Anchorage, AK Road Trips

Let's be clear, if you are looking for the "real Alaska" this is not it, but you can see it from here. Anchorage is a city — a real city with freeways, traffic, giant malls, tall buildings, crime and most other things one expects to find in an American city. It is an important hub and the gateway to other marvelous areas including the Alaskan Interior and the Kenai Peninsula, but is not really a tourist destination. While it is not the administrative capital of Alaska, it is the economic capital. There are good places to eat and plenty of shopping, but the city is just that, a city. A great place to gear up for a trip, but it's not particularly "Alaskan" except for the weather and its spectacular setting. Alaska is well known for its winters—but most visitors come in the summer, when the days are long and the temperatures are moderate. Many people consider the period between May and early September to be the best time to visit Anchorage. The month of June usually has the best combination of long days, good weather, and warm afternoons. As you would expect in the high northern latitudes, the longest days come around the summer solstice, 21 June, and they get quite short around the winter solstice, 21 December. In the summer, Anchorage gets up to 19½ hours of sunlight between 4:30AM and 11:30PM, the sun sets just before midnight especially early in the season. Under clear skies, the sky wouldn't get completely pitch black in June.

1 Anchorage Museum, 625 C Street (downtown between 6th and 7th Avenues), ☏ +1 907-929-9200. Summer (1 May-30 Sep) 9AM-6PM; Winter (1 Oct-30 Apr) Tu-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-5PM, closed M. The Anchorage Museum, the largest in Alaska, tells the multi-faceted story of the North, weaving together social, political, cultural, scientific, historic and artistic threads. With its major expansion in 2008-2009, it has become a must see. The museum features an extensive exhibit on the first peoples of Alaska, Alaskan history, a Discovery Center for hands-on exploration of the history and science of the North for all ages, and part of a Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. A 25,000 ft² (2,300 m2) expansion features new gallery space for the museum’s art collection and exploration of art of the North. Adults $15, 0-2 free, 3-12 $7, Seniors/Military/Students with ID $10. Culture Pass Joint Ticket (admission to Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum) $29.95 (free shuttle from downtown and between both museums) summer only. (updated Jan 2017) 2 Alaska Native Heritage Center, 8800 Heritage Center Dr (off Glenn Hwy in northeast Anchorage, next to Bartlett High School), ☏ +1 907 330-8000. Summer (8 May-24 Sep) 9AM-6PM daily, Winter (29 Oct-16 Apr) Sa 10AM-5PM. Culture Pass Joint Ticket (admission to Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum) $29.95 (free shuttle from downtown and between both museums) summer only. This is much more than just a static museum of glass display cases. The various native Alaskan cultures are all represented in this center.

1 Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (My Alaska Center), 621 W 6th Ave (downtown from G to F Sts), ☏ +1 907 263-2900. The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, a performance venue (concert hall) opened in 1988, consists of three theaters and entertains over 200,000 patrons annually. Together with the Dena'ina Center (7th and F) and the Egan Convention Center (5th and F), these three facilities linked by covered walkways form a civic center in the heart of downtown Anchorage. (updated Jan 2017) Anchorage Summer Music Concerts, downtown Anchorage. The Anchorage Downtown Partnership hosts three weekly concert series in the summer (check locally for programming): Music for Little Ones, Mondays noon-1PM in Peratovich Park (WiFi access) at 4th Avenue & E Street; Music in the Park, Wednesdays noon-1PM in Peratovich Park (WiFi access) at 4th Avenue & E Street; Live After Five, Thursdays at 5:30-7:30PM in Town Square Park at E Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, featuring good eats and a beer & wine garden. Music is free. (updated Jan 2017) 2 H2Oasis Indoor Water Park, 1520 O'Malley Rd, ☏ +1 907 522-4420. (updated Aug 2020), 3 Alaska Public Lands Information Center, 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 105 (kitty corner from the log cabin visitor center at 4th Ave and F St), ☏ +1 907 644-3661. Summer: daily 9AM-5PM; Winter: Tu-F 10AM-5PM. This center is staffed by National Park rangers. They also lead a through downtown, stopping at some statues and ending with a view of Cook Inlet. Free. (updated Jan 2017) First Friday Art Walk, 427 D St (downtown near 5th Ave).

1 Kriner's Diner, 2409 C St, ☏ +1 907 929-8257. Giant portions for little money ($4-15 per person), from Ted's Big Breakfast to Jenne's Reindeer Sandwich to the homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls, you can't go wrong. It's home-cooking, the Alaskan way. 2 Yak and Yeti, 3301 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907 743-8078. Remarkably good Himalayan and Indian cuisine in Spenard. Five minutes from the airport. 3 Hula Hands, 4630 Mountain View Dr, ☏ +1 907 278-4852. Good, cheap Hawaiian and Tongan food. Another location on Fireweed. 4 Arctic Roadrunner, 5300 Old Seward Hwy, ☏ +1 907 561-1245. Second location at 2477 Arctic Blvd, ☏ +1 907 279-7311. An Alaskan institution and consistently voted Anchorage's best burger. Kitschy Alaskana on the walls, including plaques and portraits of longtime Alaskans and longtime Arctic Roadrunner customers. Also try the halibut burger and homemade onion ring pieces. Cash only; "no checks since 1972." 5 Sami's City Diner, 3000 Minnesota Dr, ☏ +1 907-277-2489. Daily 7AM-8PM. Run by local celebrity "Chef Al" Levinsohn, famous for his other restaurant in town (Kincaid Grill). City Diner has some of the best sandwiches in town; the monte cristo is to die for and the sliders are amazing. 6 Gwennie's, 4333 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907-243-2090. An Alaskan institution; must be seen to be understood. Down home Americana meets Alaska (think sourdough pancakes and reindeer sausage). Extremely touristy but also popular with the locals for good prices and big portions. Old-time Alaskan rusty things hanging on the walls. Taco King (3 locations).

Anchorage has many, many bars. Bars must close by 2:30AM M-F, 3AM Sa & Su under municipal law. Bars can stay open until 5AM in the cities of Palmer and Wasilla, about 45 minutes north. Anchorage also probably has more micro-breweries per capita than anywhere else (except maybe Portland, OR). All bars and restaurants in Anchorage are non-smoking. Also see "Bear Tooth Theatrepub", "Glacier BrewHouse", and "Moose's Tooth" under "Eat." First Tap Thursday - On the first Thursday of each month, Bear Tooth Theatrepub celebrates a new Broken Tooth Brewing draft beer with live music. 1 Bernie's Bungalow Lounge, 626 D St (between 6th and 7th; across the street from Nordstrom's entrance), ☏ +1 907 276-8808. This is a fashionable and friendly "martini-and-cigar" type of place. Good place to sit outside on the lawn in the summer, or to go upstairs to the Paradise Room for a fancy place to have a drink (although the upstairs is often booked for private gatherings). It's popular with well-dressed young people and businesspeople (during the daytime). The evening crowd is generally younger and the bar is embracing a larger hip-hop crowd. Usually busiest after midnight. 2 Chilkoot Charlie's, 1071 W 25th Ave (in Spenard), ☏ +1 907 279-1692. This is the largest bar within about 1,400 miles (2200 km). It's a huge spot that is always busy on weekends. The outside facade is deceptively small - there is a map on their website to navigate through all 10 or more bars. There is usually at least one band playing every night (and usually a cover charge).

Since about 2000, major hotel developers from the Lower 48 have been building new hotels along C Street from International Airport Road to just north of Tudor Road, making this half-mile stretch of C Street a new "hotel row" in Midtown (about 3 mi (5 km) south of downtown and 3 mi (5 km) east of ANC). 1 Alaska Backpackers Inn and Hostel (Hostelling International Anchorage), 327 Eagle St, ☏ +1 907 277-2770. Dorm beds $25, single private $50, double private $60. 2 Spenard Hostel International, 2845 W 42nd Ave, ☏ +1 907 248-5036, fax: +1 907 248-5036, [email protected]. Check-in: Noon-11PM. This hostel is a bit of a way out of the center of town but is a really clean and friendly environment compared to the inner-city alternative. The staff is helpful, and you can help them around the hostel to earn a free night there if need be. It is serviced by PeopleMover route 7. 3 Homewood Suites by Hilton, 101 W 48th Ave, ☏ +1 907 762-7000, fax: +1 970 762-8000. 4 Motel 6 Anchorage - Midtown, 5000 A St, ☏ +1 907 677-8000, fax: +1 907 677-8640. According to the general manager, this one has the distinction of being the most expensive Motel 6 in the country, if not the world, during the peak summer season. Summer $153-179, rest of the year $119-139 single or double. (updated Apr 2020) 5 Puffin Inn of Anchorage, 4400 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907 243-4044. Bed and Breakfast 6 Jarvi Homestay, 14321 Jarvi Dr, ☏ +1 907 561-3349. When you want to appreciate Anchorage without concrete and crowds, try "a healthy way to stay". Calm, peaceful, low key. Great breakfasts, too.

1 Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) IATA is served by many major American airlines. The main passenger airline that serves Anchorage is Alaska Airlines. Air travel is the cheapest and fastest form of transportation in and out of the state. Non-stop flights are available from Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, and more locations in the summer. Many arriving and departing out-of-state flights are late-night "red-eyes," but there are often many daytime flights to and from Seattle. Anchorage is the fourth busiest airport for freight due to its location along "great circle" routes between Asia and the lower 48. There are non-stop flights from Canada, Germany, Iceland, and airline hubs in the lower 48. The South Terminal (domestic) serves Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Condor (departures), Delta Air Lines, Grant Aviation, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines All regional intrastate carriers also use the South Terminal. The North Terminal (international) serves Condor (arrivals), Icelandair, and Yakutia Airlines. The Anchorage airport is connected to the Lake Hood Seaplane Base, but not Merrill Field. A shuttle bus runs approximately every 15 minutes between the North and South terminals.

While not nearly comparable to the size of major world cities (the city is several thousand square miles, but most of it is uninhabited and mountainous), the developed part of the Municipality of Anchorage is fairly spread out and not very walkable—with the exception of the compact downtown area. Most of Anchorage is built on a grid system laid out by the railroad: numbered streets run east-west, starting at First Avenue in the extreme north of the city (at the Port and train depot) and ending up in the mid-hundreds at the south edge of town. Lettered streets run north-south, starting at A Street in the middle of downtown and going up to the west; east of A Street, the street names begin with sequential letters and are named after Alaskan cities and towns (Barrow, Cordova, Denali, etc.) This makes finding yourself on a map fairly easy, although the system gets less coherent outside of the downtown area. The Seward Highway becomes Gambell and Ingra streets, while the Glenn Highway becomes 5th and 6th Avenues. You'll often hear Anchorageites use the following terms when describing areas of town. These areas used to be separate communities that merged as the city grew. Downtown: the historic core of the city at the northwestern tip next to the waterfront, roughly north of 10th Avenue and west of Gambell Street.

Anchorage has a reputation for being a dangerous city — a reputation that's not entirely unwarranted — but the average traveller should not be too overly concerned or cautious of their surroundings. A lot of the crime occurs between those involved in the drug trade or organized crime. Like most cities, location is very important as security changes from place to place. Areas close to downtown are safer to walk at night. Stay in populated areas, avoid poor neighborhoods, especially at night, and don't walk there at any time if you are alone. Vicious beatings have been reported at resorts by people who have travelled alone, so stay alert for any suspicious-looking individual. Certain areas in the northeast of the city (Mountain View, north of the Glenn Highway and east of Merrill Field airport) and central (Fairview, 6th to 15th Avenue, east of Ingra) have higher crime than other spots. As in all other cities these crimes receive a disproportionate amount of attention from local media. These tragic events, however, are typically not random so they will probably not impact your visit. You are more likely to be a victim of crimes of opportunity; however, most violent crimes in Anchorage are usually domestic disputes. Also, areas around the airport like Spenard are known for increased drug activity and sex work. In earlier times, the downtown area around 4th Avenue was like that, but a concerted effort over the last eight years has mostly moved the activity into Spenard. A constant problem is car break-ins at parking lots. Do not leave any valuables visible.