Rounding the corner into downtown Juneau, my heart sank.
But for the mountain and ocean views visible from the core, it would be hard to distinguish downtown Juneau from any other thriving tourist destination in terms of the throngs of people and places for those crowds to spend their money.
When 3 cruise ships are in port, the city’s population swells from a modest 5 thousand to a zoo of over 15 thousand all intent on opening their wallets to procure a suitcase full of mostly on tacky tourist items.
Many of the stores are cruise line owned jewelry shops that you can see in any and all corners of the world, i.e. Princess Jewelry and Diamonds International.
We were informed by a couple from one of the ships that passengers are given an ‘indoctrination’ briefing on how and where best to buy jewelry at each of their stops.
Ugh.
Other than that… there were some fun items.
My personal favorite was this t-shirt spoofing just one of ex-governor Sarah Palin’s many inane comments during the 2008 Presidential election campaign, which read:
I can see Russia from my house.
(Why do I always hear Tina Fey’s voice when I see those words?) 🙂
With winding narrow streets teaming with scores of tourist buses and vans, the city of Juneau has wisely employed crossing cards to keep the pedestrians safe from… well, themselves most likely, especially after a visit to the much heralded Red Dog Saloon which during peak hours nearly always sports a lineup.
I rather suspect that in addition to its historic lore and bric-a-brac, the Red Dog’s primary draw may be bartender Brigitte.
But the bespeckled bunny was pretty good too.
We also enjoyed a brew at the Alaskan Hotel which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has retained it’s original appeal and isn’t swamped with tourists.
To counter the brews, we also ate both at the Hangar and Tracy’s King Crab Shack.
Made daily with all fresh ingredients, the homemade Bisque at Tracy’s King Crab Shack is
a must-try as was the dungeness crab.
Here’s a prettier picture of downtown Juneau.
See my other downtown Juneau pictures.
Next post will be about the areas surrounding Juneau.
Obviously, you hear Tina Fey’s voice because Palin never said these words. What Palin said was “You can see Russia from the coast of Alaska” which is a perfectly true statement. Time Fey made up the phrase “I can see Russia from my house” when she was impersonating Palin.
I think it is sad that an Alaskan would choose to sell this as an Alaskan souvenir. You really have to ask how much the unpopularity of Sarah Palin had to do with the demise of Alaska as a tourist destination. Whether you agree with her or not, if you care about Alaska then putting down Palin is not very astute. After all, she was the first Alaskan politician ever on a Presidential ticket. She had an 80% approval rating in Alaska at the time.
What changed? Alaskans decided the lower 48 were smarter than they are in judging a person’s character. Not a very compelling reason for a tourist to want to see Alaska.
Hi Paul,
Actually, I hear Tina Fey’s voice because she said that line, not because Palin didn’t say it. 🙂
And if what I saw in terms of crowds represents the ‘demise’ of Alaska as a tourist destination – then I’m glad I wasn’t there at its peak.
I hardly think Palin’s character has much if anything to do with tourists’ inclination to visit. She brought press to AK, and bad or good, I would think that would have a positive effect, once people see pics and video of the area. As to her 80% approval rating in Alaska, I spoke with many there who voted for her as governor but could not fathom her as VP.
So, perhaps the demise has more to do with the economy and folks not traveling so far from home, even with rock-bottom tour prices?
Just a thought.
Cheers,
Ros