haddon90

AS had a decent MR fare so i'm heading to ANC next month on a saturday. land at noon and leave at midnight. i love craft brews so i have anchorage brewing and glacier tap house on my list. i've also read arctic roadrunner is a must stop.

my main question is, since ANC doesn't have uber or lyft, how expensive/reliable are cabs in and around ANC? i'm looking to take the bus back to ANC that night and saw there is one that leaves downtown around 8:40pm. but i don't want to rent a car since i'll be sampling the local brews. thoughts?

drseagrass

Taxis are plentiful especially around downtown hotels, or call if in an outlying area. $20-25 to the airport from downtown Anchorage. Route 7 serves the airport hourly, 8:36 PM is the last bus from downtown on Saturdays (http://www.muni.org/departments/tran...es/route7.aspx). Glacier Brewhouse is a short walk from the downtown transit center. The other two are not conveniently located for someone without a car.

haddon90

i think i might just rent a car for a few hours. get to the roadrunner, then anchorage brewing, and drop it off dtown and bar hop. then bus it back to ANC. cheapest car is $20.

Gardyloo

If the weather's decent (i.e. not raining/socked in) head first down Turnagain Arm - maybe to Bird Point, say 35 min. - for some terrific views before turning around and heading back to the brewery and Roadrunner.

haddon90

is there a pull off where you can park and take pictures?

drseagrass

Yes, numerous places to pull off.

Gardyloo

I'd go with Bird Point, although there are plenty.

Bird Point -



Closer to town, around Beluga Point IIRC

alaskantraveler

2 other great breweries. Also 49th state brewery may be open by then. Located 2 blocks from the glacier Brewhouse. Dealing with the car if you are planning on drinking will be a pain. Cabs are not particularly cheap.

haddon90

so it's this saturday. plan is, pick up car, go to arctic roadrunner, drive down south and take some pics. head to midnight sun brewery. then drop car off at the rental car downtown. hit up downtown. then cab to airport. probably the most efficient way to not spend a ton of $ on cabs.

stevechin

So just curious, how did your ANC visit go?

haddon90

sorry late to respond. it was interesting being up there. downtown looks like it's in 1985 (not that it is a bad thing). but it really felt like a time warp. artic roadrunner is good, but i regret getting the halibut burger over an actual cheeseburger.

i had no clue how backwards the beer laws were. went to 3 breweries and wondered why there were no bars, tvs, or entertainment. went to midnight sun, resolution, and another i do not remember. sat at tables! checked out glacier brewhouse, crows nest, and simon and seaforts for food/drink. pretty darn good to be honest. crows nest has some insane views. picked up some bottled beer from la bodega and went to modern dwellers chocolate lounge which ended up being some fantastic chocolate.

funny though, i'm coming back up this saturday, 11/5. land at 2pm and leave at 12:45am. going to the UAA hockey game saturday night. got a glass seat for $20. checking out 49th state brewing, picking up some qivuit scarves for the family, and spending more time at silver gulch at ANC before heading back.

jackal

I believe those places operate under a "tasting room" license. Due to that there is also a limit to how much they can serve you per day and glass sizes, etc. I don't know if those restrictions also prohibit seating at a bar; I guess I've never really thought the lack of bar seating was very odd, as I usually go with friends and sitting at a table makes it easier to talk with the group. I also guess I've never noticed or cared about the lack of TVs, since I go to enjoy the taste of the beer and talk with friends, not to watch random games I care nothing about...but if you want the regular sports-bar experience, there are plenty of those places, too, like Humpy's or the Peanut Farm or whatnot. Also, Resolution's lack of a kitchen means you're welcome to bring all the outside food you want, which is actually kind of neat.

Glacier BrewHouse operates under a restaurant or brewpub license and doesn't have the same restrictions on set-up or quantity.

BMWMOT

I'll be doing a MR in early August and will have a day in ANC (Arrive Midnight, Leave 11 pm the next day)
First time there so I'm looking for some ideas on what to do for the day. My plan now is to stay at the Marriott Downtown using points. I wasn't planning on renting a car so I'm thinking take a cab to and from the airport. (Hotel charges $29 for overnight parking).

What kind of things are within walking distance of the Marriott? Are there any maybe 1/2 day tours of the ANC area with their starting point within walking distance of the hotel? I'm not too interested in brew pubs and restaurants. I hope to keep that expense to a minimum by using my access to Marriott's concierge lounge and Alaska Air's airport lounge.


Appreciate any help.
Thanks

jackal

I'm on my phone so will have to be brief, but:

• If you want to rent a car, overnight street parking shouldn't be an issue near the Marriott. That's area of downtown is very safe, with the exception of the immediate block surrounding the transit center at 6th and H, which can be slightly seedy. South and west of the Marriott is fine.
• if you don't want to rent a car, bus #7 goes directly between the airport and the aforementioned transit center, which is 1 block from the Marriott. Fare is a buck and change. A cab will probably be $20-25.
• Most everything of interest in the downtown area is an easy walk from the Marriott. I'm sure TripAdvisor's list of things to do has a map component, and basically anything north of 15th and west of A St will be an easy walk.
• Of my top recommendations in Anchorage, the two that are near the top of my list but aren't downtown would be the Alaska Native Heritage Center and hiking Flattop (or other trails) out of Glen Alps (southeast Hillside area of town). I believe the former runs a shuttle bus to the downtown Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center and the latter would probably be a bigger commitment, though it is perfectly doable on your itinerary if you're interested (but to avoid significant hassle, you'd need a car). Most everything else of interest in Anchorage is downtown. (That said, the best parts of Alaska are not in Anchorage.)
• One of my favorite restaurants in Anchorage is a couple blocks west of the Marriott: Simon and Seafort's. You mentioned not being into restaurants, but I can't not mention it. Others rave about their crab-stuffed halibut, but I personally prefer the (sometimes off-menu but you can ask) halibut cheeks. One of the best delicacies on earth, as far as I'm concerned.

BMWMOT

Possible change of plans for my MR to ANC in the fact I found out I have a free day car rental via National. Thus, I booked a car for the 24 hrs I'll be there. Realistically, I'll have ~ 10-12 hrs (say ~9 am to 9 pm. Have to get some sleep) to use the car and see some sights.
Can someone recommend a scenic drive or two or three?
Will probably stay at the Fairfield Inn Midtown on A Street. Also have the Marriott downtown booked but the Fairfield Inn is 5K pts less.

Thank you in advance