Lodging

Posted by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Alaskan Moose

The downside to visiting Alaska; it’s a big state which translates to lots of transportation issues. In fact, for this particular trip, modes of transportation involved planes, glass-domed trains, cruise ships and deluxe motorcoaches. I’d been to Anchorage before, but this was my first time staying at the downtown Marriott. I was on a Royal Caribbean Cruisetour and our seven day adventure was drawing to a close.

As we motored along from Talkeetna to Anchorage, our guide explained “termination dust” to us – when you see powder sugar sprinkling on the mountain tops, it means summer is officially over. Indeed, snow was falling on nearby mountains, leaves were changing color in Denali National Park and the moose were in rut.

The Marriott was centrally located in downtown Anchorage and within walking distance to the Snow Goose restaurant and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. If you want to increase your odds of seeing a moose, rent a bike and head out on this relatively flat trail, keeping in mind that the moose are WILD animals and will charge if you get too close. If you have a car, I’d recommend a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. I watched local children perform traditional dances and had some mighty tasty and affordably-priced reindeer chili.

Marriott Downtown Room 1705

My room, located on the 17th floor of this 20 story Marriott, offered two queen beds and rented for $289.95. While the hotel featured an indoor pool, jacuzzi and wifi, I took advantage of the complimentary computers offered in the business center to print my airline boarding  pass for the next day’s departure back to San Francisco, California.

Photos courtesy of Nancy D. Brown

Marriott Anchorage Downtown 1 (907) 279-8005

820 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501