Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Welcome to Anchorage, Alaska!

It's been a long day but we're finally in Alaska and tomorrow we'll board the Regent Seven Seas Mariner in Whittier! This 13-day adventure from Alaska to Russia to Japan is the Northwest Passage portion of Regent's Grand Asia Pacific tour.

We left home on the East Coast earlier this afternoon and touched down in Anchorage around 8:00 pm. We wish we had some more time to enjoy the sights... hopefully we'll come back soon to enjoy more of Alaska.

All we had time for this evening was a nice dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse (at 5th Avenue and H Street, directly across the street from the Westmark Hotel). It was just getting a bit nippy outside when we walked over to the restaurant. It is so warm and inviting inside! This is probably due to the fact that there are some large fireplaces in the open space, as well as a brick oven! The servers were very friendly and told us what not to miss the next time we get to Anchorage. (Photo courtesy of Glacier Brewhouse.)

When in Alaska, the king crab is a must, so we indulged in Bering sea red king crab served simply with lemon and drawn butter. It was delectable! We washed it down with some homemade cream soda and I couldn't resist ending the meal with the restaurant's signature bread budding topped with carmalized pecans and Yukon Jack sauce. Mmmmm! Heavenly!

By this point however, the time difference was catching up with us and we headed back across the street to the Westmark Hotel where we are staying for the evening. This property is actually owned by Holland America. Since this is the beginning of off-season, the hotel is very quiet and we got a terrific king room on a high floor for just $89/night. The rate included highspeed Internet access. That's always appreciated when traveling! (Photo courtesy of Westmark Hotels.)

It's pitch black out now, but we're looking forward to waking up to a beautiful Alaskan vista in the morning. Then, it's off to Whittier to meet the Mariner!

The Anchorage skyline as seen from our balcony at the Westmark Hotel.

Photos by Leonard Hospidor, unless noted otherwise

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