Tag: native alaskans

Living in Anchorage was so bittersweet. A wide and sprawled out city with a Radio Shack and a JC Penney Furniture store– I was skeptical to say the least. It is also no secret that Alaska is prone to homelessness, alcoholism, and depression, especially among the arguably forgotten native population. The disparity between natives and non-natives is apparent from first glance if one cares to look for it. Filled, as a general statement, with hipsters who enjoy extreme outdoor activities, Baby Boomers and Generation Xers with money to spend, fisherman and oil-riggers hoping to strike it rich, military personnel, and Hawaiians and American Samoans escaping the high cost of living and low employment rates of their home towns, Anchorage is, if nothing else, diverse. Yet, Anchorage has managed to keep some of it’s secluded and small-town appeal.

For me, this meant the best of all worlds. Every store that one can find in any other major city can be found here– the REI, Wal-Mart, Target. There are plenty of nail salons, coffee shops, and restaurants for all diet types and Anchorage is surprisingly vegan-friendly, Middle Way Café having some of the best vegan pastries I’ve ever had. Anchorage has a super cute downtown with great parking options and walkability, whether to the museum, the bar, or the high-end thrift shop (my favorite being Second Run). Everything is seemingly 15minutes away while  being spread out in a way that doesn’t bring to mind congestion or pollution as with most other major cities.

The best part about Anchorage, though, is undoubtedly it’s location. Literally the “anchor” for the rest of the state, one can reach anywhere else in the state from here by either car or plane. That said, it’s no small price to reach these other places. Though Palmer, Seward, Homer, Fairbanks, and the like can be reached via vehicle ranging from 45min to 6hrs, hot spots like Katmai National Park, Lake Clark National Park, Nome, or the two northern national parks are only accessible via bush planes averaging $400-700 for the roundtrip ticket alone. Living in Anchorage isn’t cheap either. With most items shipped in from the “The Lower 48”, costs for food, drink, and grocery reflect as much. I will admit, though, that being a largely organic shopper, the items sold in Fred Meyers were comparable– everything except for hummus, hummus is oddly expensive!

My top reason for striving for a travel position in Alaska was to visit the above mentioned national parks. Hitting 6 of the 8 as well as exploring as many other towns and corners as I could, I was not disappointed. Everywhere I went in Alaska was not only beautiful but also unique. Homer is nothing like Seward, which is nothing like Palmer or Talkeetna, or Brooks Falls. I simply couldn’t get enough. I only quit traveling because I couldn’t afford another trip and buy my plane ticket back home! Okay, that might be dramatizing it a little, but that is mostly true. Whether I was in the water next to dolphins, orcas, and puffins in Homer or picking berries on the side of the road in Hatchers Pass, my heart was filled with pure bliss and gratitude at the opportunity. The sun can often create a dryness that makes the area prone to wildfires, and this did affect some ability to travel and enjoy, but not by much.

Speaking of sun, the most infamous characteristic of Alaska is it’s sun, or lack thereof, depending on the season. Spending the summer in Alaska from May to September was incredible. There was snow on the mountains when I arrived, no snow by June, browning fireweed by August, and hints of snow and darker days around the corner when I left. To go through all four seasons in just 5 months is unheard of for most people around the world. And my favorite part was driving along the highway multiple times throughout my time there and seeing the changes happening before my eyes. If one travels north enough, it is true that the sun can be seen high in the sky at midnight and even days of 24hrs of sun occur. This is only in the summer, though. Fall, Winter, and Spring have the opposite affect and, though it can be equally cold or icy at various times of the year in places like Western NY and Pennsylvania, it can also be dark for 20-24hrs at a time as well. Hence the struggle with depression and alcoholism– sometimes due to mental instability and sometimes due to plain boredom.

All of this said, would I recommend Anchorage as a place to live? Absolutely. But not if you have family in the Lower 48 that you want to visit or whom you want to visit you. Because that flight– or should I say three– is not easy. Not the way they herd us along and squeeze us in like cattle. Lol. Unless you can afford first-class– then by all means, lay back and enjoy the ride to one of the most majestic places I’ve every visited!

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