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Most Alaskans who hop on an airplane and fly south aren't typically looking to land in Oregon for a dose of sunshine and dry heat. After all, the beaver state is among the rainiest on the west coast, right? Well, yes and no. Oregon does have rainforests, lush greenery and access to the Pacific Ocean within a few hours of hub city Portland. But also in reach is the vast Columbia River Gorge, a natural wonder to the east boasting fantastic scenery and a wealth of outdoor recreation. The river...
I was reading a travel article recently and noticed a photograph the writer took of a local in the country he was covering. They were not smiling. In fact, they were scowling. It reminded me of the time I watched a visitor to Utqiagvik take a photo of three Inupiat women elders in the MarkAir terminal. They were dressed in the latest fashion of exotic Hawaiian prints for the covers of their traditional parkas and rhinestone pins on their wolverine ruffs that seemed to be a friendly contest...
Cruising in 2019? Don't expect the usual from scheduled onboard entertainment, say cruise lines. Instead, how about the chance to rub shoulders with a feature film makeup artist, or perhaps sitting in on a panel discussion with an award-winning composer? Maybe you'd like the opportunity to test your brain power as part of a quiz show or learn more about Italian wines. Once seen as a weak part of an otherwise stellar seafaring vacation experience, evening entertainment aboard large cruise ships...
The first time I traveled to Switzerland I felt like I was in a postcard and any moment I'd step through it. I felt the same about Alaska. Places so mind-bogglingly beautiful cause one to go around with your mouth open - it's just "wow, wow, wow" all the time. And the Swiss are very nice, very polite and very, very clean. From the quaint villages and farms pitched on a 45-degree mountainous angle to cosmopolitan towns like Geneva, Lucerne and Zurich, your experience in this tiny country is sure...
As if the logistics of travel weren’t murky enough, the Dept. of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Real ID program will be enforced in Alaska beginning Oct. 1, 2020. On that date, Alaska residents will need to present a Real ID-compliant license or ID, or other accepted form of identification in order to access any federal facility, including boarding commercial aircraft. The DHS announced on Dec. 20, 2013 a phased enforcement plan for the REAL ID Act as passed by Congress, that will implement the Act “in a measured, fair, and responsible way....
Bob Burrus is channeling John Travolta. He enters Lenny's Pizza in Brooklyn and orders a slice. After devouring the snack, he emerges onto 86th Street and struts down several blocks as the song "Staying Alive" plays in his head. Bob is reliving the opening scene of the 1977 motion picture Saturday Night Fever. And he's not alone. As he mimics one of his favorite movie sequences, others around the country are fantasizing theirs. From Maine to Hawaii, locations where movie scenes were filmed...
Think you know Alaska's entire story, told from the perspective of our capital city's residents? It might be time for a refresher at the Juneau State Museum, and March is the perfect month in which to visit. One of two Alaska museums run by the state, the Juneau facility opened in 2016 at full capacity after a two-year, $139 million renovation to expand, enhance and encourage visitors. Conveniently located within an easy walk of downtown Juneau and most hotels, the Alaska State Museum (...
Alaskans will find much familiar in Vancouver. On the shores of the Pacific Ocean, with a backdrop of the North Shore Mountains, the tail end of the Coast Mountains, it could almost be Anchorage or Juneau. But there's a difference. Home to close to 640,000 people, it's near the population count of 739,000 of all Alaska. But think of it – that means in the 1,111 square miles of the city you're among the number of people that inhabit Alaska's 663,300 square miles. Tight squeeze. Cosmopolitan w...
"A traveler am I, and a navigator, and every day I discover a new region within my soul." ~ Kahlil Gibran There's a new trend afoot, encouraging the exploration of religious, philosophical, and morally-significant destinations around the world. Known as "spiritual travel," it's an effort to combine vacation with pilgrimage, for lack of a better term, and reach a demographic of people interested in history, culture and spiritual affiliation beyond the boundaries of home. And it's booming. I'm in...
If you live in an Alaska town that has a solid cruise ship economy, then you probably long for the quiet tourist shoulder season. Pity the people who see no down time. Rejoice that you have a break. So maybe it's time you took a cruise just to see what all the fuss is about. The Caribbean? Panama Canal? How about a river cruise through some of the most celebrated towns of Europe? Choices, choices Unlike the big cruise ships that come to Alaska, river cruises offer levels of tour participation....
After a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rattled both homes and nerves in November, many Alaskans are finding themselves thinking twice about safety and emergency preparedness like never before; and this includes travel. Whether embarking for an international destination or traveling domestically, considerations for safety and emergency procedures are part of a traveler’s code of personal responsibility. As you make plans for 2019, add these tips to your checklist prior to departure and while on the go. It could make the difference between salvaging a...
You're never too old to sit in Santa's lap. It's true. One year I was in Nordstrom admiring their stunning Santa Claus when a woman next to me confessed she still visits Santa every year. There is something about a Santa Claus that pulls on your heartstrings no matter how old you are. I look back at one photo of me sitting in Santa's lap and I have a look of total adoration. This is perhaps one reason my life companion is a hippie version of Santa. And still, a man with a white beard and long...
If you've ever listened to the lyrics to the tune 'Wabash Cannonball,' you'll get a sense of train travel's intrinsic hold upon us: "Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar As she glides along the woodland o'er the hills and by the shore" Getting around Alaska by train is not just for summer tourists; it's also a winter mode of transportation that allows for access to and from some of our most treasured destinations, minus the crowds. Come winter, the Alaska Railroad modifies its...
With refined charm hinting of a British past combined with carefree, beach-life style of the Caribbean, Bermuda's got it all. This 22-mile island chain of volcanic rock and limestone has attracted east coast vacationers for years, with easy access to azure water and pink sand beaches, but beyond the sand and surf lies a wealth of history, mystery and culture spanning several centuries, starting with its location. Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory, lies less than 1,000 miles from the United S...
Thanksgiving is more than a family feast, it is the story of how we came to be here in this country and how we were helped by the indigenous population. Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is a time warp kind of place. As you stroll down the main streets lined with thatched homes and crude wood corrals of farm animals, performers in period dress will not break character. You ask about President Trump and they will say, "I know not of this Trump." This is where the Pilgrims spent...
Alaskans love to go to Hawaii. As our kissing cousin on just about any map we've seen since childhood, we are close – a mere six hours on a direct fight from Anchorage. In winter the Hawaiian islands are a godsend, warming us up physically with full sunshine, cool trade winds and lots of fresh fruits that lift our spirits. We return refreshed and tanned, and winter seems to flash by after the island respite. Friends envy our tans. Natural disasters plague Hawaii But this year Hawaii has been h...
Labor Day weekend was a glorious jumble of color, sunshine, and a yearn for open roads, so drive them we did, up and over one of Alaska's most underutilized roadways. The Denali Highway, once upon a time the only way to reach Denali National Park, is often forgotten in the "hurry up and get there" mindset of most Alaska visitors (and often we residents, too) who forget that in the Last Frontier, the journey is often the destination. A 134-mile drive between Paxson and Cantwell, the highway is...
Note: With national attention on immigration now, this column is focusing on Alaskans visiting the homes of their ancestors. If you have an account of your trip, please contact dimitralavrakas@hotmail.comdimitralavrakas@hotmail.com. Cindi Lagoudakis, who recently returned from a visit to Greece, is a former acting mayor of Petersburg, Alaska, and a fine artist. SV: Why and when did your father immigrate to America and where was he and your mother from? My father came to the United States in 1947...
Alaskans annually play a waiting game with winter. The frenzied pace of summer begins to slow around mid-August as kids and grandkids return to school, daylight wanes, and weather patterns become a bit more unpredictable. But should this stop you from exploring the 49th state? Never. Autumn's shift merely indicates an entirely new season of travel, especially in Alaska's Interior region, where crowds thin noticeably after Labor Day. Fairbanks plays hub to the greater Interior that includes...
There's no question that Alaska is a place of uniqueness. From people to landscape and everything in between, there's no state like the 49th State, and that includes the mechanics of infrastructure. The Alaska Marine Highway System is a 3,500-mile route stretching from Bellingham, Washington, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Chain, with 28 other ports of call in between. Designated a National Scenic Byway in 2002 due to its rich culture and scenery, the Alaska Marine Highway System is a...
Summer has finally arrived in the Last Frontier. After a wet, windy spring, Alaskans are fueling up and hitting the highways and byways in search of a night or two (or many) among Alaska's wild spaces. If one were to look at the numbers, RV (or car) visitors to Alaska only make up 78,000, or about four percent, of the state's two million annual visitors, but there's no mistaking their impact. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, RV parks, campgrounds, and even highway pullouts are packed with rigs,...
Last month, Senior Voice travel correspondent Dimitra Lavrakas wrote about various ways to appreciate historic lighthouses in Alaska and beyond. This month, she shares about her recent experience as a volunteer lighthouse caretaker in Massachusetts. It's sunset on a small, stony 52-acre island, 1.5 miles off the coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and hundreds of seagulls take to trees and roofs to gaze at the setting sun. The birds do the same at sunrise, which comes at 4 a.m., and the gulls'...
If you watch public television's Rick Steve and his travel show, he always points out how travel helps him to understand people all over the world and that it broadens his mind. Good thoughts for sure, but I like to think of travel as I age as an adventure challenging me to actually get up and go somewhere else before I just fall apart or lose my reasoning. Oh, and to activate new brain cells, too. We've chosen to a trip that is more engaging than sitting in the car for hours like we did on the...
Between 1946 and 1989, the United States and Russia were locked in a confrontation of ideology. Posturing took the form of an unprecedented nuclear arms race during which then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev declared, "We will bury you!" Military planners in the U.S. worried that Soviet bombers would strategically position themselves over Alaska in an attempt to attack the rest of the country, and thus, defense from the Last Frontier became a critical element. Three sites were constructed...
A safe haven for birds to breed There were times when I flew the milk run from Seattle to Juneau and stopped in at Yakutat - a place that always fascinated me. With its thick, deep green forests and rolling waves that attract international surfers, I always hoped we'd get weathered in so I could poke around, but it never happened. Not so for Aleutian terns that make annual stops here on their way to nest at Yakutat's Situk River Flats ever since the earliest recording of their migration in...
