It's our third day at the Captain Cook Inn. Veronika is feeling a bit better, and I decided to head to downtown Anchorage—I was just curious. Veronika nodded in approval, so I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. I tried to find any info on Anchorage public transport online—nothing. Absolutely zero. I just waved it off, thinking someone would surely point me in the right direction.
Two women were sitting in the lobby-kitchen of our hotel. I asked them how to get to downtown Anchorage. It felt like nobody really knew. One of the women pulled out a map and showed me where we were and where the center was. It wasn't that far. The manager said he usually bikes to the center. He said it would take about 40 minutes on foot. But it was quite chilly outside, so I was still hoping for a bus. With no other choice, I headed to the bus stop near our hotel. After staring at the signs for about 10 minutes, I decided which bus to take. I thought, "Whatever, if anything, I'll just talk to the driver or other passengers and figure it out." My guess was right, and I got off in downtown Anchorage.
My first impression was that the city was just stuck somewhere in the 70s. Lots of low-rise buildings, slightly old-fashioned signs. Still, it looks quite charming.
My second surprise was the huge number of alternative youth in the central square. Everyone was bright, interesting, laughing, and riding skateboards. It was fun to watch them for a bit.
Suddenly, I found myself standing in front of a RadioShack. I decided to go in and buy the cheapest prepaid phone, just like I did in Pittsburgh. I went in and bought a Motorola slider, which I hadn't seen in circulation for about 7 years. I was happy with the purchase.
It got colder outside, so it wasn't particularly pleasant to walk around. Plus, it was Memorial Day, and the buses were finishing their routes earlier than usual. I went to the stop and checked the schedule. Great, I was just in time for the last bus. There were about 20 minutes left, which I decided to spend right there at the stop. All the benches were taken, so I just stood by the wall. No big deal, I'll stand. A man, not very tidy-looking, stood by the wall nearby. I didn't pay much attention until people started approaching him every five to ten minutes. I glanced his way and was stunned—the man had a bag of weed the size of a loaf of bread in his hands. And he was standing right under a surveillance camera, selling weed without even trying to hide it. His so-called clients didn't look particularly tidy or trustworthy either. Some had knives sticking out of their back pockets. My back broke out in a cold sweat, and I moved to the other end of the stop. The bus was terribly late; by that time, 40 minutes had passed since I arrived at the stop. I started to freeze, and the thought crossed my mind—I'd have to walk. But I decided to wait another 10 minutes. Fortunately, the bus I needed popped out from around the corner, I jumped in, and headed back to Captain Cook. Once I got into the room, I collapsed onto the bed and groaned, "To hell with this downtown Anchorage!"
SOME TIPS!
Don't stay without communication, and if possible, try not to end up in situations like the one described, where it's unclear what to do, when things will be resolved, and what will happen. It's still better to walk around unfamiliar cities with someone, especially for lovely young ladies :)
Be sure to check the weather and bring clothes suitable for the area, season, and so on. I slacked off with Denali and didn't even bring a jacket. I froze quite a bit back then, especially at the end of the season when temperatures dropped to -2-3 in the mornings.
