People, places, things, and ideas I love in Anchorage, AK
Last week, my husband and I went on a walk to check out the zombies (so random…but I really wanted to see them!). We didn’t get there in time; they must have decimated the west end of downtown and moved on to new victims before we got there.
However, we found something just as good, maybe better: Star the Reindeer.
It’s so easy sometimes to be focused on getting from here to there, or texting/checking email while walking. I try to remind myself to slow down just a little bit and enjoy the world around me. This ship sailing through downtown is a little surprise for your eyes when you happen to glance up. I love surprises like this!
When I was younger (6th grade-ish) I read a book in which two people were lost in the woods during a snow storm. They had almost given up hope of finding someplace warm and dry to spend the night, when they came upon a big, beautiful lodge with light beaming from every window, welcoming them in from the cold.
The first time I noticed Quidditch on the park strip, I didn’t know what it was (maybe because there were no flying brooms?). But I knew it was SOMETHING.
A friend clued me in later that day, and I was speechless. Harry Potter’s favorite game brought to life? Then I couldn’t help but giggle. And then my mind was filled with questions.
Grover and I had a fun experience this morning. A few weeks ago, Ellen at Second Run (the purveyor of second-hand dragons! and all sorts of other amazingness) told me about a little dog play group at Rocketship Park (you may know it as Valley of the Moon… but it will forever be Rocketship Park to me!).
Anchorage sometimes lacks for great outdoor dining space (and other times, like tonight, we lack for great weather for outdoor dining). The Muse at the Anchorage Museum gives you both options (as in, the dining is always good, and if the weather isn’t, you can dash inside).
I like storms. I like being cozy inside, curled up under a blanket watching the weather, or going outside and feeling the wind/rain/snow whirl around me (and then going inside and curling up under a blanket).
More urban foraging! I just discovered the blueberries at Denali Montessori School, bordering 9th Ave. Between the strawberries at the museum, the blueberries at Denali, and the salmon in ship creek, my husband (or bears!) could almost create his favorite dinner. Not all harvested at the same time, of course – the few fish I saw at the hatchery the other day were starting to look a little bedraggled… but the blueberries look great!
So beautiful up there, looking down on our city, and across the inlet to Sleeping Lady.
I cut my hair!
More accurately, the lovely Diana at Marie’s Beauty Supply cut my hair. Marie’s provides free hair cuts to anyone who will donate their hair to Locks of Love.
Locks of Love helps disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss by creating high quality wigs out of donated ponytails.