Alaska Part 1

I've been on a few trips with Matt while he's working. We've done conferences in Philly, Seattle, Alexandria, Lincoln, Savannah/Hilton Head.. all where I leached a hotel room and hung out. A lot of times I would bring a computer and remote and we'd take in some sights or do some things but he has never been on a work trip with me... until Alaska. 

Alaska has never been in our top consideration list but it's also a place that if given the opportunity we weren't going to say no. Let's break it down into two parts... the part while Amanda worked and the part when the conference was over. 

We took off on Saturday morning. Timing wasn't ideal... it's the day after G's birthday and the kids have only had two days of school under their belt. Michele came and stayed with and we relayed the schedule as we know it. Our flight was delayed upon boarding and we had some trouble getting off the ground, which resulted in a run when we arrived. I took off first and I felt my age and my shin splints upon arriving to hear final boarding call. It was a long flight but we got into Alaska in the afternoon and had lunch or supper or something because we were starving! We split salmon tacos, I had a seafood chowder and a salmon ceasar. Matt had a seafood scampi. From their we took a stroll around. The weather was rain-y but much more temperate than I had planned for. 

We took in the waterfront and some of the downtown scene. It's high tourist season so places were incredibly busy. We picked up things for the kids but I was unprepared for three things upon deeper review. 1. The art scene... I'm referring to the art houses, studios, and galleries but also to the murals that covered any space available in the city. The style was everything and sometimes it related to Alaska and sometimes it didn't it was fascinating. 

2. The florals. There were flowers everywhere. Native grasses decorated the landscape and flowers were trickled in to give more vibrancy. I was even happy to see the toadstools, which I never would have guessed.

3. The homeless. They covered the downtown area, created compounds, and were aggressive. I would have assumed the weather would have created a deterrent but upon discussions with locals - these are individuals that have been "banished" from their villages/tribes and relocate to Anchorage because they have no other place to go. Substance and mental health also contributed to the stability of this population.

We crashed pretty early and easy but woke up ready to go the next morning... actually moving around before much of the downtown did. We hit Alaska Crepery... Matt did an Alaska Reindeer Crepe, I did a smoked salmon and we split a nutella and banana. It was fantastic. From there, we walked the coastal trail - it got a little away from us and after a 5 mile walk, we made our way back to city center. We found a little co-op of sorts that shared space between a smoothie shop, coffee house, plant stand, bakery and bodega. Super cool. 

By this time, the Alaska Museum had opened. This facility covered the history, heritage, and art of Alaska. Additionally, there was some interaction pieces. I wish we would have started in more of the Alaska wing as we began to press time and sailed quickly through that. We stopped at Humpy's. I had halibut fish tacos, Matt had a crab patty. We both loved the beer. They had a Turnaround Raspberry Lambic and then Matt tried a few Belgians that made him swoon.

We headed back for my conference and Matt hung out before day drinking with Wendy (my boss's wife, who also made the journey). The two of them had a great time - which wasn't a shock at all to me. They went golfing on Wednesday together too with another spouse from TN. Matt's main objective was to golf in Alaska - it's the best course in the state (Moose Run) and he said it did not disappoint. The weather worked out well for him too and held until they were done. 

Arik (my boss) and I went to the banquet and I went with Matt and Wendy afterward to Club Paris - for the best steak of their lives, or so the barber at the hotel told Matt. Matt said it was a good steak but .... it may have been a bit oversold. I enjoyed the company and snuck pieces of the homemade bread which was fantastic. 

The conference closed out the following day. This is basically a peer-group of state chambers who are sharing best practices and discussing trends. Last year was a totally different conference and I walked away totally shocked and felt like I finally understood my role a little differently. This time I felt a bit dizzy with being overwhelmed. So many good ideas and so many shops doing a lot of fun things but we have a small team at work and it's hard to dig in in the same way these big shops are.