Sunday, February 8, 2009

SEE, DO, EAT..Alaska in the Winter

Visiting Alaska is usually recommended in the summer months however during my stay here I have found there is still quite a bit to SEE, DO and EAT while visiting the Anchorage, Alaska area. I'll be updating this post as I see, do and eat at new places.

SEE

  • Flattop Mountain - located in south Anchorage. Great pan views of cook inlet and the city of Anchorage.
  • Turnagain Arm - Seward Hwy/Hwy 1 that runs south of Anchorage. Great views of the cook inlet and its majestic mountains
  • Portage Glacier - Views of glaciers forming down in Portage
  • Seward - Lots of cruises set out from here. Also home to the Alaska Sea Life Center and the Polar Bear Jump Off in January.
  • Homer - great to visit in the summer months, but it's still a nice drive in the winter and has great views from Homer spit

  • Talkeetna - not worth the drive...only visit during the summer months
  • Hatcher Pass - totally worth the drive. Willow creek at the bottom of the mountain...but this is my favorite view in all of anchorage.

DO

  • Resurrection Bay Cruise - This cruise sets out from Seward and takes a tour of Resurrection Bay. You'll be sure to see some good sea life and some glaciers if weather permits. Last cruises of the season tour in late October.
  • Alaska Train Ride - Ride from Anchorage to south to Seward or North to Denali.Alaska Zoo - Visit Aphun the Polar Bear and his friend at the zoo in Anchorage :) www.alaskazoo.org
  • Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center -Basically a drive through zoo on Hwy 1 just south of Girdwood on Hwy 1. www.alaskawildlife.org
  • Alaska Sealife Center - located in Seward www.alaskasealife.org
  • Fur Rondy - 10 day celebration of life in Alaska. Feb 27 through March 8. Ends with the start of the Iditarod...I'll post pictures. www.furrondy.net
    Iditarod - 1150 mile dogsled race through Alaska. I'm going to the kickoff in Wasilla so I'll post pictures later. www.iditarod.com
  • Skiing - Aleyeska resort in Girdwood...from Anchorage just drive south about 45 minutes to Hwy 1 to Girdwood.
  • Snowboarding - Drive up to the top of Hatcher Pass and park and snowboard down. You should probably have someone to drive down to the bottom to pick you up.
  • Ice Skating - Outdoor rink complete with ice sculptures located downtown between 5th and 6th streets

  • Hockey Games - Alaska Aces Games....the fans ring cowbells at the games so make sure you do not have a headache before going to the game :)
  • College Basketball - while it is not the UNC Tarheels or ACC basketball.....but the University of Anchorage basketball team is doing pretty well this season
EAT

  • Glacier Brewhouse - my personal favorite so far; great food
  • Kobe Japanese Steakhouse - local japanese steakhouse, not upscale...and if you've been to one Japanese steakhouse, you have more tha likely been to them all
  • Orso - owned by same people that own glacier. a little upscale from Glacier Brewhouse, but I still prefer Glacier.
  • Simon & Seafort - great view of cook inlet...a little upscale, good american food and deserts. They have a seasonal fruit cobbler that is wonderful...my favorite is the berry cobbler.
  • Sourdough Mining Company - Warning! Warning! Visit at your own risk. Greasy and overpriced. will leave you with indigestion that will NOT be worth it.
  • Village Inn - Alaskan version of your local IHOP. Decent breakfast.
  • Moose Tooth Pizza & Pub - local favorite pizzeria, very popular....you will more than likely have to wait a minute for your food.
  • Bear Tooth Theatre & Grill - owned by same people that own Moose Tooth. American food with theatre on the back side of restaurant where you can eat food from the restaurant and watch movies. Nothing particularly special, but a local favorite.
  • Sea Galley - Seafood restaurant that has the BEST tempura shrimp. Atmosphere leaves something to be desired...but then again, most places you visit in Anchorage are dated with decorations/furnishings that belong in the 70's and 80's.

Artic Desert...with a volcano???

So I went to the doctor here after being sick for a week and having chest pains whenever I breathed the cold air outside. She explained to me that Alaska is essentially an artic desert with cold dry air. People like me who are used to warmer, more humid climates sometimes find it difficult to handle the climate for extended perioods of time. So I have to make sure I wrap up, cover my face when outside, drink significantly more water than I normally would and take plenty of vitamins....yeah yeah doc, so are you saying I have been in Alaska far too long???

Here's my January recap:

First week of January...subzero temps around 25 below zero. It was one of the longest cold snaps in history. You know the temperature is below zero when you sniff and your nostrils stick together, hahaha! One good thing is that the days are lengthening in January…gaining 6 minutes a day.
Mid-January... There was a quick "heat wave" in mid-January of temps around 35 and 40….so much snow and ice had built up that many streets were a sheet of wet ice which made it almost impossible to drive or walk on. The local courts and government offices closed down for ice for the first time in almost 30 years due to weather. Alaska is used to cold and snow, but the ice was horrible.
January 20… There were several community service events in Anchorage the day before to commerote the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I took off on January 20 to celebrate the inauguration. (See why I'm celebrating) The University of Alaska at Anchorage showed the inauguration in the auditorium on the big screen. It was part of their Civil Rights Month Celebration. Hundreds of people attended and we all participated as if we were there….standing, applauding laughing and even crying. They also provided reflection cards for attendees to write down their reflections on what the day meant to them so they could display them all as part of the Alaska Civil Rights Exhibit later in the month. Later that night there were celebration parties/balls around Anchorage.

At this point let me say that I have experienced thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes and even an earthquake in Northern California, but of course, Alaska is aiming to broaden my experiences even further...
January 23/24...Some in anchorage felt an earthquake, but I didn't. This earthquake was unrelated to the unrest that was observed at Mount Redoubt Volcano. Yes, a volcano. ' I was surprised to learn how many volcanoes are actually located here in Alaska. Mt. Redoubt is located some 100 miles southwest of Anchorage was expected to erupt at anytime. It's eruption differs from your traditional lava flowing eruptions from a Hawaiin volcano in that it spews volcanic ash miles into the air and the wind carries that ash miles away. The danger is that the ash from the eruption is most likely to significantly impact Anchorage. This ash is actually earth rock which our lungs can't process. Residents are encouraged to buy goggles and face masks to prepare for the eruption. So yes, all of the hardware stores were running out of stock. Thankfully I was able to secure 2 masks and a pair of goggles just in case. The Alaska volcano observatory keeps daily updates on their website. I'm praying it just settles down and does not erupt. I'll keep you posted.