ALASKA
Anchorage
July 2023
Anchorage is not the state capitol. That, of course, is Juneau. However, almost half of the state’s residents live in Anchorage. The population is just over 291,000, which is almost 9 times greater than the next most populous city of Fairbanks. Location 61°13'N 149°53'W
The municipality of Anchorage consists of almost 2000 square miles total (larger than the state of Rhode Island) including 240 square miles of water. The urban area, however, is just under 80 square miles.
After arriving by train via the McKinley Explorer, I got a shuttle from the train station to my hotel which was in the center of the main downtown area.
Downtown Anchorage is very walkable, and there's lots to see. I walked around a bit downtown near the hotel. There are a lot of public art sculptures downtown. There's also a lot of flower plantings. Anchorage is known as "the City of Lights and Flowers." Anchorage plants approximately 80,000 flowers in 460 city beds including dahlias, fuchsias, and begonias. Baskets of flowers, often in the blue and gold of the state flag, hang from light poles all over the city. Town Square Park and the Log Cabin Visitor Information Center are some of the featured locations.
Since my flight is not until after 8pm tomorrow, I will be spending a large part of the day exploring the city.
I took the Anchorage Trolley Tour around downtown. The guide talked about the city's rich history and natural beauty. The trolley made stops throughout downtown, including Lake Hood to watch float planes land and take off from the water, Earthquake Park, and Point Wornzoff for breathtaking views of Anchorage’s city skyline along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. At each stop we were able to get off the trolley for a few minutes, take pictures, and ask questions of the guide.
One of the places we saw was Earthquake Park. The 1964 Alaskan earthquake struck on Good Friday, March 27. Lasting 4 minutes and 38 seconds, the magnitude 9.2 earthquake remains the most powerful earthquake recorded in North American history, and the second most powerful earthquake recorded in world history. Most damage occurred in Anchorage. The most impacted neighborhood lost 75 houses in the landslide, and the destroyed area has since been turned into Earthquake Park.
Back in downtown, I checked out the Anchorage Light Speed Planet Walk, which is a scale model of our solar system. Taking the walk, you experience the relative size of the planets and their distance from the Sun. The scale was chosen so that a leisurely walking pace mimics the speed of light. On this scale, each step equals the distance light travels in one second (300,000 kilometers or 186,000 miles).
I also visited the Anchorage Museum. Alaska is home to the largest number of state and federally-recognized tribes in the country. The Anchorage Museum is a great place to learn about Alaska’s diverse cultures and unique history stretching back 10,000 years. The museum is committed to recognizing and honoring the land, culture, and language of the Dena’ina people.
Tonight, I fly home.
WHAT AN AMAZING ADVENTURE THIS HAS BEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for following along. I hope you found it interesting.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain
