Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving in Alaska


November has flown by, and that's okay with me because I'm leaving the state for a month. The beautiful white snow doesn't seem as good as it used to because I'm not skiing these day, nor doing much outdoors at all. Swimming is still going great, but then you can swim anywhere. There's a lot on the front burner, but the big thing was doing some turkey dinners along the way. I had three or four turkey dinners at varius places, but the most memorable one was at the beautiful Millenium Hotel. I had a piano gig there, so spent the whole day watching the families, and couples, and strays attend. This is a truly Alaskan Hotel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see the 'real' Alaska. The lobby has mounted heads of all the wild animals, and the setting includes a huge stone fireplace, and adjacent bar which overlooks Lake Hood. For those who haven't visited Anchorage yet, this is right at the airport, and there are planes on floats, or now skiis, lining the perimeter. From the hotel restaurant, you might see a plane land on the lake and taxi up to the restaurant for a quick bite. This may sound a bit like a commercial, but then, I'm trying to lure you up here for a visit. Black Friday was its usual confusion, as it was all over the country. Well, we survived that one, and now on to Christmas in Florida.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Alaska Survives the Election & Sarah Palin, too!

I'm sure you're as happy as I am that the election is over, regardless of the results. Sparing you any images, Alaska have probably re-elected Senator Stevens, in spite of him being accused of being a felon. Most locals agree that if the trial had been held in Anchorage, he would have been acquitted without question, as it's the "Alaska Way" to help your neighbors, and his only crime was that he didn't report it on the financial statement. But I won't go further into that.
This morning, the local news shows the Governor deplaning in Anchorage, to return to her main job, raising her family in Wasilla, and her secondary job, running the big state and promoting our oil and gas reserves. This might be better served is she were closer to the capital (where???) which is a 2 hour plane ride away, but here I am giving opinions, and that's really not my intention.
So let's get back to your inspiration to visit Alaska. I really thought I had written a blog about our new convention center, called Dena'ina Center. My webpage would direct you to my other blog, where I know it's displayed, but this is to report that it's filled the month of November with many Christmas bazaars, art shows, events, and has turned out to be a real draw to go downtown. Locals have been avoiding going downtown for the past few years, during the total construction of all the roads and buildings, but as winter approaches, things are smoothed out and the heated sidewalks on F Street are a welcome addition. There is also a new parking garage on F Street, making things more reachable. Thank heavens -- we've needed this for a long time. We're just getting to be a big city, and kind of pretty, too!