Hotels By City: Cheap Hotels, Hotel Guides & Hotel Blogs

I have been hearing from friends all day... the message is all the same, "woops, I accidentally tried to go to the bank today." We all know that this is the worst day of the year to go to the bank in Alaska unless you are desperate. The Alaska Permenant Fund Dividend, the annual check that every man, woman and child gets each year just for living here, has arrived. ...

The termination dust, AKA the first snow in the mountains, has fallen and summer is officially over. The blistery winds are blowing yellowed leave hither and yon and the bull moose are making their moves on the ladies in the backyard. Blogging time is hard to come by when the geese are calling as they fly south as fast as they can go. So much to do! A new exhibit at ...

Today is the last day to try your luck fishing in the Seward Silver Salmon Derby. The top prize is $10,000... so don't forget to buy your $10 derby ticket BEFORE you go fishing. Kevin Daniel is currently in the lead with his nice 18.66 pound salmon to his name. That will be tough to beat... but there ARE plenty of fish in the sea, so grab a pole, buy ...

Hope is about 1 1/2 hours from Anchorage on the other side of the Turnagain Arm. In 1886, gold was discovered here. 3000 people lived in Hope before Anchorage even existed. Now Hope is a sleepy little town of 200. Many of the buildings are original. They have a great camp ground with a fabulous view and easy fishing for Pinks (salmon) at the ...

The Silvers are in at Ship Creek! Whether you live here or are just visiting, a walk down to Ship Creek is a treat at this time of year. Ship Creek is within fairly easy walking distance of most of the downtown Anchorage hotels. It is down hill, so if you are not nimble, you can look into the free "Ulu Factory" trolley which departs from the visitors center (4th & F) to ...

I was recently asked about the highlights of Anchorage. There are so many that it is hard to nip it down to just a few. Here is what I cam up with:

Activities:

I highly recommend the Alaska Native Heritage Center. There is a free shuttle that goes from the visitors center (4th and F) to this North Anchorage highlight. It is spendy(adult $24.95, child $16.95), but does a great job of ...

The Anchorage Port has continued its' program of free Sunday tours this summer. See the port close up, treat the family to a free lunch of hotdogs, and learn about the expansion project. I meant to do this last summer and never did. I'm glad to have a second chance to get down there. The Port is on the North side of town (you can walk there from downtown hotels) ...

I like free events... who doesn't, however $2 is almost free... especially when it comes to a Fishing Derby. Saturday, July 11 from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM you can bring your kiddo's down to Taku Lake for a Kids' Fishing Derby. There are clinics and contests. You need your own pole for this one. Children can register for the derby for the afore mentioned price of $2. Adults would ...

The smoke and the haze from more than 70 Alaskan fires, including a brush fire in East Anchorage have erased the ever present Chugach Mountain Range from the Anchorage skyline. This may not mean much to someone from a place where the mountains are distant from the city, but in Anchorage it is the equivilant of not seeing your hand in front of your face. It is not quite bad ...

In a place of extremes, you expect the forces of nature to be strong. The people who have lived in Alaska for 1000's of years know this better than anyone. Still, hearing about the little town of Eagle being torn apart by a raging ice flow during spring break-up makes my heart feel sad. A mostly native village on the banks of the Yukon, Eagle is also a tiny pearl in ...