It's a SMALL World

I never realized the difference that living in a small city can make. I grew up in metropolitan Detroit (with over five million people) and went to school in the Delaware Valley (with over six million people). So with 360,000 people, metropolitan Anchorage is by far the smallest place I've lived. 

Riding my bike through the park, getting groceries, and going hiking inevitably become social events. Another seasonal intern and I have mutual friends in Michigan. I've only been here a month, and I keep running into people I know. For my roommate, this was a little more literal. When she was recently "tapped" by a car on her bike (everyone is ok!), the driver ended up being a friend of our boss.

A small city has other great attributes, too. Traffic, no matter what the Alaskans say, is virtually non-existent. People drive slower and more carefully. People wave and say hello on trails and while passing on the street. The only time I feel unsafe is when I'm in the proximity of bears.

Anchorage does have a little more traffic than this...

My trip this past week was fantastic. I'll be posting more pictures tomorrow!