I've signed up to a list serve for Alaska travel. It's been a long time since I got an email from this list serve, but today one arrived. Coincidentally, this morning I received an email from one of the Alaska women I met in DC - another Linda Marie.
Anyway, I was looking at some of the FAQs in the Alaska Travel guide. Jamie, I guess Jenn and I are not so naive (ok, dumb!) after all when we asked you if you lived in a 'regular' house.
Here's one FAQ that made me chuckle:
Are there ATMs? Are credit cards accepted?
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Banks in Alaska have the same features as they do in the Lower 48. In fact, most of the banks are part of national or regional chains.
Automated teller machines are found at many banks and savings and loan offices, as well as at grocery stores, gas stations and some hotels. Some ATMs have fees of $1 to $2, in addition to any charges from your home bank.Visa and MasterCard are accepted statewide.
Quite a few businesses also accept Discover and American Express. Traveler's checks are usually accepted. Canadian money may not be accepted at many businesses. Larger banks may be able to change currency.
Another chuckle:
What language do Alaskans speak?
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Almost all Alaska residents speak English, but there are many languages here. For example, there are 21 Native languages spoken around the state.
Perched on the top of the Pacific Rim, Alaska also has a strong international flavor. In Anchorage, the school district reported that its student body speaks a total of 83 languages.
People at some tourism businesses converse with visitors in German, Japanese, Tagalog and Spanish.
More of a bittersweet chuckle:
What kind of shopping is available?
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
In the past decade, Alaska's cities have made great strides toward becoming like the cities of the Lower 48.
In addition to supporting locally owned stores, Alaska has chain stores. Wal-Mart, Costco, Fred Meyer, Safeway, Gap and other chains bring nationally known products to the parts of Alaska along the highway and ferry system.
In general, anything you can buy in the Lower 48 is also available in Alaska's larger towns.Well-known fast-food and sit-down chains -- McDonald's, Applebee's, Chili's, Taco Bell and Baskin-Robbins, to name a few -- compete with locally owned restaurants, especially in Anchorage.
Gasoline, sold under several brands (including Tesoro, Chevron and Shell), is made in the state from Cook Inlet and North Slope petroleum.
Air cargo companies such as UPS, Airborne Express and FedEx deliver here; indeed, FedEx's Pacific hub is in Anchorage. Internet commerce is popular.
There are also distinctly Alaska shops. Qiviut, in Anchorage, sells scarves and other clothing woven from ultrasoft musk ox hair; harness shops cater to dog mushers; and craft and souvenir shops sell Native-harvested walrus ivory and bowhead whale baleen.
Reassuring chuckle:
Where can I check my e-mail?
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
The Internet is available at public libraries all over the state.
Libraries provide the service for free, but users who drop off a buck or two at the desk "for the book fund" will get a nice thank you.
There may be a sign-in sheet and an assigned time period. Many towns on the tourist track have coffee shops and cafes with for-a-fee Internet service. In Southeast Alaska, look for Internet services near the cruise ship docks.
Finally, a plain phun chuckle:
What are Alaska's state flower and other symbols?
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Alaska's state flower is the forget-me-not.
The state mammals are the moose (land) and the bowhead whale (sea).
The state bird is the willow ptarmigan.
The state song is "Alaska's Flag." (Click on the song's title if you'd like to hear it.)
The state flag shows the Big Dipper and North Star in gold on a field of blue.
The state fish is the king salmon.
The state gem is jade.
The state mineral is gold.
The state tree is the Sitka spruce.
The state fossil is the woolly mammoth.
The state insect is the four-spotted dragonfly.
The state sport is dog mushing.
The state motto is "North to the Future."
The words to the song Alaska’s Flag were written by Marie Drake, a long-time employee of the Alaska Department of Education, and set to music composed by Elinor Dusenbury, whose husband was commander of Chilkoot Barracks at Haines from 1933 to 1936.
The Territorial Legislature adopted Alaska’s Flag as Alaska’s official song in 1955.
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue,
Alaska's Flag, may it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes and the flow'rs nearby,
The gold of the early sourdough dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams,
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The Bear, the Dipper, and shining high,
The great North star with its steady light.
O'er land and sea a beacon bright,
Alaska's Flag to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.
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