First Blogpost!

We are not big time travelers like Rick Steves or Arthur Frommer, but we do take a trip from time to time.  Before we go, we thoroughly research the location such as where to eat, how to get around and what to see.  Of course, plans change as we often try to get tips from locals while we are there!  

This first edition will focus on the port city of Ketchikan, Alaska.  We arrived in Ketchikan via a large commercial cruise ship, the Star Princess.  A future blogpost will be about our first cruising experience. Ketchikan’s waterfront is really no different than many others such as Skagway and Juneau, all of which I will be writing about. Numerous tour companies are there to greet you to take you on excursions ranging from boat tours to guided van tours to lumberjack shows. There are plenty of shops ranging from a few operated by locals to the regular cruise line owned Alaska souvenir shops and jewelry stores, all trying to get a piece of your tourism dollar.

None of the cruise excursions appealed to us and we opted to just walk around Ketchikan and take it all in.  Most of the most interesting sites were free or a nominal cost.  Let me start with the nominal cost activities.  The Totem Heritage Center was small and only a $6 admission charge.  Overall the museum was pretty basic and focused on educating about the meaning and history of the totems.  What really made the $6 a steal was the young docent who was making baskets out of thin strips of cedar. She enthusiastically answered all our questions about her craft, the region and life in Alaska. 

The other low cost activity we enjoyed was the quick funicular trip for Creek Street up to the Cape Fox Lodge.  I think it was $6 round trip for two. It was almost like a large elevator which travelled on an angle instead of vertical. We walked around the grounds at the top for a few minutes, but mostly enjoyed the view of the port area from this elevated location.  The lodge area was a nice place to rest for a few minutes.

Ketchikan is best known for Creek Street.  The former red light district of the Gold Rush era is now full of souvenir and craft shops. It is essentially a shopping area on a small scale boardwalk. Creek Street offers a great view of seals as they chase down salmon trying to get upstream. As you travel further up Creek Street, you can see a salmon ladder in use. Different views of this Creek proved that Ketchikan is the salmon capital of the world as it was jammed with this prized fish.  We also spent some time just walking around the town streets, just getting a look at regular Alaska suburban life, petted a few dogs and met a few of the local residents who were more than happy to chat with us.

For those who enjoy a good craft beer, the Bowden Street Brewing Company had a good assortment of draft beers, all at reasonable prices.  They had everything from IPAs to Saisons to Porters.   This was our last stop before heading back on board.