Gardyloo

I would suggest Ginger on 5th, Aladdin's out on Old Seward (really superior middle eastern food - as good as anything in the lower 48) and the Lucky Wishbone (duh.)

BOB W

A vote for Suite 100 for me too. The staff is very friendly & accomodating & the food is quite good.Or possibly Portage Glacier. It's on the way also.

wildway

I don't know how old your kids are, but an outdoor kid friendly activity your whole family can enjoy is the disc golf course in Westchester Lagoon. You'd have a pretty good chance of seeing a moose while you play. I also like to wander around at the end of the airport runway and watch the planes take off from the beach. Renting bikes and tooling along the coastal trail would be another fun activity for the whole fam, with an added bonus of great scenery. You can start that from down town.

Here's a couple of websites:

http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/akt...c/knowlsct.htm

http://www.trailsofanchorage.com/

ANC

Ive heard a lot of good about Henrys on old seward but I havent been there yet myself

jackal

I've heard mixed things--some love it and some say it's disgusting. Haven't been there myself to test the reviews.

steelheaddan

Moose's Tooth has the best beer, best pizza, and prices in town.

jackal

Hmm...one more that can be good: Kincaid Grill. It's hit or miss, though. One of the best steaks I've ever had was there (better than Ruth's Chris, and those are pretty stinkin' good) with an absolutely amazing creamed spinach. The same steak was downright mediocre the second time, though, so they need to work on their consistency.

SuzyB

For family and fun: Moose's Tooth
For one of the best meals you will ever eat: Marx Brothers

Don't forget to walk the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, right downtown! And look for the cool Solar System, that starts in front of the Captain Cook Hotel.

jackal

Hmm...have only been to Marx Bros once--a long time ago. Will have to check them out again.

The Solar System is indeed cool! The giant Sun is at 5th and (IIRC) G St, and then the planets are spaced out in their relative locations and sized by their relative sizes. Pluto is almost out to the airport, I think. I think the one by the Captain Cook is Mars, or maybe it's Earth, but in any case, it's literally the size of a BB compared to the Sun that is the size of a small car. It's interesting to see the relative sizes and distances.

BOB W

It's OK for a casual lunch & we went there with some FT'ers over Memorial Day when our first choices were closed, but there are much better places out there. They do make a very good crawfish pie.

The service can be very spotty, bordering on non-existent. It just depends on the server. If you are limited for time, make sure they know that when you get there.

s80dude

My vote is for Humpy's to eat..... I just love that place. If the weather is good, go to Downtown Bicycle Rental on 6th Street. Pete is the owner, and he can set you up on a bike ride along the Tony Knowles Coastal trail.

mrchris

Great Info Everyone! Anxious to get there!!

ANC

Hmm Humpys....I quit going there a long time ago because of how smoke filled it was. As an ex smoker I no longer can stand the smell of it. However since the ordinance passed some time ago, that doesnt allow smoking in restaurants it might be worth trying again sometime. I'll wait until winter time though when its not a tourist trap

Roginator

Ok, ok... aside from eating, what about driving up to one of the entrances to the Chugach? I'd recommend Flattop, but apparently the parking lot is closed. What about the winding drive up to Arctic Valley?

The drive up the hill at Prominence Point has some pretty spectacular homes and views.

Bodenburg Butte is a good short climb with a nice view.

Or if we don't like ya, we can send you on a twilight hike through Bicentennial Park. (it stays light here quite late this time of year)

Two new restaurants I have yet to try: Sahara on C and the new Don Jose's on Muldoon.

The Weekend Market downtown is a good touristy trap.

I was shocked the last time I went to Sourdough Mining Company. Apparently their prices are now solely for tourists with Euros. In other words, double what a sane local person would pay. There seems to be a sort of Alaska adventure park across the street now too. I can recall Alaskaland in Fairbanks back in 1967 (during the heavy rains before the flood). That was interesting.

Homer can be done in a day.. it's about 6 hours. Traffic will be bad, but the scenery for everyone except the driver is pretty good until you reach Sterling. Seward will be a zoo. There's a race up a mountain on July 4th. Also a Sealife Center which is reportedly cool. (and Exit Glacier is not to be missed - unless your rental car has a no-gravel-road policy - which most do)

jackal

The Flattop parking lot is closed? I haven't heard that. Was actually thinking about hiking it tomorrow (if the weather's as nice as it was today).

Where's Prominence Point and Bodenburg Butte? You're making me feel like an outsider in my own town!

(Careful about those twilight hikes through Bicentennial...might get mauled by a bear, especially if you're in a bike race...)

Also, with tourism numbers down, there are fewer RVs on the roads. Thus, the drive to Homer can be done in a little over four hours now.

The road to Exit Glacier's only a couple miles long. The rental car companies don't care about those. They want you to stay off of the long gravel highways (Denali, Dalton, Dempster, etc.) to save wear and tear on their cars. A couple miles isn't going to hurt.