Quick! Is there anything worth buying in Alaska?`
 

We leave tomorrow....I don't know what, if anything, I want to add to all my 'stuff' I have collected from all corners of the world. Don't say bear sculptures, totem poles, furry things, polished rocks, phony gems,etc...been there, done that (in earlier years), and gave it all away. But is there anything truly unique?????

One of the few souvenirs that I still have kept around me - an ulu knife from Alaska. The knife and its wooden base has stayed on my kitchen windowsill wherever I have moved.

Starrsville
Have you ever used it? We have one in our kitchen from our first trip to Alaska many years ago and have never used it. :-) What I do use,are sweatshirts we buy when we travel.

I would have liked to have gotten a whale baleen (hope that's correct for singular) to hang on the wall, but they were too expensive in the area we saw them. (BTW, this is not from whale harvesting.) They were quite beautiful on the walls of a few shops in Homer, and with our love of whales, this would have been a perfect keepsake for us.

I agree with Starrsville, I use my ulu knife every day and brought back a few for friends. I keep it on my counter, along with my food processor and those are the only two I put out to use every day.

I bought salmon from a small cannary in Ketchican. They catch their own and can it for sale. Very good tasting.

Maybe a gold nugget would be appropriate. Should never lose it's value!

We bought a native sculpture of a dancer that we like very much. We also bought cans of wonderful smoked salmon on a river cruise in Fairbanks.

There are lots of galleries in Anchorage that sell only "Made in Alaska" items that are really nice. Art glass, hand-thrown pottery, and REAL gemstones. The ulu knives are always a perennial favorite, too. I also wear my Alaska sweatshirt a lot each winter!

With such a large male population, I've heard you can find a lot of mail-order brides! hehehehe!

I bought a gold whale tale pendant for a gold chain necklace I already owned. I wear it almost everywhere I go. It is a constant reminder of the best vacation I ever took.

I guess I will have to try my ulu knife!

Oil futures.
M

I,too,have an ULU knife. I have a it on a collectable shelf and is always the conversation peice when someone enters the room. As you probably know by now, you will have to bring it back in your checked luggage.
I also brought back a couple of great refrigerator magnets.

I too, love my ulu. I also brought back the "bear paw" salad servers as gifts - everyone loved them.

If I had the money, I would have loved a baleen basket or beach grass basket. They are very expensive and a dying art.

MY

Everyone needs an oosik ...

But an ulu is more useful.

Otherwise, I think a baleen basket is nice. Instead of phony gems, real Alaska jade is beautiful.

I vote for an ulu, too, but make sure to also get the cutting board with a rounded depression. For chopping herbs, use a rocking motion. It's also good for slicing. Very nice ones have horn handles and are made locally. Have your favorite smoked salmon shipped home as souveniers for friends. There are some wonderful artists in Alaska who reproduce their works as small prints and notecards. The Pratt Museum in Homer has a very nice gift shop. I got a lovely twiggy picture frame at the Girdwood Forest Faire that sits on our mantel.

Another vote for the Ulu knife. Everyone in our family has one (brother and family live in Alaska so naturally we've all received gifts). I use mine all the time, in addition to herbs, chopping onions, etc, it's the best pizza cutter! My brother is actually on his second one as he used his so much the handle fell off.

Good one, mikemo!

I think your reference to oosiks went over various heads, repete.

http://www.geocities.com/abaccola/oosik.html for the uninitiated.

I think your best bet for "crafts" or "souvenirs" is still the gift shop at the Alaska Native Hospital in Anchorage. Usually the best of the best is there, and the hospital is a great "off the beaten path" place to visit, too, if for no other reason than looking at the native art on display in the halls - probably the best "gallery" in Alaska.

Otherwise look for high-end basketry, silver jewelry (especially Tlingit/Haida designs,) Laura Wright Parkys (parkas) at several retail outlets in Anc. and IIRC the public market, and great local art - see Artique on G St. in Anchorage for some really fine work (not schlunk.)