Alaska – Regions in Brief Alaska’s immensity contains several distinct regions with their own climatic conditions, ecological settings, cultural background, and interest for travelers. Here I’ve provided a simplified explanation of what’s where. The following section explains the natural history terms highlighted in this summary. The Southeast Alaska’s Southeast Panhandle is the relatively narrow strip of mountains and islands lying between Canada and the Gulf of Alaska. To Alaskans, it’s Southeast, but to the rest of the country, it’s more …

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Alaska – Entry Requirements & Customs Coming into the U.S. has become more difficult for almost everyone with new security measures. Even U.S. citizens who pass between the U.S. and Canada must make additional preparations. International visitors can learn of the latest requirements from a travel agent or airline. Another good place to look for help is the U.S. embassy or consulate nearest you, which can be found on the Internet through www.unitedstatesvisas.gov. Passports Under a new requirement, U.S. citizens …

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Alaska – Clothing Considerations You’ll find little use for a tie or any formal attire anywhere in Alaska, but you do need to prepare for broad swings in weather. Summer — You’re not going to the North Pole, and you don’t need a down parka or winter boots weighing down your luggage. But you do need to be ready for a variety of weather, from sunny, 80°F (27°C) days to windy, rainy 50°F (10°C) outings on the water. The way …

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Alaska – When to Go This section covers the question I am asked most frequently: “What’s the best time to visit ______?” Alaska’s vastness means the seasons change at different times in different parts of the state. Sports, cultural activities, and visitor facilities also happen at different times in different places. Climate & Seasons The weather in Alaska can be extreme and unpredictable. The state is the first to get whatever nasty weather Arctic Siberia or the void of the …

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Alaska – Money

Alaska – Money Alaska is an expensive destination any way you slice it. With the exception of rural highway motels, standard motel rooms are rarely less than $140 in the high season. (I’ve rated them this way: inexpensive, under $135; moderate $135-$174; expensive $175-$250; very expensive over $250.) Airfare from Seattle to Anchorage fluctuates wildly with competition among the airlines and fuel prices, but a $350 round-trip, with 14-day advance purchase, is a good deal. (Flying is cheaper than the …

 

Alaska – Shopping

Alaska – Shopping In a gift shop in Southeast Alaska, I watched as a woman who said she was an artist’s assistant sanded a Tlingit-style carving. When I asked who made the carving, the artist said, “It’s my work.” At the time, that seemed like an odd way of putting it. Only later did I learn from one of the artist’s former assistants that his “work” involved ordering the carvings from Southeast Asia and shipping them to Alaska, where he …

 

Alaska – Calendar of Events

Here are some of the biggest community events of the year in Alaska’s cities and towns. Event plans can change, so don’t set up your vacation around any of these dates without checking for current details. I haven’t listed fishing derbies, which go on in almost every coastal town in the summer and are listed in the sections on each town. February The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/452-7954; www.yukonquest.org). Mushers say this rugged 1,000-mile race is even …

 

Alaska

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Alaska As a child, when my family traveled outside Alaska for vacations, I often met other children who asked, “Wow, you live in Alaska? What’s it like?” I never did well with that question. To me, the place I was visiting was far simpler and easier to describe than the one I was from. The Lower 48 seemed a fairly homogeneous land of freeways and fast food, a well-mapped network of established places. Alaska, on the other hand, wasn’t even …

 

United States of America

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USA – An Introduction It is not at all surprising that a nation founded by explorers, malcontents, protest(ants) and warriors is today a nation of individualists. E Pluribus Unum is the fitting motto of the United States: “From Many One.” As wave after wave of immigrant arrived in America, the assimilation of so many peoples, both free and slave, has been uneven and incomplete.  No other nation in the world has had to contend with such a mixed population, a …

 

Los Angeles – Featured Destination

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Modern myth has it that these days everyone in Los Angeles has written a screenplay, is writing a screenplay or is just visiting. For those in the latter category we offer a road map of ideas to help make a getaway to this ultra-hip, ultra-happening haven easy, fun and exciting. While L.A. will always be associated with movies and movie stars, it is also a culturally vibrant city that boasts a range of interesting attractions from prestigious art museums and …