 556 about this train.  In the novel, the old steam train comes out of retirement to save the day during a hard winter.

One day walking to town, we saw a baby bird in the street struggling to get up the curb to join two siblings who hadn't strayed off the elevated sidewalk.  We decided to try to help him up, providing different combination of our feet and an umbrella we were carrying.

An adult seagull was having none of that.

He boldly swooped down at our heads, trying to snatch our hats if not claw our scalps.

We decided the better part of being good Samaritans would be leaving the birds to settle this crisis out for themselves.  Walking away was the end of the Seagull Rebellion of 2025.

The reason I was too tired to go to the rink was that Julie and I walked ten miles per day every day while we were in Anchorage.  That included the tranquil Chester Creek Trail, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and University campus to the lake trail.  That combination, plus the coastal trail, would take us from Downtown to Midtown and then to the University.

We all saw eagles soaring through the sky during the trip.  Walking on the coastal trail from downtown on our first morning in Alaska. Gina, Julie and I had the most unusual bird sighting in Anchorage: two Emus, or at least we think the huge birds were Emus.

Laszlo and Emma took Viator's Hike Matanuska Glacier with Alaska Local Honey and Wine Tasting Tour.

They attached tour-provided crampons to their shoes for better grip on the ice.  Laszlo carried a provided ice pick for the adventure.  Laszlo invited Julie and me to come along.

It was a pricey excursion coming in at about $300 per person.  It was also challenging physically, which normally I would be ready for, but at the time I had an operation scheduled for a hernia, so I had to bow out.  Frankly, I probably was already pushing it by hiking so much on dry turf.

Laszlo and Emma enjoyed a father-daughter experience.

Despite it being a few days past the Summer Solstice, they were still cold.

That was another rationalization for not saying yes to this opportunity for grabbing the gusto of the moment.  Neither Julie nor I had packed very warm clothes for a trip that included sunny California using only carry-on luggage.

We also walked a lot of miles on city streets.

An economy car rental for the week would have been about $1200.

If you don't want to hoof it, the easiest trick is to stay where you plan to spend your time.  There is, incidentally, a nice Springhill Suites at the University campus, if you want closer access to the trails I mentioned.  Or course, you could also take excursions each day.

Our entire Alaska group returned to Humpy's downtown for dinner, primarily because Gina had enjoyed lunch there before our plane had arrived and thought their seafood menu would be a good choice for her husband Laszlo. 

Laszlo ended up going with a hearty seafood chowder, but he also ate quite a few pieces of Gina's fried calamari, which is considered one of their specialties.  I tried a bite, and it was delicious, not at all overly chewy as calamari can often be.

Emma had a salad with grilled salmon, which was a terrific choice.  I probably should have had some fresh salmon while in Alaska, since it is the specialty of the region.  Instead, Julie and I split a delicious double cheeseburger with fries, as we often do, which helps deter over-indulging as well as a bonus to saving money.

We all enjoyed our meals, but there was one noteworthy miscue.

Laszlo and I both ordered a pint of a local nitro stout, expecting something similar to Guinness.  I took a sip and said, "This tastes like fish." 

Laszlo took a sip and concurred.  Gina's not a beer drinker, but she tasted it and agreed.  Julie and Emma don't drink beer, but they both smelled fish.  We sent it back, telling the waiter it was undrinkable.  I got another pint of Class 5 Pale Ale, and Laszlo had a bit fancier beer in a small snifter.  We were not charged for the fishy stout.

Gina ordered one of the boozy desserts for the table to share, a delicious bread pudding.  Emma doesn't eat desserts these days, so the whiskey included was not at issue.  It was a delicious treat.

The next night, on Julie and my final evening in Anchorage, we went to the beautiful Glacier Brewhouse in downtown for a drink. The dinner prices are generally $50 plus, but beverage prices in line with Humpy's.

I ordered a local raspberry beer, which was very drinkable as a change of pace.

They had what looked like a very promising stout that was also brewed on the premises, but I was a little leery of another possibly fishy stout brewed in Alaska 

Perusing their beer menu while waiting for our order, I came across Oyster Stout, which I realized must have been the fishy beer the prior night, possibly tapped in error with the wrong draft pull or the merchandizer mixed up kegs in their beer delivery.

Most people in Glacier Brewhouse seemed very happy with their meals.  Julie and I seem to limit our fine dining almost exclusively to cruises, but if that is part of a great vacation for you, I would recommend this place, though just based on what seemed to be satisfied diners in a lovely setting.

Anchorage compared to big cities in the continental United States has scarce traffic and few pedestrians on sidewalks.  I like that.

There would seem to be plenty of restaurants based on those indications, but most travelers stay at centrally-located hotels like Captain Cook and fill restaurants at mealtimes, reaching them by short strolls.  A combination of that with taking excursions makes a lot of sense.

Staying Downtown, Midtown or by the University puts you close to the hiking trails where many of the photos in this post were taken.  If you are traveling by cruise ship, I would still recommend going with a ship-sponsored cruise-tour or using their hotel add-on to make it a seamless vacation.

There are lots of nice buildings, public artwork and attractions.

If you are traveling by a combination of buses and walking, you will find yourself in some less pristine areas.  You will encounter homeless people.  This is especially true if you take the bus, as they tend to huddle at the stops.

During our stay, we took a road trip to the Kenai Peninsula by car to take a Viator Tour, a highlight of Alaska that I will share next time.

By the way, while the sun does set in Alaska, you really couldn't prove it by my experience.  I think it was pretty dark outside when I awoke once at about 2 AM.  Every other time I looked outside other than that, the sun was still shining.

More of Julie's Photos

Video Julie Took on Chester Creek Trail is linked here.

More of Wes's Photos

Dog Pursues Ducks