Traveling Ten Thousand Miles: My New Big Wild Life

Anchorage, Alaska's current tourist slogan is "Big Wild Life," and the city plasters it on everything, from the welcome packet I found in my room to the buses driving around town. I think it's pretty easy to see why they chose this slogan. 1- Alaska is known for it's size and grandiose wilderness. The city wants to reinforce that thought and attach it to the city itself. 2- Alaska is known for it's size and grandiose wilderness. The city wants let people know that the wilderness isn't ubiquitous. Quality restaurants and nightlife can coexist with bears and moose in Alaska.

Since moving here a little over two weeks ago, Anchorage has surprised me on both points. I expected the gorgeous scenery and news of bear attacks, but I didn't realize that all of that would be so present in Alaska's largest city itself! Chugach State Park lies within the city boundaries, and it's mountains tower over the city's skyline. The coastal trail passes by lusciously growing estuaries and tidal mud flats. I spend 80% of my morning bicycle commute on a wooded river trail. I've seen eight moose so far-- all within the city boundaries.

As far as the second point goes, Anchorage surprised me here, too. I'd heard some negative talk about the city before getting here (ugly, unplanned, can't go anywhere without a car, lack of good restaurants, expensive), but I've found most of this to be untrue. The city's oil boom did coincide with the American strip mall boom, so the architecture and urban planning does leave something to be desired, but overall I'm pretty pleased with the city's density and logical layout. Anchorage has a high concentration of microbreweries, and the food, while certainly not international, has been creative and delicious. The few bars and shops which I've seen in downtown and midtown compare well to my favorites from Philadelphia, Munich, and Detroit.