Seward

Much of Alaska's progress in the last 100 years can be traced to the train.  Without the railroad it'd have been very difficult to move men and material through this enormous state.  Two railroads operate in the state:  the Alaska Railroad and the White Pass and Yukon Route.  The latter runs from Skagway to Fraser, BC, and was established 100 years ago during the Klondike Gold Rush.  The Alaska Railroad runs from Seward in the south, through Anchorage and all the way up north to Fairbanks.

I heard a lot of good things about both railroads.  I decided to try the scenic train from Anchorage to Seward, a roughly 3-hour ride.  I paid extra for the Goldstar Service, which is equivalent to first-class.  You get to ride in an elevated dome-car, giving you a 360-degree view.  You are also served meals and drinks.  Part of the journey parallels the coast so you see some beautiful coastal scenery.  It also travels through some beautiful mountains and get to see waterfalls, glaciers and even some animals.  Even though they pride themselves on the service, I think the Alaska Railroad has some things to learn from the European trains.  Instead of being served at your seat, you have to take turns going to the dining car downstairs.  I had to wait for at least an hour before getting a chance to eat my breakfast.  The dome car is an excellent idea though.  You feel like you are open-air car.

All Aboard!

Riding through some beautiful coastal and mountain areas

Fourth Avenue, the "main" street in downtown Seward

Sea Life Center

The Iditarod Race used to start here in Seward

Harborfront

A couple of bald eagles near the harbor

Lots of sea otters around this area

 I arrived in Seward in the early afternoon and tried to check in to the Hotel Seward, one of the oldest hotels in the town.  The room was not ready.  Luckily, the Sea Life Center is only two blocks away and I had plan to visit there.  I spent a little over an hour there.  It was okay but not excellent.  Having visited SeaWorld at San Diego and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this place is much smaller.  I already knew a lot about the exhibits.  It is a good place for cruise ship passengers to kill some time.  It's also a nice facility for the area.

One of the surprises I had so far on this trip is the price of seafood in Alaska - especially salmon and halibut.  You would think that since salmon and halibut are abundant here and came mostly from Alaska, they'd be cheap here.  NOT!  Most of the salmon or halibut dinners are in their high 20s'.  That's more expensive than the same dinner in Phoenix or any place in the US.  Even the locals complain about it.  I saw a local restaurant offering a pound of king crab legs for $50.  That's a lot of money for king crab legs.  They may be fresher but they are definitely not cheaper.

The big thing that I am planning to do in Seward is a tour of the Northwest Glacier with the Kenai Fjord Tour.  The other place that I am interested in is Kenai Fjord National Park.  As you can tell by now, I am a big fan of the US National Park.  I heard that you can walk up to the Exit Glacier at the park.  That's in the next post.