Do You Think Anchorage Is Friendly? (appointed, 2014, rental)

[muttonhead]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I've never had a problem with Anchorage residents not being appropriately friendly and welcoming.

Pfffft. Maybe the people who are walking on the coast trail need some flippin' peace and quiet and don't feel like socializing with a passel of idjits. Hell, they're probably out there trying to get away from their families and don't feel like walking around with silly smiles glued to their faces.

Ha, I suppose that's one way of looking at it.

[muttonhead]

Oops, didn't mean to have that idiotic grin....

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I've never had a problem with Anchorage residents not being appropriately friendly and welcoming.

Pfffft. Maybe the people who are walking on the coast trail need some flippin' peace and quiet and don't feel like socializing with a passel of idjits. Hell, they're probably out there trying to get away from their families and don't feel like walking around with silly smiles glued to their faces.

Or maybe they are all just sour old crabs like you that think the world just spins around themselves. Sad, sad, sad.

[bongo]

I think that after that matchete-wielding maniac who also had a gun who went on a rampage killing 2 & injuring that guy on the Chester Ck trail in 2007 didn't help any with apprehension on the trails.

Plus there are more homeless folk hanging out along Chester Ck trail causing folks to become more apprehensive on the trails. Our house backed to the trail system so I bushwacked a lot off trail & there have been numerous homeless camps set up back in there.

Then there was the attempted sexual assault of the jogger woman down by Westchester lagoon summer 2008. Actually, there have been a number of other assaults on the trail system.

So perhaps the trail system is not the place to try to make friends & influence people.

However, I've used the trails skiing & hiking for 12 years & have never felt any unfriendliness, except for a few charging moose here & there.

I have found Anchorage as a whole to be quite friendly, without any pretentiousness or the attitude of "locals vs transplants" that is so prevalent in some areas of the country.

I just don't get at all the views of Anchorage being in any way an unfriendly city, since my personal experience was just the opposite! Our neighborhood, even with a constant turnover, was very friendly, neighbors stopping to visit others who were out washing cars, smoking salmon & sharing the results, etc.

[muttonhead]

I'm not expecting to make friends and influence people on the streets and trails. As I stated previously, I also find one on one interactions very positive (in businesses, sevices, classes, groups, etc). I just happen to think its not opening yourself up to rampant danger to recognize the existence of some one other than yourself (and also a weak excuse). This does give off an unfriendly vibe if you are more used to an area where it's common to smile and say hello. I also don't think there's a "local vs transplant" mentality - especially since most in ANC are transplants. My last neighborhood was not a typical middle class neighborhood so this also, I think, played a part in the less friendly vibe as some barriers may have developed between different types of people.

This has just been a growing impression I've had over the last couple if years. Does it make me hate the place? By no means. But it does reinforce to me I'm just more small-community oriented.

I was just curious how others felt, especially those who live here and are not just occasional visitors, so thanks for your input. It's good to hear more positive impressions as well. (dang it, I can't stop smiling bwa ha)

[bongo]

I was just relating things I found friendly about Anchorage when I commented on the lack of local vs transplant mentality & lack of pretentiousness. None of that was in response to anything you or anyone else said muttonhead, so don't take it personally please, as that was not my intent.

My experience living in Anchorage was just my personal experience & I found Anchorage folks very friendly, actually.
Many of us hiked the trails together, sometimes down in Kincaid with a group of a dozen or 2 folks.
In fact, lots of friendly hiking in that group, anyone interested there's a wonderful group of hikers, a hiking club that meets Monday & Thursday after work every week & has for a dozen years. Alaska_Outdoors : Alaska Outdoors

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

Or maybe they are all just sour old crabs like you that think the world just spins around themselves. Sad, sad, sad.

Stiff, there is no way I believe that you roam Anchorage trails spreading sweetness, light and good cheer with a big old smile plastered across your face at all times. I suspect that most of your time is spent haunting Costco like a bag lady in a bus station looking for free samples of food.

In reality, I rarely have problems with anyone being "unfriendly," but then, I don't have a lot of expectations of strangers. I realize that most people are simply more likely to be friendly to someone like me rather than a big, mean looking guy.

I've spent time in many parts of Alaska and have NEVER had an issue making friends. People in Alaska seem so much more open than elsewhere. I think a lot of it is that people aren't as crowded together as they are in the -48, personal space issues aren't quite as defined.

However, if a person is out walking a trail by themselves, there's a reason why they're doing so rather than engaging in a more social activity. My post last night was actually meant as humor of sorts, and because I KNEW it would rattle a few cages here, but there's a lot of truth in that. Some people may not be behaving like social butterflies while walking the trails because that's the only time they've got to themselves. Most people need that sort of thing in their lives in order to effectively function as employees, spouses, parents and general members of society. Expecting those who are choosing to take a solitary stroll on the coast trail to be open to social encounters is unrealistic. Again, the chances are good that those choosing that activity really do need some "alone time."

I've had my share of strangers in public trying to guilt me into engaging in friendly social contact with them -- one comes to mind in the coffee shop recently. I didn't know the guy and was doing the NY Times crossword when he started trying to talk to me. I hadn't had enough coffee and did not want to talk, and there was something mildly creepy about him as well. He made a couple of comments about how I must be the spawn of Satan because I would rather work on a crossword than have a conversation with him. And that's just wrong, Stiffass. This was nothing short of a passive aggressive attempt at bullying. Why do I or anyone else owe it to someone we don't even know to fulfill their needs for social interaction?

I think it's great that you help people out who want to see moose, but that's no reason to slam people who are using the trails for reasons other than wildlife viewing.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Stiff, there is no way I believe that you roam Anchorage trails spreading sweetness, light and good cheer with a big old smile plastered across your face at all times. I suspect that most of your time is spent haunting Costco like a bag lady in a bus station looking for free samples of food.

In reality, I rarely have problems with anyone being "unfriendly," but then, I don't have a lot of expectations of strangers. I realize that most people are simply more likely to be friendly to someone like me rather than a big, mean looking guy.

I've spent time in many parts of Alaska and have NEVER had an issue making friends. People in Alaska seem so much more open than elsewhere. I think a lot of it is that people aren't as crowded together as they are in the -48, personal space issues aren't quite as defined.

However, if a person is out walking a trail by themselves, there's a reason why they're doing so rather than engaging in a more social activity. My post last night was actually meant as humor of sorts, and because I KNEW it would rattle a few cages here, but there's a lot of truth in that. Some people may not be behaving like social butterflies while walking the trails because that's the only time they've got to themselves. Most people need that sort of thing in their lives in order to effectively function as employees, spouses, parents and general members of society. Expecting those who are choosing to take a solitary stroll on the coast trail to be open to social encounters is unrealistic. Again, the chances are good that those choosing that activity really do need some "alone time."

I've had my share of strangers in public trying to guilt me into engaging in friendly social contact with them -- one comes to mind in the coffee shop recently. I didn't know the guy and was doing the NY Times crossword when he started trying to talk to me. I hadn't had enough coffee and did not want to talk, and there was something mildly creepy about him as well. He made a couple of comments about how I must be the spawn of Satan because I would rather work on a crossword than have a conversation with him. And that's just wrong, Stiffass. This was nothing short of a passive aggressive attempt at bullying. Why do I or anyone else owe it to someone we don't even know to fulfill their needs for social interaction?

I think it's great that you help people out who want to see moose, but that's no reason to slam people who are using the trails for reasons other than wildlife viewing.

It's not my fault you live a sad, pathetic little life. Enjoy your misery.

[Metlakatla]

You're really some piece of work, Stiff. Retirement must be taking quite a toll on you. Sorry to have to break it to you, but just because someone types a response that's beyond your scope of understanding doesn't mean they're a "troll."

Changed your post, I see.

It comes as no surprise why so many people walking the trails choose to decline to interact with you socially. Naturally, you blame them rather than even making an attempt to realize that the universe hardly revolves around your fat ass.

I'm sincerely glad that you're out of AK law enforcement. If your forum posts are any indication, you're the type of pig who flocked here because you couldn't find work in Oklahoma.

[Wynternight]

No more, or less, friendly then anywhere else I've been.