Pros and cons of Alaska

So, I've officially been here in Alaska for a month and I feel like I can write up a list of pros and cons. Personally, I don't count the weather as one in either direction just because that's something you know about going into it and if you can't hack the cold, it's not somewhere you want to be.

That said, some things I knew were issues are actually hitting home a bit more than expected.

Cons first:

1. Lack of good chain restaurants. I'm not much for eating in chain restaurants when dining in if I can help it, but getting take out is a big distinction. Things like Potbelly, Chipotle, Red, Hot and Blue, Panera, etc are favorites of mine since I'd rather eat something like that than McDonalds. Sadly, none of those are up here and it's making me very, very sad. There are other places that aren't here like Krispy Kreme and Olive Garden, but I didn't frequently those as often, so they can be hit up when I travel back down to the lower 48. But no good burritos or sandwiches for six months at a time? That just plain sucks.

2. Lack of chain stores. This is more like 1b. but there's a lack of stores that I knew about, but didn't really consider the consequences of before I came up. Like there's no Target. There are two Wal-marts, but if they don't have what you are looking for, you're screwed. Same deal on pet stores- there's a Pet Co. but no PetSmart, so if Pet Co. doesn't carry what I need, it's tough luck.

3. No shipping. Which leads to number 3- no one wants to ship to Alaska. And if they do, it's outrageously expensive. Which strikes me as ridiculous because the post office does *not* charge any extra for shipping up here. So, why can't more stores use USPS rather than FedEx and UPS which apparently love to charge ridiculous amounts for things? Sears and Ikea are just two examples of places that don't ship up here at all. And then even places like Amazon charge a fortune for shipping. For instance, if I wanted to buy a Scooba (like a Roomba but for floors) from Amazon, it was going to cost me $100 in shipping! But if I still lived in Virginia, it'd only be $20. Are you kidding me? There's no way it costs them that much. And if it does, why can't they use the USPS as their carrier for Alaska? I know stores that use them for shipping to PO Boxes since you can't use Fed Ex and UPS for those. It's just irritating.

4. Time zone. I'm just ridiculously behind everyone. After about 6 pm my time, making calls to family and friends isn't really an option. And who has time to make calls before six? I try to make calls on the way home from work, but since my commute time is so much shorter, I don't have much time to talk and when the roads are not clear (the majority of the time), I need to not be on the phone. It's an issue.

5. Food/goods costing more. I also knew this when I came up here, but it strikes me as odd because it's so hit or miss. Like milk actually costs less than in VA, but things like my 4 pack of Monster energy drink are $2 more. And my contact solution is nearly $2 more as well. Yet soda is the same and cheese and a number of other products. It's just weird. If everything was higher because of what it costs to ship it up here, I'd understand, but it's so random.

Pros

1. It's just gorgeous. It's pretty much a scenic portrait no matter where you look. Water, mountains, etc- it's just pretty. Tons of parks inside the city help with that, too.

2. People are really nice. I don't know how many times I've had people stop to talk to me in the grocery store or randomly compliment my hair or my dog, etc. After being in the DC area for so long, it's a very nice change. Store clerks talk to you while they are ringing you up, when I call for delivery, the guy taking orders starts asking me how long I've been up here and if I like it, the delivery guy didn't have the kind of pop I asked for, so he carried 4 two liters of what they had available up my stairs, so I'd have a choice on what I wanted. Just a bunch of nice folks. There are still some jerks- it seems like it's changed from me watching out for jerks in BMWs to watching out for all the jerks that drive Ford F-150s (I swear every F-150 driver is a total ass), but other than that, the people on the road are nice, too. When you let someone in traffic, they wave a 'thanks' and you rarely ever have to wait for someone to let you into traffic when coming out of a parking lot. Just lots of nice people for a city of 250,000.

3. The dark. I like the dark. I've always been a night owl and I like going to work before the sun comes up. Since the mountains are to the east of us, it really doesn't get bright until after 8am, even now in February. I like being able to drive to work without the sun in my eyes, so I like the mountains where they are. I have only needed my sunglasses a couple times for the drive home and I used to have to put them on as soon as I got in the car. So, that's a nice change.

4. Fresh fish. I honestly haven't taken advantage of this yet, but I just found a local fish market right near my house, so I will be soon. Crabs were about the only thing i could count on really being fresh in DC, but here there are a lot more options and even more will be available as it warms up.

5. The light. Ok, it sounds weird, but since it's cloudy a lot at night (or at least has been the last month), and with all the snow on the ground all the time, it's very bright out at night from the street lights bouncing off the clouds and snow. I can walk Buck anytime and we don't ever need a flashlight. Makes taking walks at night a lot safer. Here's a link to a picture that shows what I'm talking about.

OK, that's about it for now. I'm sure as the weather gets nicer and I find a place that has good sandwiches, the pros will start outweighing the cons, but for now they're pretty even. Since it's always tough getting used to a new place, I think the fact that the lists are even is a good thing. Now, back to unpacking boxes. Ugh.