Anchorage Highlights
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 sharing Alaskan Native culture with visitors. A 1/4 mile walk around a man made lake takes them into and past museum quality replica's of the different types of homes once built by the different clans of Alaskan Natives from different regions across the state. Inside, the center stage features dancers, storytellers, and athletes performing events from the Native Olympic Games... all very impressive.
The Anchorage Museum is in flux. The new expansion project is "complete" on the outside, but the inside is still a jumble of great exhibits and wide, empty, cricket-chirping spaces. On the outside, the new ultra-modern glass and metal exterior clashes with the classic old school brick structure. The new entrance is built for the masses, but Anchorage is not a place where lines form often and it seems a bit... much. Once they get themselves to the old part of the building, the permanent exhibits are still there. The paintings are downstairs and the ethnographic timeline upstairs with Native, Russian and more recent artifacts are upstairs. It is still worth seeing. The temporary "Gold" exhibit in the new part of the museum is also worth seeing if it is still open when you get here. It closes August 2nd.
If your budget allows... a trip out into the Kenai Fjords is always a great experience. Orca's, Humpbacks, Seals, Sea Lions, Otters... really amazing! Kenai Fjords Tours offers packages that include transportation from Anchorage. Closer to toen is the 26 Glaciers tour from Whittier. Glaciers galore and seals too!
If your have a car and are on a tight budget, a trip North to Independence Mine can fill a day and provide all the incredible mountain scenery that a visitor could handle. The only cost is $5 for parking.
The Seavey's Wild Ride Sled Dog Show... haven't seen it, but I want to. Looks great!
Restaurants: (Reservations recommended of all)
My favorites are:
Marx Brothers (3rd & F): Great food, cozy atmosphere, and wild wine list. I've never been there when Van wasn't there making his famous salad.
Sacks (4th & G): Consistently lovely, nice salad options, even the bar fills up with diners.
Crow's Nest (20th floor of the Hotel Captain Cook): The view is great, but the food is really good as well (compared to other hotel fine dining options).
Snow City Café (4th and L): Best breakfast in town. Always busy, but worth the wait.
Jens (midtown on Arctic and 36th in a strip mall): Jens changes his menu every year based on his winter travels. They host a wicked Beaujolais Nouveaux Party each year, popping the cork on the barrel right at midnight (as the 3rd Thursday in officially arrives).
Kincaid Grill (Raspberry & Jewel Lake Road, Just South of the Airport.): Another strip mall, but chef Al Levinson is well known in Anchorage. Good food, my mom loves this restaurant.
Jack Sprat (Girdwood): Surprisingly healthy and tasty offerings have written a success story for this little restaurant that could. Jack Sprat's was formerly bakery in this little ski town about 1-hour South of Anchorage. It has a chalet feel to the décor and a good kids menu as well.
Other:
For a light healthy lunch, the Middleway Café & Teahouse in the Northern Lights Center (midtown) is a great place to get an inexpensive specialty meal. Vegetarian, gluten-free, delicious and light food in a very casual setting. A great local find.
If your friend's have a "chocolate problem" in the severe way that I do, they will kiss your feet for sending them to the Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge (36th & Old Seward, by Quizno's). They serve molten drinking chocolates, spicy or silky. You can drink the chocolate, or add a shot of chocolate to your favorite espresso drink. If I had the cash for it, I'd open one of these shops in Seattle! They also make fresh gourmet truffles and sell eclectic art and jewelry. Fun shop!
The Oomingmak or Qiviut Shop (6th & H): A great native co-op that sells goods knitted out of qiviut (musk ox fur). Qiviut is eight times warmer than wool for the weight, not itchy, doesn't shrink, and is "softer than cashmere." It is not inexpensive... but is a unique and beautiful material. All items are knitted by Alaskan Natives.
