Anchorage

Our first destination at Alaska was Anchorage and true to its name, we used it as a base to go to various destinations. So we were in and out of Anchorage a couple of times, and here, I am putting together our experiences during these visits.

We flew in to Anchorage from Seattle. The views from the flight were amazing to say the least . Let me share some of the pictures to make you get the feel of flying into Anchorage.

Taking off from Seattle, soon we were over British Columbia in Canada, flying over the incredible Rockies…

The Rockies as we flew over them. Note the turquoise lake so typical of the lakes here.

Some more flying and then we were on top of some of the largest sheets of ice….

Some amazing views of Alaskan glaciers ( difficult to separate the ice and clouds!)

Leaving the icesheets behind we were flying on more liveable terrain and the farmlands were visible.

Finally we were cruising over Anchorage and the Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm ( will be referring to this very often in the forthcoming episodes when it will be clear to you) of the Gulf Of Alaska were just below us….

The Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm of the Gulf Of Alaska

Since this was our first destination in Alaska, This episode will have a general roundup of things unique to Alaska too.

When we talk about Alaska, there emerges a mental picture full of mountains, glaciers, unending wilderness, bears, salmon, long daylight hours in summer, short gloomy winter days and the northern lights . Most of this is true but you cannot have all these in one trip. What we see in summer and what we see in winter are totally different and if one wants to cover every bit of Alaska, one has to be there at different times of the year. Many parts of Alaska shut down totally in winter and the local people go elsewhere. These kind of things are unimagineable for people like us who live in the tropics. And it is precisely this that attracts everyone to this natural wonderland…

The weather can be so fickle even in summer that one has to give extra days at each place for sudden and last minute changes in plans.

Tourism is an important industry in Alaska and the emphasis to attract tourists starts right from the airport. Major part of the tourism industry here is linked to Alaskan cruises, and unlike us, most people reach Alaska on a cruise. So there is an entire section in the airport dedicated to the various cruise lines that operate from here. They receive and facilitate the passengers flying in to Anchorage to join cruises elsewhere.

An Alaskan Cruiseliner

Apart from that ,there is a train station of Alaska Railroad at the airport which is at present being used for trains chartered by cruise lines only. Most passengers take the train to Seward or Whittier and board the cruises from there.

Wildlife

Alaska has unique wildlife and any trip to Alaska will include visits to see these animals. The airport itself showcases their wildlife in the form of stuffed animals. Besides, there are monitors displaying various wildlife encounters available to tourists in Alaska. One of my future episodes will be dedicated entirely to Alaskan wildlife….

Stuck at the airport…..Stuffed and preserved….Black bear and Musk Ox

Private chartered flights

Small private chartered flights take passengers from Anchorage to various destinations. This is required because there are many places in Alaska where the access is only by air for most part of the year. People visiting Alaska for specific purposes at a particular destination, take these flights.

Chartered flights

Fishing

Alaska has a long coastline and provides endless opportunities for recreational fishing. Special fishing trips and charters are available. Many tourists enjoy the fishing and then carry the catch with them home. Towards this end, we find lot of travellers with fishing equipment and storage containers at the airport. Many locations offer facilities for storing fish and shipping them to the required destinations .

Fishing charters

Moving on to Anchorage city…..

Anchorage city

Overall, Anchorage was a small sleepy laidback city when we visited it in summer. Most activities revolved around tourists taking cruises from other places and just using the city as a halt. The streets were empty most of the time even in the downtown area. Evenings saw more activity related to bars and pubs. Mind you, this is in summer…the time of peak activity. In winters, when temperatures dip to sub zero, most establishments close down and many locals head to warmer places. This is true all over Alaska. Most of the tourism centric jobs are very seasonal and the locals need to find alternative occupations. The flowers and the grass would then be just a white carpet of snow. Life will be difficult for anyone who stays back in the winter. Winter tourism also takes place but in selected places mostly related to ski resorts and such activities.

The streets in the city are by and large square or rectangular and named by alphabets and numbers. That makes it a little easy to find one’s way around.

Buildings have small flower beds outside and there are flowerbeds along most roads . Being summer, they were in full bloom and added beauty to the place.

Outside a building and at the bus stop

Beautiful flower beds by the roadside

Denali Views

Mt. Denali as viewed on a sunny day from Anchorage…that’s my featured image.

On bright sunny days, one can see Mt. Denali from Anchorage but we were not so lucky. As our visit was towards the fag end of summer, we hardly had bright sunny days.

What we saw…..

Wall Murals

Wall murals are very popular in Alaska and we saw a lot of them both at Anchorage and Seward.

Hope Wall Mural

This was painted during the pandemic by a group of volunteers . It is in the form of squares which have been painted and then attached to the wall . This signifies hope that things can only get better and coming during the pandemic, it surely meant a lot!!!

Hopewall Mural

Indigenous people

Another interesting mural was one which depicted the close relationship between the indigenous people, the land, animals and their way of life…

Mural honouring the indigenous people

Whaling wall mural

Called Alaska’s Marinelife, it depicts whales and seals native to Alaska and adorns a huge wall in downtown Anchorage

Whaling wall mural

Downtown Anchorage is home to a variety of restaurants and bars. Difficult to recognise as a bar or pub; it seems very quiet from outside. Once the doors open, it is music and dance inside.

Restaurants and bars

Alaska Centre for Performing Arts

One of the buildings that looks different in downtown Anchorage is the Alaska Centre of Performing Arts which was lit up for some performance. Some pictures..

Alaska Centre of Performing Arts

Anchorage Museum

The Anchorage Museum has exhibits of art , history, the Discovery Centre, Science galleries and the Smithsonian Arctic studies centre.

Anchorage Museum and some exhibits

Just off downtown are residential communities which usually have a nice park for recreation…

Typical residences in Anchorage

War Veterans Memorial

Located at Delaney Park, this memorial has a soldier in combat mode and is dedicated to Alaskans who have died in combat during various wars.

Some pictures…

War Veterans Memorial

Resolution Park and Cook Memorial

A small park towards one end of downtown, has a bronze statue of Captain Cook. This is in commemoration of his exploration of the Cook Inlet on board HMS Resolution in 1776. Captain Cook did not actually reach Anchorage as part of his explorations though he paved the way for it.

Cook Memorial

Some disturbing truths….

Homeless and Drug Abuse

Downtown Anchorage did leave me a little disappointed. Large number of homeless people foraging dustbins was not what I had expected here. Half naked men and women lying on the roadside in different states of intoxication is a common sight. Many are quiet but others are constantly hurling abuses or standing in various acrobatic poses.

A homeless man forages a dustbin and a woman sleeps on the roadside

Simultaneously there are people trying to help and rehabilitate such people as you can see in the picture below where a drug rehabilitation camp of sorts was held at the local park.

This is not exactly a very pleasant thing to talk about but I have to show the negative parts of a place too!!

Small tips for future travellers to Alaska

Weather can change any moment and so, be prepared with gear to face it at all times. Always dress in layers and thermal innerwear is preferable. Rain gear is essential whenever you step out. Good shoes , preferably hiking shoes will keep your feet warm and prevent you from slipping on wet surfaces.

When you plan an itinerary, always leave time for a last minute change due to weather conditions. So keep extra time at all destinations if you dont want to miss out on anything.

Most tour operators offer hotel drop and pickup.

Never interact with the homeless .

With this I wind up my episode on Anchorage city. Hope you have got a virtual picture of this city. We move on to more adventures in the coming episodes. Till then, do keep your comments and feedback coming.