Howdy From Alaska
Alaska. When my sister said she wanted to go to Alaska my first question was…” Black people are in Alaska?!” To my surprise, the answer was overwhelming YES!
For this trip, I thought I would actually put my social media accounts to use. I visited Instagram, Twitter and TikTok searching “Black in Anchorage” I was blown away by the number of videos, pictures and reels existed. These images and videos weren’t just from 2022, they dated back YEARS. It brought me so much joy to see my people skiing, dog sledding, hiking. All the times I’ve been told WE don’t like the cold, WE don’t ski, it felt good to see us doing what we always do…EVERYTHING.
Day 1:
First of all, the 4-hour time difference was BRUTAL. I felt like I had been traveling ALL day just to look at the clock at 5 hours had gone by. I thought that visiting Cali and the 3-hour difference was a lot but go ahead and add that extra 60-minutes. Mom and her Lifetime Platinum Elite status was able to get us 3 great rooms at the Marriott in Downtown Anchorage.
Day 2:
Bright eyed and busy tailed! Feeling like a new woman! When your mom has been with Marriott longer than you’ve been alive, there are a few perks that come with your stay like free breakfast in the executive suite. Even after all these years of being in “exclusive” places, I am still not comfortable with the looks like I don’t belong and with me consciously adjusting make it look like I do. I straighten my posture, I actually think twice about what I am on, and like a flip of a switch, my black excellence superpower turns on.
While I’m watching how Ozark ends my dad is learning about Turo. He figured out how to rent at 2022 Bronco AND find all the local spots. The first stop on our tour was the Anchorage Museum. There was an exhibit at the museum named “Black in Alaska”. In this exhibit, they created a documentary featuring 50 black individuals who live all over Alaska. It was so heartwarming hearing the stories of black people from black people. Their stories were inspiring because all of them did something out of the ordinary. What I want to call EXTRAordinary. Moving somewhere where there aren’t a lot of people who look like them and where temperatures can reach 30 below zero is about as EXTRAordinary as it gets.
After the museum we drove an hour and a half to Virgin Creek Falls. Virgin Creek Falls was a great family hike. Seeing all of us with our matching bookbags and hiking shoes was the cutest thing! While hiking, we ran into a couple who mentioned they got married at the Falls.
Another one of the local spots that my dad learned about was the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. From the front gate this place was so cool! The woman working the tickets was an English major from Emory who found a cool job for the summer in Alaska with her friend. I had some cool summers, but she takes the cake. We were able to drive and walk around the conservation. We saw reindeer, Black Bear, Grizzly bears, coyotes, wolves you name it! Seeing the animal up close and personal was better than the zoo. 1. Because my attention span is short, and it was about 45-minutes to an hour long. 2. I got to stay in the car lol There were so many people who loveeeee to crowd and push to see captive animals.
By this point everyone had eaten all my snacks, so it was time to go get food but before we went, we stopped by Portage Valley and learned how Gatorade really came up with the name Glacier Ice for the light blue drink.
I strived to find as many minority owned places as possible to visit. We ended up getting some food from the Gumbo House. I didn’t think it was possible to taste those types of flavors all the way in Alaska.
We stayed up to see what Alaska considered a sunset. It never got dark; clouds just moved lol
Day 3:
It’s my parent’s anniversary! 32 years of black love. To know me is to know that my parents are my best friends and my role models but that’s a blog post for another day.
Today we rode the Alaska Railroad to the Phillip’s Glacier Quest Cruise. The views were nothing short of breathtaking. Goat families climbing the side of mountains on one side of the train and Apple worthy backgrounds of water and snowcaps on the other side. After 3 hours of great views, 2 chapters of The Merciless Ones and 1 launchable later we made it to the dock for the glacier tour.
Five minutes into the tour we saw a Whale! My dad was in hog heaven haha He recorded a 7-minute video and only got like 3 glimpses of the Whale’s tail, but he was so happy. It was so cool seeing the Sea Lions and Sea Otters. Shortly after it was time to eat. When I tell you this was the BEST Seafood Chowder and coleslaw, I have ever had I’m not even joking. After filling our bellies, we were able to watch the crew fish an iceberg out and make drinks while watching a glacier calving. Literally a once in a lifetime experience.
When we got back to shore, the NBA Finals were on, and you know daddy and I had to find a TV. We stopped by this Inn not too far from the train stop since we had an hour and some change until boarding. Everyone was asking the hostess for a seat; I was asking the guy in Jordan’s where the nearest TV was. I swear my sister was on a Fish n’ Chips tour across Alaska but she said this place had the best Fish n’ Chips. What was interesting about this town was that all the residence lived in one building in town. Our waitress comes to this town every summer but spends the rest of her time in LA. (The second white girl taking an odd job in Alaska. Y’all seeing a trend here?) After watching the Warriors win and Steph get his MVP trophy, I watched my family use their jackets as blanket and listed to a few more chapters of The Merciless Ones until we made it back to the station.
I was a little hungry when we got back to the room, so I decided to order some Doordash. I’m the type of track my order so when I saw they were getting close, I headed downstairs. After meeting with the driver, I am walking back through the lobby to the elevators when someone from the front desk runs over to me and grabs my food. Knowing there aren’t a lot of black people here, I try not to overreact in hopes of not drawing too much attention to myself. She then proceeds to ask me which room the food was going to. I am not big on giving out my room number anywhere, so I asked why. She tells me a new policy that food must be checked in at the front desk and they will call the guest down. I was confused why she wouldn’t let my bag go and then it clicked…. she thought I was delivering food. I told her I was a guest and she let go of my bag but not before me asking her who sent her over to grab my bag of food. It was definitely her manager still at the desk. I walked over to the desk and asked if she sent this woman to check my bag. Of course, she went straight to the policy. I told her in the calmest voice possible with my key in hand that I was a guest and she told me I was “good to go” like I had just been checked at TSA. My appetite was gone, and my hands were shaking by the time I reached my parent’s room. All I could get out was “It doesn’t matter how many points we have; they still only see us as delivery drivers.” My parents went down and spoke with the manager who was very apologetic and said the situation could have been handled better. I appreciate the accountability, but the damage was already done. Of course, the manager said race was not taken into consideration with the incident, but my sister’s Doordash order getting dropped off at her room says otherwise.
Day 4:
It’s myyyyyyyyy birthday! Although I didn’t stay up to midnight Alaska time, it felt good seeing that some people did. When I finally get up, I put on the same shirt I’ve worn for my birthday practically for the past 15 years. How it still fits I’m not too sure, but I love it lol Today was UTV day! We had a blast in that thing with Snowhook Adventures! I can try to do the experience justice with pictures and videos, but I can’t. I will say though, this would be the reason I go back to Alaska.
Day 5:
One thing we strive for in my family is no stress. We don’t make people do things they don’t really want to do when we go on trips. So, when my sister wanted to go to the zoo, and I wanted to watch cooking shows on Netflix all day that’s what happened.
For dinner that night, we decided to try this place that was recommended for the Alaskan King Crab Legs, Simon & Seaforts. 10/10.
Day 6:
The last day, Father’s Day, my sister’s birthday, and Juneteenth. So much to celebrate. First thing we did was go to Waffles and Whatnot. It was a black owned restaurant that I found when doing some research. Such a great place! If it’s your first time, you don’t get to order and if you don’t like what they give you, you can order something else. None of us ordered anything else and would visit again!
While putting the final touches on my suitcase all I could think about was how I was in a place that I never thought I would go having a great time with the people who mean the most to me. My love for them pushes me to do things and go places I never would’ve thought possible. Every time I try the impossible, there’s always a sense of home. Such a great way to go into 28.
