Marne and Mike in Anchorage

From Marne, the Guest Blogger: Mike picked me up at the Anchorage airport in a light rain at noon. After a brief visit to the RV and studying an Anchorage map, we strolled the downtown area and started snapping photos. Downtown Anchorage is a compact, walkable city with a very brief settlement history (not counting thousands of years of Native American people, of course).

We first visited the Oscar Anderson house, right downtown facing Cook Inlet. Oscar was the 18th (non-native) person to come to the then tent-city location. Short story: he worked hard and prospered and built this very Midwestern-looking house, (the first wood-frame house in the settlement) for his family in 1915. It's said that his ghost still walks the upper story, Liz! Oooooooo.

 

Anchorage didn't seem to have the older, traditional architecture that we expected. No brick or granite buildings like the downtowns we are used to, but rather lots of 50s-style buildings and contemporary homes and offices.

 

 

 

Lots of orange in the buildings, Allie---I thought of you. This looked like an early parking ramp newly painted in a sophisticated gray/orange combination. Mike and I escaped the rain in a pub right across the street and enjoyed an Alaska beer. Here's a sporting goods store:

 

Below: The very large, modern performing arts center. No skateboarding allowed. We saw some skateboarders elsewhere and wondered if they all stopped and walked when they reached here.

 

Below: Interesting bright orange, curving sculptural element on top this building...a completely different horizontal decoration of concrete or stone on the next side.

 

 

Flowers are everywhere downtown, including these in silvery trashcans marching down the pavement. And in front of the Visitor's Center. Note the grass growing on the roof.

 

 

I found some of the bright pink Fireweed seeds (in foreground) to bring home. Kay tells me that Alaska seeds do well in Minnesota. Most places where I inquire about seeds tell me that everyone had them earlier in the season, but they're hard to find now. Rats.

 

 

 

Well, here's more of a traditional municipal building: City Hall. Unfortunately, we came exploring on a Monday afternoon, and all historical sites and museums are only open Tuesday through Sunday. Tomorrow, Tuesday the 20th, we leave for a day's drive to the Kenai Peninsula.