Things to do in ANC
 

Well as odd as this may sound, despite being a longtime AS FF/Customer I am making my first trip to Anchorage in a week with the family.

My only previous trip to Alaska was riding in an old DC-3 with my dad to Sitka to pick up a load of fish (I was all of about 8 at the time).

We will be staying with family in Wasilla, but looking for restaurant recomendations, etc. We are planning a day trip to Seward and whatever the local festivities are for the holiday.

Wife and kids fly in this coming Sunday, I follow on Tuesday night and we are all leaving late Saturday night the 5th.

Didn't want to risk upgrades clearing so used paper upgrade certs, so at least I have a comfy ride both ways.

Hopefully the weather holds up!

well...as for the weather it aint been that great. Are you looking for good upscale type dinners or what? I do NOT reccomend sourdough mining company for starters :td: I do reccomend a breakfast at Gwennies which they actually serve anytime. Simon and Seaforts is always an excellent choice, they dont change the menu much but if you never been to it then go for it! If you want a really neat experience eat at the Bridge restaurant. It sits on an old bridge over the water down in the port area. I thought it was delicious when I went although Ive heard mixed reviews. What I mentioned is all in Anchorage. Im not sure about Wasilla. There is a great place to eat out there but be darned if I can remember the name of it. Nevermind about the Bridge apparently it closed down. I think my favorite dive is Sea Galley/Flanigans

About the only place in the Wasilla area that I'd recommend for food is the Motherlode Lodge up at the base of Hatcher Pass, on Fishhook Road. Other than that, there's not much in Wasilla other than the Iditarod headquarters, and I won't lie to you: that town is my least favorite place in Alaska.

Downtown Anchorage has plenty of good restaurants (Glacier Brewhouse, Orso, Simon & Seaforts, Humpys, Snow Goose, Sacks, Fletchers, Corsair, Crow's Nest, etc.).

You'll enjoy Seward, but be warned that it will be packed for the 4th of July.

...on the way to Seward the Double Musky is always a good bet! About 45 minutes from Anchorage on the Seward Highway in Girdwood. The Alaska Railroad is an interesting way to get to Seward, but is ssssllllllloooooowwww. Did this a month ago, and it was like a 4 hour ride. Great for visitors, but for a local, my highlight was seeing how the old switchback circle worked to get over the pass. Got a couple of cool shots too, but took forever...

Club Paris
 

Club Paris, great steaks & seafood and right downtown.

I'm not a local but I went to ANC and Seward last June. I agree the Glacier Brewhouse or Snow Goose are some good places to eat. Snow Goose has a patio upstairs where you can enjoy a nice view of the water and surrounding area. I enjoyed watching planes land at ANC and the air force base. On the way to Seward, there is a turnoff and you can go visit a glacier. I forgot the name off hand. It's a long drive to Seward (everything in Alaska seems much further than in the lower 48) and I have been told there are lots of accidents involving moose and oncoming cars so please be careful.

Sacks very good.

I disagree. I've been to the sourdough many times and always good. The corn fritters are excellent. Also go across the street, if you have to wait for a table, and visit the chocolate store. it has a huge chocolate fountain that the kids may enjoy watching. Free samples too.:cool:

Also for a quick meal, try ther Arctic Roadrunner. I love their Halibut burger.

The drive from ANC to Seward is a must do. The must scenic drive in the country, IMO. You may find whales swimming in the water and sheeps high on the cliff.

"Try the Halibut". :D:D:D

JP

Overpriced tourist trap with mediocre food. That being said, the fritters are good.

As Chugach indicated, Wasilla's not much--basically one long strip mall.

For a real town with a soul, Palmer's 15 minutes away. Not much happening there, but a nice, semi-historic downtown. There's a great soup and coffee place there called Vagabond Blues.

Also, the drive up to Hatcher's Pass from the south (from Wasilla) is quite pretty. Someday I'd like to continue down the other side (toward Willow)...haven't done that yet.

Here's my long shortlist of good eats in ANC and environs (in no particular order):

Simon and Seafort's
Orso
Glacier Brewhouse
Sacks (see below!)
Club Paris
Moose's Tooth
Bear Tooth
Jens'
Southside Bistro
Suite 100
Arctic Roadrunner
Taco King/Burrito King (hey!)
Cafe Amsterdam
Cafe Croissant
Momma O's (for halibut fish and chips)
Double Musky
Kincaid Grill (sometimes)

(I'm probably missing a couple...)

It's Exit Glacier--just a few miles from Seward. Well worth the stop. Even more worth it if you can spend a few hours hiking up to the icefield.

Mmm! Yes...it's been far too long since I've been there...I almost forgot about this place! You should come up and we can organize a DO there!

I third (fourth?) the recommendations for Glacier Brewhouse, Sack's, Orso and the Snow Goose. If you stop by the Alaska Visitors Center on 4th avenue across from the legislative information office they can also give you some good information about things to do in town. Crappy website: http://alaskavisitorscenter.com/

(Full disclosure: my dad is one of the owners of the visitors center.)

Wirelessly posted (8900a/1.2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.6) UP.Link/6.3.1.20.06.3.1.20.0)

the road over Hatcher Pass is still closed, for some reason. It's a great drive but make sure you have the right vehicle for it.

That's why I haven't done it yet...wanted to take the right vehicle over it (I've driven as far as the lodge in my car). Last time I drove up there in an SUV, it was winter and it was closed, so I only went to the lodge again.

If you like bloody marys, try the weekend brunch at Humpy's. If you like craft beers, that's also a good spot. They'll have quality stuff on tap from some of the state's smaller more out-of-the-way microbreweries that nobody else in the city carries.

And, as someone else already suggested, "try the halibut". :D

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.)

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.

Activities
 

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/

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Great Info Everyone! Anxious to get there!!

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 :D

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)

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! :D

(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.

Prominence Point is one of the newest, ritziest subdivisions in town. It winds up the side of a steepish hill. Take the Seward Highway south to Rabbit Creek Rd, turn right at Goldenview and you should see it on the left after about 1/4 mile.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...28453&t=h&z=16

Bodenburg Butte is a popular Palmer hiking destination. Take the Glenn Hwy to the Old Glenn Hwy. Drive almost to Palmer. You'll see a huge hill soaring to the left of the highway. That's the Butte. The old access point is my favorite. It's at the end of the first straight section of Bodenburg Butte Loop at the base. It's on private land and is $3 donation per car. There's another newer access point on the other side of the Butte. It's about 800' tall and takes maybe 45 minutes to climb if you are in average shape. It starts off steep, but gets easier. And there are easy routes and less easy routes to the top. The hike down takes half the time.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...=lmc:panoramio

The dirt road to Exit Glacier was a 16-mile roundtrip. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...=lmc:panoramio

Ah, interesting. Haven't driven up around Prominence Point itself, but if you drive to the south end of Goldenview and then wind up into the hills from there, there is an absolutely massive house with (seriously) a three-story-tall picture window on the front. I think it's on Mt. McKinley View Drive (strange name, since the angling of the valley means you can't actually see Mt. McKinley). I've been trying to find out who lives in that house, as it is surely the nicest house in the state.

I think it's this one--it was under construction at the time this imagery was taken:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...05558&t=h&z=18

I've seen that butte many times. Never thought to try and hike it, since there are much taller mountains right next to it!

It's been awhile since I've been to Exit Glacier. Maybe I need to go back down there and re-familiarize myself with those roads.

However, I can confirm that the rental agencies really aren't worried about people going to Exit Glacier. If you get in an accident or a rock chip on that road, it's possible they may use the fine print to give you grief, but most of them probably don't even know it's a gravel road (I didn't!). They're mostly concerned about potential damage to the cars (especially the undercarriage and suspension) on the long, rural highways I mentioned earlier. Calling it a violation of the rental agreement is really just a way to discourage travel on them.

Hey, your link leads to 5th Ave just east of Medfra:eek:

Since this thread really has more to do with the state than the airline, we'll switch it to our Alaska Forum.

Please continue to follow and contribute to the thread at it's new home.

Thanks.

___________________

Cholula

Alaska Airllines Mileage Plan Co-Moderator

Of course! That's where all the rich people live!

Umm, let's try again. I tested this one--it should work:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...05558&t=h&z=18

I'd say the one towering must is Club Paris on 5th downtown. The Paris Special burger (with some ground tenderloin and on a french roll with au jus) is memorable for lunch, and the 14 oz. filet mignon is a must for dinner. They own the "best steakhouse" local award.

Would also give a nod to Local Burgerman/Arctic Roadrunner at Airport Rd. and Old Seward Hwy. Fast food, but I like the setting, the halibut sandwich and onion pieces and blackberry shakes. A bit reminiscent of the Varsity in Atlanta on a smaller scale and with different offerings.

As for activities, the museum and that Omnimax/earthquake similation place might make some sense on days when the weather isn't good.

That Onmimax/earthquake place is gone. I only went there once. Sort of "meh" to me, but fun for a tourist. Just across the street in the Performing Arts Center, though, they still do the northern lights slideshow, which can be kind of neat.

However, there is a newer (maybe built around 2000 or so) addition to the options in town: the Alaska Native Heritage Center out at Muldoon and the Glenn. It's spendy ($20 or so per person, last time I checked), but worth it for the visitor. It's actually run by a consortium of Native groups and will give you a better look at the way of life of the traditional peoples of Alaska. (More real, anyway, than the commercialized cruise-ship version.)

Jackal, that link to the area off Golden View is where we used to have a neighborhood owned and operated junker of a ski lift and ski run! That is spooky!

I had no idea who owned the land soooooooo long ago. No one seemed to care. The school bus stop closest to the house was on Golden View about a mile off Rabbit Creek. Used to be a very lonely area.

I guess it isn't that way now!

Edited to add: I spent some time with your map. The neighborhood ski lift was much further south. The area was called Keno Hills. No idea what it is called now. Not a clue. With much effort managed to find where our little cabin is/was. The street now has a name. Named streets!

I'd be so lost driving up there!

If we'd had any money we could have bought some of that land fairly cheap. Of course, we didn't have any extra money.

Wow. Well, the next neighborhood to the south is now Potter Valley, I think, which is another hoity-toity neighborhood. Was that where your ski run was?

jackal, we weren't all that far from Potter Marsh (but there was no direct road). We came and went via Rabbit Creek Road and Golden View. Ran Golden View until there was a dead end and headed up mountain. Made a left turn off Golden View continuing to go up, another left turn on to a road that was only open in the summer and then another left. If the roads had names in those days, it was a secret.

The winter road took longer. You didn't drive the summer road in the winter unless you had the bad luck to live on it.

Our view was of Cook Inlet. Flat Top was up and behind us. Between us and Golden View was a settlement of Native People. I bet that is gone now.

We had very little by way of public services including road clearing. We did that for ourselves. The neighbors worked on it together.

We always managed to get to work.

Rabbit Creek was paved but Golden View was only paved for a wee distance. The rest was all 'natural'.

We had a big ring embedded in our driveway that we used to winch the cars up when it was really icy. You couldn't block the road by parking on it.

Not sure if I want to see what it looks like now!

The ski run ran down the utility easement. Neighbor's built it so the kids could ski from home. It was an old rope tow that someone had made. Worked reasonably well for a long time. The kids just ran wild and did what they wanted. Bunches of boys would go off camping and no one worried at all.