Kaladi Brothers Coffee in Anchorage, AK

Kaladi Brothers' Bar

Rating: You Should Go

Our friend Thomas, who grew up and still lives in Alaska, showed us around on our last day in Anchorage, so we got the insider scoop on a lot of things. One of those was Kaladi Brothers, a local coffee house committed to quality coffee. Nate and I aren't coffee drinkers ourselves (the caffeine is a problem for me and

The Anchorage Museum in Alaska

Rating: You Might Like It

The Anchorage Museum is one of the few things I could find to do in that city. It was also free with the Bank of America "Museums on Us" program the weekend we were visiting, so we decided to check it out. It has a little of different areas to explore. There are art galleries, a children's science center, a kinetic science zone, artifacts, videos, and stuffed musk oxen all centering around Alaskan culture. We didn't see everything there

Moose's Tooth Restaurant in Anchorage, AK

Inside the Moose's Tooth

Rating: You Might Like It

The Moose's Tooth is another great pizza place in Alaska. It has a ton of unique options, as well as some classics, and a huge selection of their own brews. The ambiance is cozy and artsy. There are paintings and beer bottles decorating the walls. The food is good and decently priced. One large pizza was

St. Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna, AK

The front entrance

Rating: You Should Go

St. Elias is a pizza place and brewing company that was recommended to us by Nate's friend who lived in Soldotna. We stopped here on our way to Homer from Seward. The ambiance in the place was great. All the employees dressed casually and were friendly. They had old window panes and star lanterns hung between every

Kenai Fjords Tours in Seward, AK

Our cruise boat.

Rating: You Should Go

Kenai Fjords offers several tours from 3.5 hours to a few days. We did the 4.5 hour Resurrection Bay tour that left at noon (mostly because I didn't know if my stomach could handle any longer than that). We showed up 30 minutes before our cruise and found out they

Alpine Diner & Bakery in Girdwood, AK

Rating: You Should Go

Alpine Bakery was our breakfast stop on our way from Anchorage to Seward, and our first real introduction into how expensive everything is outside of Anchorage. We couldn't even get a doughnut for less than $3, so we decided to get pastries instead. Nate got an apple turnover and

Flo's Pancake House in Anchorage, AK

Flo's Pancake House

Rating: You Should Go

Flo's Pancake House is not the most scenic stop in all Anchorage, and it's not much to look at from the outside. Nate and I were starving for some brunch (we hadn't eaten all day at it was already 1:30pm) and saw this place had good recommendations on Yelp and was also inexpensive. We were not at all disappointed.

Legends of Aviation Restaurant in Long Beach Airport, CA

Rating: You Should Go

The Legends of Aviation Restaurant is the one and only restaurant in Long Beach Airport (LGB). There's a "cafe" and some food stands, but really this is it if you want a meal, so we ate here before our trip to Anchorage. You can find this place on the top floor of the terminal (the stairs are a little hard to find but you'll see the restaurant once you get up there). There is also a lookout deck up there if you want to look at all the construction going on.

Homer, AK - Food

For anyone who has never been to Alaska, first of all, go visit. It's beautiful and the fish is amazing. Add it to your bucket list. Second of all, it's really expensive. Unless you're in Anchorage, everything needs to be shipped 3 times over to get to its final destination. Groceries, restaurants, knick-knacks, gas, it all costs more in Alaska. In regards to food, though, it is well worth it. Alaska has some of the best food I have ever tasted, and Homer even more so. Homer is also very dog-friendly. A lot of the local places in town have outside patios where you can sit with your pooch. With that in mind, these are the places Nate and I tried out during our time in Homer.

Mermaid Cafe - You Might Like It

Mermain Cafe

The first place we ate in Homer was the Mermaid Cafe. We decided to eat lunch out and dinners in since they're usually cheaper. It was a beautiful day so we sat on the patio (you can see Nate there in the picture if you look closely). A lot of things in Homer are organic and/or vegan and Nate had a hard time finding things he liked that didn't have a ton of strange vegetables in them, so he got a cheese pizza. They had a gluten-free pizza option, also. I got a pulled pork sandwich (with sprouts and kraut) and organic tomato soup. All of it was delicious. All the portions were big enough to

Homer, AK - Activities

Visit the Spit - You Should Go

The Spit

A Fisherman and his Halibut

The Spit is Homer's most pronounced landmark. It is a 5 mile long strip of land that juts out into Kachemak Bay. It functions the same as a California pier. There are shops, docks, restaurants, and even a hotel along its paved, 2-lane road. This  is a great place to stroll and shop, grab some grub, or just enjoy the view if the skies are clear.

Cottonwood Cabin in Homer, AK

Cottonwood Cabin (right)
and Bathroom (middle)

Rating: You Should Go

I may be a little biased because my aunt and uncle own Cottonwood Cabin, but I was really impressed by it. It is an actual tree-house built by my uncle in the front yard of their house. The pictures on the website may be a little confusing to tell what you're looking at (and a lot of them are out of date - it looks much nicer