(ANC) Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Anchorage is located in the Southcentral portion of Alaska at the terminus of the Cook Inlet on a peninsula formed by the Knik Arm to the north and the Turnagain Arm to the south. The city limits span 1,961.1 square miles which encompass the urban core, the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, several outlying communities and almost all of Chugach State Park.
Of all the world’s cities, Anchorage uniquely combines the conveniences of the modern world with a rugged, natural environment that has all but vanished from populated regions of the world. In Anchorage, you can watch moose in the morning and ballet in the afternoon. You can take a short flight to see some of the most beautiful mountain scenery on earth, then be back for fresh seafood at a five-star restaurant.
Anchorage is an urban enclave surrounded by wilderness. Within a few miles of downtown, you can encounter scenes more wild than you’ll find in most national parks: wolf packs roaming through a park, rushing mountain streams, and city parks vast enough to forget which century you live in. The world’s second highest tides surge against its shores, and North America’s highest peak glimmers in the distance.
Alaska in 1860
In his speech to persuade Congress to purchase Alaska in 1860, William Henry Seward spoke of its riches: gold, timber, jade, furs, fish. Many of today’s most popular art objects and souvenirs are made of the very materials Seward talked about nearly 150 years ago. The unique crafts produced in Alaska come from the earth and capture the spirit of this wild, untamed country. Here are the places to find what you’ll want to bring home:
Anchorage Market on Wednesdays at June to Oct
About 300 vendors flood Alaska’s leading outdoor market every summer Wednesday. This is a great place to go for hand-crafted goods, with the greatest selection of made-in-Alaska pieces that you’ll find anywhere. There’s clothing — everything from souvenir t-shirts to furs—paintings, photos and jewelry. A nice mix of mid-priced items as well as inexpensive tchotchkes. Some visitors just come for the food: fresh seafood and world cuisines such as Thai, African, and Pakistani, as well as hamburgers and funnel cakes. Also features music and dancers.
Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall
Alaska’s premiere retail destination. Anchored by Nordstrom and jcpenney, this 5-level shopping center houses Apple, Coach, Sephora & 110 others, along with local shops and boutiques like Alaska Wild Berry Products and Iditarod Store.