I know I haven’t always said the nicest things about United Airlines, but after a couple of very last minute Saver Awards made our most recent trip to Alaska a reality, I figured I’d dedicate this post to them. If you’ve ever picked up a copy of the inflight magazine Hemispheres then I’m sure you’re familiar with the feature “Three Perfect Days”. Here’s our version:
Road trip! Exploring Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula
After a ski trip in February, and a mileage run in May, I knew I wanted to take the entire family back to Alaska. Our trip began early Sunday morning in San Francisco. After a very pleasant stay at the Aloft SFO, we checked out of the hotel and took the shuttle to the airport. Check in was a breeze thanks to my Premier Platinum status, and perhaps for the first time ever my benefits were extended to the rest of my family (kind of an issue in the past). This included TSA Precheck which was even given to my no-status, non U.S. citizen husband. I’m not sure how that happened, but when the screener told us to keep our shoes on we didn’t argue. I never signed up (or paid) for PreCheck so all I can say is thanks United!
Our journey continued up to Seattle where I was pleased to find out that United has moved out of the North Terminal. This is definitely a change that I like since we didn’t have to go through the dirty basement and ride a train in order to find some decent food. Our layover was mostly spent eating, plane spotting, eating some more, then letting our kiddo run wild in the aviation-themed play area in the airport. Before we knew it, three and a half hours had passed and it was time to board our flight to Anchorage.
The flight to Alaska is perhaps one of the most scenic on the planet. Our journey took us past Vancouver B.C., over the Inside Passage, and past huge mountains, waterways, and spectacular glaciers the entire way. If you ever fly to Anchorage, make sure you get a window seat (preferably on the right hand side) as these views are the perfect introduction to the 49th state. On final approach we could see the 20,000 ft. + Mt. McKinley (Denali) which is over 100 miles away. We landed at Ted Stevens International Aiport sometime in the mid-afternoon, although it was hard to tell; because of the northern latitude the sun kind of moves around in a circle all day and it never really gets entirely dark.
The Perfect Introduction to Alaska- The Flight There. SEA-ANC
We stayed with my family who live in Anchorage and the best part of that arrangement is that they know where to eat! Our first Alaskan feast was courtesy of the Moose’s Tooth, a local brewery and pizza place. They sell their own beer by the half gallon and have a wide variety of specialty pizzas. I highly recommend the Wild Mushroom pizza, or if you’re feeling adventurous, the Gyro pizza was pretty tasty too! The secret is definitely out about this place and the line was out the door when we arrived. My advice is get there early or get take out. We opted to do the later, and spent the evening back at home catching up over a great meal. Before we knew it, it was sunset (aka midnight), and way, way past everyone’s bed time.
Day 1 took us to the Anchorage Museum, which I HIGHLY recommend, and another local favorite- Costco. I was really excited to see what kind of “only in Alaska” stuff they had there, but it was a little bit of a letdown after Hawaii Costco. Blackout curtains and fishing poles were the only items that differentiated this store from any other. For dinner we went out to Humpy’s, as seen on the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food. None of us were ambitious enough to try the Kodiak Arrest, but the regular portions were quite generous, and the food surprisingly good despite the slight dive-bar appearance of the place. If you’re looking for other good eats in Downtown Anchorage, I also really like the Glacier BrewHouse, where we ate on a previous trip. After dinner, with plenty of daylight left, we explored Earthquake Park and spotted our first moose- a cow and two calves out by the airport.
Alaskan Wildlife
On Day 2 we went down the Kenai Peninsula to the small town of Seward and nearby Kenai Fjords National Park. What seemed like a speck on the map took us all day to cover and for the first time, I really began to appreciate how big the state of Alaska is. The scenery was spectacular and reminiscent of what we saw on the airplane- mountains, glaciers…more mountains and more glaciers, all of which were simply stunning. Once in Seward we visited the Alaska Sea Life Center and took in views of Resurrection Bay. After that we made a quick detour to the National Park visitor center for a couple stamps in our passport books. Next stop was Exit Glacier for a short hike and an encounter with a black bear. This was definitely the highlight of the entire trip, both the views of the giant ice field and the wildlife sighting. The bear was very friendly and didn’t seem the least bit bothered by our presence. For dinner we stopped in the small resort town of Girdwood (home of Akyeska) at Chair 5 restaurant for a Tundra Burger (Bison and Caribou meat) and an Alaskan Amber- It was the perfect end to the most perfect of days, and probably my favorite meal of the entire trip.
Exit Glacier. Photo Courtesy of Cousin Steve
On Day 3 we just hung out with family and enjoyed a BBQ with some friends. It was nice to have a little (much needed) downtime and more catching up with some of my favorite people. It was just then that we heard a loud boom that rocked the entire house. Volcano? Earthquake? After all, Alaska is known for both and borders of the ring of fire. No, it was something lurking in the garage… hilarity ensued as we spend the rest of the afternoon watching over the highly intoxicated “professional” we hired to deal with our little situation downstairs. I swear there’s never a dull moment when you travel with us! Anyway, if you want to know the rest of the story, I’ll be around in Chicago. If you are however in need of other activities to fill a third perfect day in Alaska, look no further than Ted Stevens International Airport with it’s world class plane spotting and Alaska Aviation Museum. We headed there later that night to catch our direct flight home to SFO. We watched the sun set just around the same time as we boarded the aircraft. After a very short 4 hour red-eye flight spent stretched out in my own row of Economy plus (yeah, I’m not really sad about missing that upgrade), I awoke the next morning in San Francisco, a world away from where we had just come.
Alaska Sea Life Center
We Love Alaska! Resurrection Bay