I'm Moving To Anchorage From Hawaii! (Barrow, Seward: mover, how much, school)

[blackmarketwit]

Look out, The Last Frontier - here I come!

My roomates are heading out there (getting stationed out there) & I may or may not room with them; if not, I'll be staying with them until I find a place. I fly out February 13th, already bought my plane ticket, & already have a full-time job lined up thanks to a former co-worker.

This will be a big change, obviously; more so due to the fact that I was raised in Georgia & thus have never lived in a snowy clime before -it's frozen blackmarketwit time! My roommates hail from Ohio so they're old pros at snowy weather. Also I feel that living in Alaska is one of those opportunities one can't pass up - it's definitely a bucket list location. And after almost five years living on Oahu, island fever is setting in for me.

So I'm very much looking forward to starting this next chapter of my life. Any insights/tips to share with this soon-to-be resident?

[bongo]

Value Village at 2 locations in town have wool sweaters, fleece jackets, wool shirts & other warm layers for cheap. Have fun!

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by blackmarketwit

Look out, The Last Frontier - here I come!

My roomates are heading out there (getting stationed out there) & I may or may not room with them; if not, I'll be staying with them until I find a place. I fly out February 13th, already bought my plane ticket, & already have a full-time job lined up thanks to a former co-worker.

This will be a big change, obviously; more so due to the fact that I was raised in Georgia & thus have never lived in a snowy clime before -it's frozen blackmarketwit time! My roommates hail from Ohio so they're old pros at snowy weather. Also I feel that living in Alaska is one of those opportunities one can't pass up - it's definitely a bucket list location. And after almost five years living on Oahu, island fever is setting in for me.

So I'm very much looking forward to starting this next chapter of my life. Any insights/tips to share with this soon-to-be resident?

Be sure to dress warmly, and do not miss Fur Rondy or the Iditarod. You will be arriving in time for both.

[blackmarketwit]

I've been nerding out on Yelp, looking at various eateries (City Diner, Humpy's Moose's Tooth, et al), bars (Chilkoot Charlie's, Seward's Folly), retail (Dimond Center, 5th Avenue Mall). Any must see/do restaurants/shops, etc. that might only be on the minds and in the hearts of locals?

How's public transportation? At a glance from afar PeopleMover looks like it's so-so/okay, with routes every hour. Coming from Honolulu where TheBus is pretty decent for the most part will I be in for a disappointment or is not that bad? I've heard conflicting opinions.

How much of a 180 am I in for, temperature-wise? I guess what I'm asking is how long will it take to adjust? I can hear my late mother's voice in my head - I would always complain that it never got that cold in Savannah. She was born and raised in St.Louis and would always tell me, "If you had to get out in the snow for work or school, you wouldn't like it." Well I'm about to get a crash course in all things snowy. And I can't wait.

[stiffnecked]

You need to get a vehicle of some type so you don't have to rely on the bus. You can't really experience all that Anchorage has to offer without one. Most of the people that I see waiting on the bus when it's -7 degrees below zero don't look happy. It's not a great bus service by any stretch of the imagination.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by blackmarketwit

I've been nerding out on Yelp, looking at various eateries (City Diner, Humpy's Moose's Tooth, et al), bars (Chilkoot Charlie's, Seward's Folly), retail (Dimond Center, 5th Avenue Mall). Any must see/do restaurants/shops, etc. that might only be on the minds and in the hearts of locals?

How's public transportation? At a glance from afar PeopleMover looks like it's so-so/okay, with routes every hour. Coming from Honolulu where TheBus is pretty decent for the most part will I be in for a disappointment or is not that bad? I've heard conflicting opinions.

How much of a 180 am I in for, temperature-wise? I guess what I'm asking is how long will it take to adjust? I can hear my late mother's voice in my head - I would always complain that it never got that cold in Savannah. She was born and raised in St.Louis and would always tell me, "If you had to get out in the snow for work or school, you wouldn't like it." Well I'm about to get a crash course in all things snowy. And I can't wait.

Gwennies for breakfast is a must. It is almost an Anchorage tradition.
Tommy's Burger Stop is a must for lunch. They have the best burgers in town, even though the place is a hole in the wall.
Club Paris for lunch comes in a close second place. They actually grind up Fillet Mignon for their burgers, and use prime rib in their chili.

There are three primary shopping areas in Anchorage: The Dimond Center is the largest, located at the southern end of town. University Center is mid-town, and the second largest. Downtown (5th Avenue mall) is the third largest retail area located at the northern end of town. In either case, none of them are more than 15 minutes apart. You can drive from one end of Anchorage to the other in about 20 minutes (depending on the weather).

People react differently to snow and ice. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and never knew seasons until I went to school at the University of Minnesota. After living in Minnesota for 4 years I realized that I really enjoyed distinct seasons, and when I got back to Los Angeles I really started to miss them. By the way, you will definitely want to get some instruction on how to drive on snow and ice. Learning how to drive according to the conditions of the road is a very important skill to have where winter is concerned in Alaska.

By comparison, the winters in Anchorage are milder than those in St. Paul, MN. Yes, it does drop to -20°F at least once per winter for a few days, and on rare occasions it can drop to -30°F or colder, but for most of the winter the temperatures are typically above +10°F.

Coming from Hawaii you biggest shock is not going to be the cold, but rather the lack of daylight. Today there will be 5 hours, 34 minutes, and 31 seconds of daylight in Anchorage. Now that Winter Solstice has passed, we are gaining daylight again.

There are three things that you can do that will prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):

• Maintain a regular sleep cycle, regardless of whether the sun is shinning or not;
• Get more indoor lights for the winter months; and
• Get outside and stay active.

The last piece of advice is probably the most important. If you follow those three steps, then you can avoid "cabin fever."

[Wynternight]

I second the Tommy's Burger Stop suggestion! Definitely a dive but really great burgers and fries!

Speaking of food - is there anywhere in town to get Filipino food? I'm going to miss the adobo and lumpia people cook here in Barrow.

[AKStafford]

Congrats on your move. You have a place to live and a job lined up. That is a good thing. Coming here on a hope & a prayer is a very risky move.
I think you'll find rely on People Mover for your transportation will quickly become frustrating. As soon as you get a couple thousand saved up, get on Craigslist and get a beater with a heater.
For food, I like F Street Station. It's small, but good.

[gobrien]

There are a few places for Filipino food in Anchorage. The names escape me but you could go on Yelp and search there. We have a large Filipino population in Anchorage.

(People shop at University Center? What do they have to offer?)

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by gobrien

(People shop at University Center? What do they have to offer?)

It's mostly one big furniture store.... But midtown does have the Mall at Sears, Fred Meyer's and Walmart, plus a bunch of other shops spread out.