Good luck on your decision Travis. Have a good visit in Idaho, and definately let us know what you decide. You definately have the FT crowd to keep you company in AK if you decide to go to Fairbanks. Great to meet you in ANC.

UAF is great...my wife went there. It can be a big party if you want it to be ... or you could have some balance in your life too .. really depends on who you end up hanging out with i guess.

The winters arent for everyone, but they have some of the best indoor recreational facilities ive seen at any college. The trick is to find things to do in your spare time, especially winter activities, and you shouldnt fall into any trouble.

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I'm taking my daughter up to UAF for a visit in two weeks. For us, it's not as short a trip, as we are coming from Europe. We lived in Fairbanks a few years ago though my daughter was a lot younger, so I want to make sure she experiances a little bit of the winter before she decides.

Just be sure to let us know when. We'll be glad to host another FT party in your honor.

Yup! Just see my signature...

Wow! Thanks for the hospitality. It any of you ever make it to Stuttgart, I'll reciprocate the gesture.

Right now, we will be in Anchorage for an over night on 13-14 Dec. We arrive mid-afternoon on Dec 13 and depart for Fairbanks the next day around noon. We are staying at the Spring-Hill Suites and I didn't rent a car. I wasn't planning on doing much this day except sleeping, recovering from all the traveling, and adjusting to the 10 hour time difference. But, if this is the best time to meet, I can always pickup a car or just take a cab.

We will also be available from the afternoon of Dec 22 until on the 24th in Anchorage, but with it being the holiday weekend, I'm not sure the timing is really that great for a meet. We depart at around 5:00pm on th 24th from ANC.

Straying from the topic a bit - I'm assuming the SpringHill suites are decent, right? I keep debating between staying there and the Marriott downtown. It's just me and my daughter, so we don't need tons of room.

I'll be around at those times. My last trip is a Dec. 11 return to ANC. It might be better for you to go with Dec. 22. jet lag is no fun. I'll leave it to the rest of the FT'ers around to make the decision.

I'm not planning anything elaborate or any trips for the Christmas weekend itself, though I work evenings both of the dates you're in town (middle of the day works, or for dinner, I might be able to scoot away for a short bit but not for too long...). It's in your honor, so figure out what works better for you and we'll get a thread in Community going on!

Both are fairly new (built in the last 6-7 years?), so both are more than decent. SpringHill Suites is in the Midtown area next to the Century 16 Theater but not within walking distance of much else in car-centric Anchorage (perhaps Wal*Mart, the library, Outback steakhouse, and my favorite Mexican restaurant, Burrito King), but they have a free airport shuttle. The Marriott downtown is within walking distance of most of the touristy downtown area, though not too much is happening this time of year. They do not have an airport shuttle, so figure on a $20 cab ride each way. With car rental rates as low as they are in the wintertime, it might not be a bad idea to get a car, especially if you are staying at the downtown Marriott and especially for the second stopover in Anchorage.

If you're without a car, though, and we decide to do a get-together at a place not in walking distance from wherever you're staying, I'm sure one of us would be more than willing to offer a ride (I'll do it, but my car's usually so dirty--a typical college-student car--that you might want to take someone else up on it if they offer .)

When visiting Europe (though I haven't been since 2001), I usually fly into either MUC (friends formerly in Rosenheim) or STR (friends in Albstadt and Lindenberg im Allgäu), so I could foresee myself being in Stuttgart again someday! Thanks for the offer!

Edit: Oh, hi Bob!

What ever you folks decide, I'll be fine with it. While there will be some jet lag, going east to west certainly is not as bad and I really need to stay up a bit to adjust to Alaska time.

Getting together could be a good way to accomplish this.

Certainly the 22-24 DEC period would be better, I would probably be in much better condition, so to speak. As just mentioned I'm not against doing something when I arrive either.

The Marriott website says the Outback and the Bagel Factory are within 1/10 of a mile. I took a look on Google Maps and it looks like the Outback is just across the street. Other than that, it doesn't seem like much else is within a short walk. I looked at the SpringHill Suites because it was closer to the airport and I figured there wasn't much going on downtown that made it worth staying there, especially for the first overnight.

If there were a compelling reason to stay downtown, I would probably take it. The only thought I had was maybe being downtown would have a better choice of dining options. I've got my 17 year old daughter with me, so I like to keep my options open.

I will have a car for the second visit, I just didn't think there was a need for the first overnight when I was just planning on going to/from the hotel to the airport. With a car and the Springhill suites, I think I'm in a good location to do whatever we need to do. I'll probably do some last minute shopping before we head back to Germany and pick up a couple of Alaska touristy trinkets for some friends.

If you ever do make it, let me know. I'll drag you around Stuttgart to some of my favorite spots.

Mmm...yes, I forgot. Staying downtown would let you dine at one of the assortment of fabulous restaurants we have. Orso, Glacier Brewhouse, Simon and Seafort's, Club Paris, Sacks, (I'd add Wings 'n' Things except that they closed ) and a few others. Other than that, if you plan on mostly unwinding on your first day (and maybe seeing a movie, if there's anything worth seeing), the SpringHill would work fine.

And Jens' is .4 miles from the SpringHill. Not too bad of a walk for some great Alaskan/Scandinavian fusion (best way I can describe it) cuisine from one of Anchorage's premier chefs. (Might even be able to bribe the shuttle driver to detour by way of Jens' on one of his runs to the airport...)
Oh, you won't have to drag--I'll go willingly!

Sometimes there are great fares to FRA/DUS from here (under $600). Worst comes to worst, I'll fly there for a weekend and take the train down! (Now I have another reason to go!)

OK folks, we've hijacked enough of Travis's thread. Check out the thread in CommunityBuzz here.

First time opening a thread in Community...hope it works!

Thank you, everyone, for your help and hospitality.

After visiting both UAF and UI... it was a very tough call. Great programs, great people... but there's only one which can claim that it's America's arctic university.

I'll be attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks beginning in the spring, double-majoring in journalism and northern studies, and living in the on-campus student apartment complex.

When I stepped out of the terminal in Fairbanks... I fell in love with Alaska. I think it's going to be an amazing place to go to college.

I look forward to seeing the AK FT crew more often.

Congratulations! Make sure to say hi if you pass through the ANC airport. (In true FT fashion, might as well get the extra segments/mileage by doing SEA-ANC-FAI instead of the nonstop SEA-FAI!)

It's also usually cheaper... and MUCH more frequent

I think there's only one daily SEA-FAI round-trip, whereas there's like, what, 10 SEA-ANC flights?