Sights & Attractions in Anchorage

Anchorage Sights

Anchorage is a pedestrian- and bike-friendly city. Downtown Anchorage's flower-lined streets are easily explored on foot, and several businesses rent bicycles. The grid plan was laid out by the Army Corps of Engineers, and streets and avenues run exactly east-west and north-south, with numbers in the first direction and letters of the alphabet or Alaska place-names (Barrow, Cordova, Denali, etc.) in the other. The only aberration is the absence of a J Street—a concession, some say, to the city's early Swedish settlers, who had difficulty pronouncing the letter. You'll need a car for longer stays and for expeditions.

Outside downtown, Anchorage is composed of widely scattered neighborhoods and large shopping malls clustered along busy thoroughfares. And although there's no shortage of excellent restaurants downtown, many of the town's best places are found in cheesy strip malls. Also, you're never more than a block or two from a good espresso stand or cart.

The municipal People Mover (907/343-6543. www.peoplemover.org) bus system covers the whole Anchorage Bowl. A one-way fare is $1.75 for rides outside the downtown area; rides within downtown are free. Get schedules and information from the central bus depot at 6th Avenue and G Street.

If you need a taxi, call one of the cab companies; it's not common to hail one. Prices are $2 to $3 for pickup, plus an additional $2.50 for each mile. Allow 20 minutes for arrival of the cab during morning and evening rush hours. Alaska Cab (907/563-5353) has taxis with wheelchair lifts. In the snow-free months a network of paved trails provides good avenues for in-city travel for bicyclists and walkers.

You'll find plenty to do year-round in Anchorage, though most visitors, particularly first-timers, might be happiest in June, July, or August, when the days are longer—up to 19 hours, 21 minutes during the summer solstice—and the temperatures warmer. If you must choose one of the shoulder seasons, choose fall. There's less chance of rain; the snow has not yet arrived on trails, except in the highest mountain passes; and there's an excellent chance for warm, sunny days, cool nights, and dazzling color changes in the trees and tundra.

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