Anchorage, Alaska

I love this city. On my first two visits to Alaska I made the mistake of rushing too quickly through Anchorage on my way to explore the vast Alaskan wilderness. More recently on a 15 day trip to The "Last Frontier," I spent about three days and four nights in Anchorage, which was not enough time to thoroughly explore this beautiful and interesting cosmopolitan city.

Anchorage is not big as cities go, with about 270,000 people, but it is by far the largest metropolis in Alaska. You can find just about everything here that you will find in San Francisco or New York, only on a much smaller scale.

It's popular in some circles to put Anchorage down. Even some Alaskans refer to it as "Los Anchorage," and I smiled with understanding when I heard another say that the beauty of Anchorage is that it is only 20 minutes from Alaska. My advice is that when you go to Alaska don't see only Anchorage and miss the Great Land. But don't overlook Anchorage either. It's a delightful town with much to offer.