Actually, Juneau is the third largest city in Alaska and its capital, with a population of 30,000 people. Anchorage and Fairbanks have far larger populations and, rightfully, one of them should be the capital, but the costs of moving and the intense rivalry between these two cities made Juneau the negotiated capital to keep the peace. Juneau is located on the North American mainland but can't be reached by road since there is no through road to and from the outside world, and the terrain discourages building one. The only modes of transportation for access to Juneau are by air or by sea. I arrived in Juneau by sea after three days of leisurely cruising from Anchorage (the city of flowers) and a brief port-of-call at Sitka (Little Russia). My ship, the 700-passenger, opulent Regent Seven Seas Mariner, tied up right in the heart of town alongside another cruise liner, the 2,000-passenger Princess ship. From the 11th-deck balcony of my suite, I could see a spotless street below, devoid of litter, with shade trees, benches and shelter for foot-sore, weary tourists, a visitor kiosk and a good number of street vendors, but very little vehicular traffic. Fodor's guide book had it right when it described Juneau as being a frontier city with dramatic historic buildings, some dating back to the "gold rush" years like the Red Dog Saloon watering hole on South Franklin Street, circa 1890. We were fascinated by the magnificently carved colorful totem poles doting the entrances to many of the downtown buildings The Abramson-Wasser crew found its way into the Red Dog Saloon to sample some of the micro Alaskan Brewery Company's Alaskan Amber Ale based on a recipe that goes all the way back to 1903 when beer was a staple in the miner's rations. (Twelve-year-old Maris had to be satisfied with her usual Diet Coke.) We learned that the Alaskan Brewery's beers tend to be richer and heartier beers, suitable for Alaska's cold climate. The traditional Alaskan brewing method calls for the malt to be smoked over alderwood, the type of wood possibly used by Captain Cook and used for the Alaskan Brewery's award-winning Smoked Porter Ale. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the actual brewery, where the public is welcome for tasting sessions. We also discovered a plethora of shops in some of the oldest, interesting buildings along South Franklin and Front Streets dating back to the 1920s and '30s and even a duty-free Little Switzerland emporium for expensive jewelry, watches and a Tiffany counter. We passed by the Kodiak Coat Shop, an Alaskan fur salon, crafts and curio galleries, two salmon stores, but bought some hand-made chocolate candy and some inexpensive T-shirts and heavy warm sweatshirts for the men we left at home on Long Island. Fortunately, we could only look and not buy because we wanted to take the Mt. Roberts Tramway. The tram is just a short walk from the cruise terminal and whisks you 1,800 feet up the side of Mt. Robert in six minutes. At the summit of the mountain, we took in a film on the history and legends of the Tlingit Native Americans, went for a short Alpine walk on a hiking trail, visited the Juneau Raptor Center and saw many eagles up close and thoroughly enjoyed the exquisite mountain view. Across from the tram we stopped in at the Raven's Journey, a shop that specializes in high-quality Native Alaskan masks, grass baskets, carvings, dolls, ivory simulated bone and silver jewelry. At the South end of town there is the Taku Smokeries near where our Regent Seven Seas Mariner Cruise Ship was docked. We stopped to catch a view of the smoking process through some large windows and were told that about 6 million pounds of fish (mostly salmon) are processed a year and the fish could be packaged, purchased and shipped home. Juneau is touted as being the best Alaskan destination with the most diversity of Alaska's sightseeing or for an active adventure vacation and no better way to see the spectacular scenery of mountains, glaciers, fjords, lakes, streams, forests with lots of bear, eagles, whales and other wild life. It is tucked in a rainforest where the mountains meet the sea amid 17 million acres of Tongass national forest and a 1,000-square-mile ice field. But it was the discovery of gold in 1880 that made Juneau and the Yukon Territory the chosen destination for hordes of fortune hunters searching for that "yellow treasure." After our sightseeing trek in Juneau, Jill, Maris and I were very happy to find our way back to our grand ship, the Seven Seas Mariner, and our spacious suite to sail another day on Alaska's Inside Passage to Skagway and Ketchikan. Copyright by Marcia Abramson E-mail: mascribe@ verizon.net
