This was the first sight that greeted us upon landing in Anchorage! We knew we had made it to Alaska.
We quickly caught an Uber and headed to our hotel in downtown Anchorage. The hotel was perfectly situated in the middle of town to walk to many stores and restaurants. During the drive to the hotel, we asked the driver for dinner recommendations and she immediately suggested 49th State.
We quickly dropped off our bags and started the quick walk to the restaurant. There was a large crowd waiting to be seated, but we were able to grab seats at the bar without waiting. The menu had many classic options with Alaskan twists such as the Yak Burger and a variety of seafood options. Both the food and atmosphere were perfect for our first night in Alaska.
After dinner, we headed out to explore the downtown area. At this point, it was about 8:00pm, but the tourists were out, it was still daylight, and the stores were still open. We loved exploring the cute downtown. There were typical tourists stores, but there was also a nice mix of boutiques and specialty shops that provided options beyond typical tourist t-shirts.
The streets were lined with beautiful flowers, and we enjoyed just walking around and exploring the area.
One of the highlights of Anchorage was the ice cream we had from Wild Scoops! A friend of mine that works in Anchorage recommended this ice cream shop as the top must do thing in the city – and she was right! Even after our big dinner, the ice cream was incredible!
The shop was tiny and had a long line out the door (even in the 50 degree weather!), but the line moved quickly. This specialty ice cream shop had a variety of unique flavors and is known for its small batches of ice cream. After our ice cream, we headed back to our cozy hotel room and pulled the curtains tight to help block out the late night sun.
The next morning we headed to Snow City Cafe just a few blocks from our hotel. My friend that works in Anchorage, the Uber driver from the airport, former Presidents, and local newspapers all recommend this as one of the best breakfast spots in the country. I would agree!
When we first walked in, there was a crowd of people and we were quoted a 45 minute to an hour wait. Due to its popularity, we decided to stick it out. We were really excited when we got called in only 15 minutes. We had already looked at the menu and we were able to order quickly. Our order came quickly and was delicious! Between 49th State, Wild Scoops, and Snow City Cafe, we had a great Anchorage food tour!
We happened to be in Anchorage on Saturday and were able to check out the local farmers market. It was a cute market full of Alaskan made products and other fun finds. We had to hurry though to head to the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center in time to catch our bus to the cruise ship.
After checking in at the convention center, we had a little time to kill before our bus left, so we headed to the mall. We enjoyed seeing some of our favorite stores from the Lower 48. Stores like Nordstrom had many of the same brands we are used to but just had less options. After spending some time at the mall, we headed back to the convention center to catch our bus to the cruise ship and begin our Alaskan cruise adventure!
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