I guess it's just fitting to do this post on Halloween; after all we were staying at a haunted hotel, one that is actually the only hotel in Anchorage that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But first, we had to get there. It was just a simple 230 mile drive from where we were staying at McKinley Creek to the rental car return in downtown Anchorage.
Of course the views in Denali State Park were stunning……
While we stopped to take in the views, other than another stop to put in gas, we drove straightaway, without stopping for lunch. All in all, with road construction and traffic it took us about five and-a-half hours to get into Anchorage. After returning the rental car, we walked over to the hotel we were staying at and dropped off our bags. We then decided to do some shopping then grab a bite to eat…..actually several bites. The Missus eschewed making reservations at more of the upscale places; instead, we'd end up hitting three places during this day. First we decided to explore downtown Anchorage for a bit and do some shopping.
We started at an apropos spot; the Statue of Balto the Wonder Dog; who was one of the lead dogs during the amazing 1925 serum run to Nome, which also inspired the sled dog race we know as Iditarod.
The sculpture also marks the starting point of the Iditarod.
We wove our way through a myriad of souvenir and gift shops; with names like "Big Ray's", "Grizzly's Gifts", and "Once in a Blue Moose". The kitsch level was high and we really had a blast at all the humorous shirts and other "stuffs".
Taking a turn at the Visitor's Center.
We arrived at our first destination for the day……Glacier Brewhouse.
The place was pretty darn busy; even during the mid-afternoon time. We took a table in the bar area which was hopping as well.
Our Server was really on top of things; efficient and friendly.
I started with a nice Glacier Brewhouse Bavarian Hefeweizen, fruity banana tones, with a slight anise/clove thing going on; light and easy to drink.
The Missus was inspired by something She saw on the drinks list.
Something had "clicked" when She had that first sip of the single malt whiskey at Talkeetna Brewpub.
She pointed at a section of the drinks menu…….
And ordered the Kentucky Whiskey Flight!
I quickly ordered some food from the bar-grub menu. We needed something in our empty bellies or this wasn't going to turn out well.
Regardless; we really enjoyed the whiskey.
I'd ordered the Seafood Crostini; which featured both King Crab and Dungeness Crab on grilled Rosemary Bread. This was pretty good in bar food terms…..after all, how often do you mix the phrases King Crab and "pub grub".
It was quite clear that the less fussy; the better food seemed to turn out for us in Alaska.
The tomatoes were nice and ripe and added a decent acidity to the dish.
The Missus, with some help from me, really enjoyed the whiskey flight…..so She ordered another! This time the Rye Whiskey flight….
The Missus had enjoyed the Smoked Salmon Dip during our previous dinner….in fact, it was the only thing from the dinner She deemed edible, so I ordered that.
More toasts, more seafood, a lot of yogurt in this and a bit too sour for my taste. Still, mayo would have been worse; it surely would have put us down.
Like I said, we really enjoyed our Server, she was a joy to work with and even stopped by and chatted with us a bit. We headed out with something in our stomachs other than alcohol. While the food at Glacier Brewhouse has a definite corporate feel (as most other places here do too), it wasn't too bad….and the Missus got Her whiskey, right?
Glacier Brewhouse
737 W 5th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501
We headed on back to the hotel.
We were staying at the Historic Anchorage Hotel.
As we got to the hotel I noticed this sign posted outside.
Haunted, huh? While we waited a few short minutes for our room to be ready in the period piece bar area…..
We notice this this in the bar area….a listing of "encounters".
Some of them; like "lots of mold grew on their beer box overnight, and the curtains moved around on their own" kind of made us laugh….."Guest in room 203 came to the front desk to request a different room. The previous night the light in the bathroom kept turning on by itself and he could hear laughter and smell tobacco smoked from that room. He was not disturbed by this presence, but preferred a "less active" room so that he could sleep through the night." Yeah, for real….
And there was this one; which seemed more like a heart attack than a haunting.
Wow, so many stories. This was going to be an interesting night……
But first; we needed to freshen up, take a short nap……then grab some dinner!
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Halloween!