The start of day two in Alaska proved to be no different than any other day of my life. I was up early eager to get my day started. There was a downtown Anchorage flea market that I wanted to explore before I was to be picked up by our Puk-Uk crew. But the first order of business was to find myself a nice hot cup of coffee and a good Alaskan breakfast. You would think that in such a cold climate it would be an easy task. Turns out, it wasn't. I walked the main strip- old historic 4th Avenue. The non main strip. The back strip. The water strip. Even pestered the locals for suggestions with no luck. Now starving and suffering through the beginning stages of caffeine withdrawal, I eventually ended up at my originally intended destination- the flea market. Guess that is one way to get a thorough tour of Anchorage city life.
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| 4th Avenue then and now. |
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| Top L-R- Anchorage fur sales are still going strong as many people traditionally use furs to stay warm in the frigid winter, the original Army Navy Surplus still alive and kicking, Historic City Hall, Train Station. |
Regardless, it turned out to be a favorable turn of events. I found a wonderful local cup of joe that warmed my insides as I toured all the local artisan stands searching for some original artwork to bring home with me. Once satisfied with my selections, I made my way to the food vendor section of the market. Surprisingly they had quite a multicultural variety which included Thai, Korean, BBQ, Persian and Greek foods. In any other situation, those would have all been superior options, but I wanted uniquely Alaskan food. My choice- a reindeer dog. It sounded like the real deal to me. It is similar to the typical hot dog only larger and more sausage like. Truly, if you did not know you were eating Santa's trusty sleigh staff, you would not be able to tell the difference. It was delicious. Sorry Santa.... One quick stop to the area bakery table for a raspberry pinwheel, and I made my full belly way back to the hotel where the rest of my day would begin, at Elmendorf Air Force Base. This base is one of my most anticipated stops. I have been dreaming about visiting there for years and it was now about to happen. A happy, happy day lies ahead.
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| Flea Market in downtown Anchorage. |
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| Left- a reindeer dog, Right- raspberry pinwheels. |
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