Say nice things about Alaska. No snark if that's ok.

[barack the house]

Just want to make specifically clear to Alaskans that the stories on the board or not about the state but whether Palin was adequately vetted. Some polls had Obama doing quite well there.

I think Alaska is great for it's social policy of using it's profits form oil on the people.

[City of Mills]

1. My dad took a trip there as a guest powwow drummer

And was blown away by the natural beauty there and the warmth and respect showered on him by his hosts...it's high on my list of places to visit (Massachusetts to Alaska must be a hell of a plane ride!).

[progressivebydesign]

2. My daughter went to a Girl Scout Wider Op there and fell in love with Alaska!

And the people were so gracious and wonderful to her!! She has many great memories and photos from the trip!!

[Blue_In_AK]

3. We take no offense.

We know we're okay, and we don't care what anyone else thinks. :)

[Arctic Dave]

4. Alaska totally sucks. I suggest you never come here.

We have a brazillion bears that love to eat tourist.:evilgrin:
I hope that didn't come off snarky.

[LeftyMom]

8. Not at all, I post pretty much the same thing about California all the time.

It's horrible by the way, and not worth the flight.

[Arctic Dave]

11. Ah, Cali. My other past place of inhabitance.

[Lucky 13]

12. As a former Alaskan, I completely agree. Alaska is hell.

Tourists should avoid Alaska at all costs. The 24 hours of light and 24 hours of darkness isn't good for any human. Do you want to have your vacation ruined by serotonin overload/withdrawl???

Also, since all Alaskan dwellings are igloos it means you're in for horrific accommodations.

And it's freezing there year round! Unless you own baby seal skin lined Carhartts overalls and bunny boots, expect that hypothermia is in your future.

Lastly, by state law, anyone visiting Alaska must bag at least one large game animal... moose, bear, caribou, arctic fox, baby seal. It's not for the faint of heart, children, the elderly, or anyone with any moral conscience. And who wants the hassle of trying to check a carcass on to the flight home?

<snark off>


I lived in Anchorage for a few years and I loved my time there. Besides the conservative red-necks and Anchorage Baptist Temple nazis it is a WONDERFUL place. I want to come back someday... hopefully after Ted & Ben are in jail, Don is deposed, and Sarah Palin crawls back into the hole in Wasilla from whence she came.

Oh and if you ever do visit Alaska and don't wish to be cussed out or made fun of endlessly by locals, please do not rent one of those massive RV's the size of a tour bus, drive around Anchorage at 2 miles an hour, and stop in the middle of a main thoroughfare because you are mesmerized by the site of a moose. You'll get another opportunity to see one, I promise.

[Arctic Dave]

15. The first part of your post described

my childhood. Are we related?

[Lucky 13]

23. Anything's possible in Alaska!

Although highly unlikely. I was born and raised in the DC area.

[PermanentRevolution]

5. I've always wanted to live there

Don't exactly know why, but I've always been drawn to Alaska. Unfortunately, not enough work in my field to make it a viable move.

[erinlough]

6. Visited for three weeks,

The most beautiful place I have ever been. Is that un-snarky enough for you?

[Crunchy Frog]

7. I liked Northern Exposure.

[Lisa0825]

9. My sister lived in Wasilla for 4 years and absolutely loved it.

I didn't get a chance to visit, but she sent me lots of pics, and my mom visited. My mom said it was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen. I really regret that I didn't get a chance to see it when she was still there. It's so much nicer to visit with a friend or relative than go as a regular tourist. But I still hope to go someday.

[Arugula Latte]

10. It's spectacularly beautiful and ...

has a damn nice state flag!

[GrizzlyMan]

13. Just returned from Alaska

And it is, by far, my favorite state in the union. Unmeasurable beauty, friendly people and an overall great vibe to it. Honestly there were times when I was there that I had to remind myself I was still in the US. It just has a different feel to it (at least for me) that is hard to put into words.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. and it contains some of the most beautful places on earth...

[Occam Bandage]

16. Alaska is gorgeous. Beautiful place.

[Kber]

17. Alaska is what awesome meant before we started using that word to describe Pizza

[InvisibleTouch]

18. From the pictures I've seen, it's very beautiful.

Incredible stretches of wilderness. The climate wouldn't be to my liking (I am a jungle creature), but I can appreciate the visual beauty of the images I've seen, and hope the wilderness remains unspoiled for the many species who live there.

[Awsi Dooger]

19. Amazing place

I've been twice, once for 3 months in 1995 and then a week's cruise in 2005.

Only thing that didn't impress me: The northernmost golf course in the world is pathetic, a glorified pasture.

[DeschutesRiver]

20. Dh and I are both retired lawyers

and inactive bar members at the moment, doing other things. Dh has licenses to practice in several states, and one of them is AK. Mostly aviation cases at the start/middle of his career.

When we got married years ago, dh had to leave for AK for most of the summer to take and pass the AK bar, and work as a clerk there for his firm. He fell in complete love with Alaska's beauty.

I still have a picture of a much younger us on Homer Spit, many shots of MOOSE, downtown Anchorage at night, and stories of him flying into a remote local, where someone mentioned the guy that got eaten by a bear on the landing strip the previous day. The places he went to find witnesses for cases defies belief - think Northern Exposure on steriods.

We are in our fifties now, and just last month were trying to figure out what age would be a cutoff to spend a year in AK in a remote cabin, to soak it in before we expire. Cabin in the wildest woods sort of thing. Right we are living remotely on our ranch, nothing like what we want to try in AK before we die, but there is nobody else here for miles. No nearby stores, medical, nothing but our cows, horses, cougars and bears. And we feel fortunate to have been able to experience this kind of uninterrupted life in the midst of solitude and peace.

Spending time in AK once more before we check out (and while I can still hike!) would be a dream come true. And we can say that, having personal knowledge of the people and the attitude of Alaska.

[LordJFT]

21. It's going democrat this year! Impressive for such a sparsely populated state

[VoodooGuru]

22. it was my pleasure to go to the coast there.

Juneau was a pretty city, nestled between a forest and the coast. It was rainy and chilly but somehow that only added to its appeal, I was there in late spring a few years ago.

Even if you just go on a cruise or something, go up that way before you die. Seriously.

[hedgehog]

24. It snows much less there then here in Upstate New York!

and their winters aren't as dark!

:evilgrin:

[northernsoul]

25. Most of what I know comes from watching "Deadliest Catch"

and I know that it takes a lot of guts to be a commercial crab fisherman.

[Forkboy]

26. It's cold. I like cold.

The six months of night would be fantastic too, because I'm not especially fond of the sun either.

[trudyco]

27. Went there this summer - unbelievable vistas, friendly people,

amazing tenacity at putting up with the elements in the winter and (for the coastal cities) the gloom in the summer. There's still a feeling of the frontier there. Both the land and the people. You want to protect it (at least I did).

[vaberella]

28. The moose are cute. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

29. It may well be the most beautiful state in the country. And I live in WA.

[SmokingJacket]

30. Delicious salmon.

Also, my aunt's from there, and she's lovely.

[Greyskye]

31. Alaskan mosquitoes are huge.

Which may explain why they are considered to be the state bird.

You've gotta be tough to live in Alaska!











:hide:

[mitchum]

32. My parents enjoy their trips there