Customer Reviews

City Smart: Anchorage

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We used this book for a trip we took in January of 2003 and found that a few of the items are starting to get out of date. i.e. one of the museums listed in the book no longer exists and resturant names have changed. The book is copyrighted in 2000 so it's time for a new edition.

I liked the format and the info it gave, just beware and double check the listings.

I just found out that "City Smart Anchorage" has won a bronze medal in the 16th annual Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, a national contest sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. Among the judges' comments: "An especially common-sense book that is well organized, concisely written and with much useful information...Contains a lot of "dos and don'ts" and local terms and trivia that will help a visitor quickly feel at home."

I read this book before my trip to Anchorage and was not disappointed with the advice. My friends and I found the info to be concise and accurate. The Arctic Roadrunner, a recommended restaurant, was every bit as good as the book says.

I would recommend this to anyone considering visiting or moving to the lovely city of Anchorage.

This book is a great overview of Anchorage. It has good tips especially on entertainment and restaurants. I have been to Anchorage a lot, and this is my favorite overall book for practical advice...it is always in my bag when I go to Alaska. Others have said that it is getting out of date, which might be true in certain instances, but I personally haven't found any problems with currency.

For the money and practicality I love this book. It's small, generally accurate and inexpensive.

Donna Freedman's breezy 2000 guide "City-Smart: Anchorage" is getting a little long in the tooth but is still a remarkably worthwhile travel planning resource. Anchorage is Alaska's largest city, home to its biggest port and airport, and within driving, railroad trip, or short-hop flying distance of a significant percentage of the state's attractions. "City-Smart: Anchorage" provides a great run down for the first time visitor.

Freedman, in the conversational style of a local, describes the short history of Anchorage, and how to get around, before plunging into the practicalities of places to stay, places to eat, and places to go. Anchorage has a surprisingly diverse ethnic mixture, reflected in its choices of restuarants, museums, and local festivals. It has access to Alaska's great outdoors, including the huge Chugach State Park abutting East Anchorage, and to the Kenai Peninsula, home to some of the world's great fishing. Freedman mentions other attractions, such as the world class ski area at Girdwood, the animal rescue park at Portage, and the Reindeer Farm up in the MatSu Valley. Along the way, Freedman works in lots of observations of the unique local culture, and the necessity to be alert in a city that has signficant wild populations of moose and bear.

Anchorage has grown a bit since 2000, and a few restaurants have closed or moved, but "City-Smart: Anchorage" is still highly recommended, even in used condition, as an introduction to the city and the state.