Say you have a day to explore the (somewhat) lovely city of Anchorage. Anchorage is not a particularly pretty city, but it is Alaska's largest. So if you're in Alaska and, like me, your favorite kind of travel is exploring of urban areas, Anchorage is your best bet.
To start off, you can go to the Saturday market downtown. I guess this only works if you're there on a Saturday.
You might see a man balancing a fake leg on his face. While it may be weird, this is what I would consider a pretty impressive skill.
You might also see a dog wearing goggles. Why is this dog wearing goggles? The world may never know.
Do you wanna know where you can find some spices? Head to "Caribou Corridor".
There you'll find a huge variety of spices. Sadly, none of these are very Alaskan-y. But I'm sure they'll help you improve your salmon bake.
After you're done perusing the many booths at the market, you've probably gotten pretty hungry. Head down to Arctic Roadrunner for some huge, tasty burgers.
My father assures me this place is an Anchorage staple. The burgers are very tasty.
What stands out the most, however, is the uber-kitschy Alaskan decor covering the walls... including this porpoise.
After lunch, head over to the Anchorage Museum, a really cool building which has exhibits pertaining to pretty much everything about Alaska. There's art, archaeological relics, science experiment, photography, history, etc.
Oh, and giant stuffed grizzly bears.
Also, this creepy ancient rock that looks like a face.
A large portion of the museum is used to showcase the language and culture of Alaska's many, many Native American tribes.
Many creepy masks were involved in the making of this exhibit.
Elsewhere in the museum was some pretty cool, but random sculpture art.
Also, what appeared to be a salmon-shaped suitcase.
After taking in some culture, take in some Alaskan (and non-Alaskan) wildlife at the Alaska Zoo.
The last time I was at the Alaska Zoo, which was about 10 years ago, this polar bear was kept in the same enclosure of a grizzly bear. I think they had been raised together as cubs and were buddies. This time the polar bear was solo. I wonder what happened to his grizzly friend.
The zoo also has the traditional black bear...
Also, randomly, llamas.
By now it should be close to the end of your day. It's time to go to Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant for some traditional Alaskan eating. Meaning the portions are epicly large.
As mentioned in the previous post, this restaurant used to be a brothel. It's also full of stuffed animals and other kitschy, Alaskan-y decor. But the monstrously large pancakes and the reindeer sausage make it well worth a visit.
So, that's Anchorage in a day. It's a pretty cool place. In all honesty though, my favorite part of Anchorage is leaving, to go down the uber-scenic Seward Highway.
