One of the most frequent questions I receive as a blogger and when traveling out of Alaska is from people wanting to know what life in Alaska is really like. Do you see moose everyday? (50% of the time.) Have you been attacked by a bear? (I have yet to see one in real life!) Do you go to the bathroom outside? (Gross. Please. I live in a neighborhood.) I think TV and movies tend to romanticize and exaggerate life here; It is more than Gold Rush and Alaskan Bush People. Alaska definitely possesses its own unique culture far different than anywhere I’ve lived and I am still trying to understand it. To provide a different perspective of Alaska, aside from the world renowned fishing, hunting, and snow sports life, I am excited to start showcasing more of what my Alaska is like. I brought our camera out on a typical Friday evening to show you a little bit of real Anchorage living.

Anchorage really comes alive in the summer. After a long, hard winter everyone is outside as much as possible soaking in the sun- which is out approximately 20 hours/day right now. Also, there are so many tourists! Downtown certainly caters to them with endless souvenir shops packed with moose, bear, and salmon paraphernalia. There are fur shops, art galleries (as one may imagine, landscape photography is very popular here), and more souvenir stands. (Seriously there are so many, I wonder how they all stay in business?)

One of my favorite things about downtown is the plethora of reindeer dog stands. They are on every corner. I think it is both hilarious and convenient because reindeer dogs are actually very delicious. I used to refuse to eat them, because reindeer!, until Nate told me that reindeer are just domesticated caribou. And he hunts caribou. We eat it frequently. So now I enjoy reindeer dogs, too.

{We had no idea why these fellas were playing loud techno music with serious DJ equipment, but found it extremely amusing.}

Like most cities, there are painted murals everywhere depicting the traits of the land. There is a huge mural of a whale and seals in which Waverley and I participated in a killer photoshoot. Our navy blue attire looked perfect against the pale blue wall. Poor Nate left the lens cap on, though, and I shed a tear over what could have been. #plightofablogger

We went to one of our favorite downtown restaurants, Crush Wine Bistro & Cellar. The menu features small plates (my jam- I love justifying ordering everything off the menu) and an extensive wine list. We’ve never ventured there with Waverley and learned they are very kid-friendly without actually being kid-friendly. There were no highchairs or crayons, but our waitress was so sweet and accommodating. Waverley loves anything that can be dipped and was quite pleased with all of the “sauces.”

We lucked out with gorgeous weather on this particular evening. It was warm enough to rock actual summer attire and I even felt the need for a glass of chilled rosé. It is not a frequent occurrence though as it is typically raining off and on in the low 60°s. Not exactly beach weather! There are few restaurants that offer outside seating in Anchorage, which has been hard to adjust to. We were fortunate on this evening and got to sit outside!

Last summer I was set on finding a local ice cream shop that made their own ice cream. Instead I learned that due to the difficulty raising cows here, most ice cream is imported from Oregon. L‘horreur! (If you know of one, though, please let me know!) I don’t think Waverley cared either way. Strawpie ice cream for life!

What do you think of downtown Anchorage? Is it what you expected?