About where we stayed
When we set our sights on Anchorage Alaska we decided to look into some accommodations downtown so we could really explore the city and get the local feel. Michael met a realtor through one of the short-term stay websites that we frequent and rented the condo directly from her at Herrington & Company. Though the process is simple and straightforward which makes it quite appealing, there are a couple of downsides. First off you have to pay a $500 deposit, which they could not refund electronically and turned into a little bit of a pain in the butt to get back. They also needed a general credit/background check, which as you may know, can wreak havoc on your credit rating. Michael worked with them to make sure they didn’t have to run a full credit report, to avoid getting his credit score dinged. They also requested that we make the place available for showings to prospective buyers during our tenancy there. We agreed to this request though it is less than ideal. Luckily this only happened once, and we were already planning on being gone that day, so no harm no foul. Overall, we were happy with the space, we had a balcony, a comfortable bed, and rooftop access where we could grill our dinner and look out at the city.
The major upside to booking with Herrington & co is the price is undeniably good for the stellar location and quality of the suite. We found ourselves walking distance to a bunch of wonderful restaurants, cafes and shops. Our favorite being the incredibly well positioned and exceptionally scrumptious donut shop Wiki-Licious that was strategically placed between an FBI building and a weed shop, what could go wrong! We also frequented the farmers’ market on the regular to pick up fresh local produce for cooking back at the place. The experience of wandering around the stalls and picking up local delicacies is one we will always cherish. We also had a rather large grocery store down the street, Carr’s which provided a lot of convenience during our time in town. For everything else we could take a long stroll and find ourselves in the downtown area where all of our needs were met.
Seeing Friends
One of the most exciting parts of this new life is being able to meet new people and reconnect with old friends and family. Over the years we’ve said sad goodbyes to many close friends that slowly over time drift away as life prevents us from being together. With the freedom offered us by our new nomadic lifestyle it has become very important for us both to revisit those connections and to not let them fade away. In Anchorage, we got a chance to catch up with an old friend of Michael’s, Coby, from when Michael lived in Kansas. Coby and his partner Jennie are wildlife photographers operating their own photography company, Kiss a Moose, and they also do City Moose Tours. It was such a joy to reconnect with a distant friend after so many years. They took us out for the City Moose Tour where we had a rare lynx sighting, saw a couple of moose, and parts of the town that we wouldn’t have seen on our own.
When you connect with friends and acquaintances like this it creates such an abundance of opportunity, that simply being a tourist in town doesn’t afford. No one knows the lay of the land like the locals and it ends up being mutually beneficial, as we often forget the best aspects of our communities and no longer frequent them. There is no better way to fall in love with your home again than being a tourist in your own city. Their thoughtful advice had us dining at the city’s best restaurants and getting around in a car that they loaned us for most of our time in the city. Coby and Jennie were the most amazing hosts we could ask for and our gratitude for all of their kindness and support is everlasting.
One of our fondest memories with them is getting locked in a room together for an hour. While held captive in this place we were forced to attempt to solve puzzles to regain our freedom. No it wasn’t an episode of star trek, we were checking out the Ravens Eye Escape room. At that time they only had a single room in operation and even though we weren’t able to escape before the timer went off we had a great time playing with our friends and scratching our noodles together.
Michael’s Birthday Celebration
Michael was not going to leave Alaska without eating Alaskan crab legs and what better time than on his birthday. We went to Glacier Brewhouse with Coby and Jennie, it was a nice place with some good food. Michael and Coby dug into a large Alaskan king crab meal together and revelled in the richness of the frigid waters of the north. Afterwards the birthday boy headed off to a meetup with a board game club that he discovered online for an evening of rolling dice with new friends.
