Any 'Buds thinking about attending in 2018?

[fladogfan]

Holly, what you have mentioned sounds like fun. Always good to learn from someone who has 'been there- done that'.
I sure could put 2018 on my want to do that list. I had fun meeting Iditabuds in 2010 in Nome and experiencing that end of the race.
Before Johncn moved from Unalakleet, I wanted to stop by there to visit and see the SBT in action. (SBT= Student Broadcasting Team)
But since the race is no longer on their schedule, they cover basketball games more now. Though sometimes I've been lucky and seen some of their coverage of the Native Alaskan games.

[Holly Golightly]

I forgot about the Ulu Factory (I like to say it's literally downstairs from downtown, since there's a big hill with steps heading from 2nd Ave to Ship Creek), and the Alaska Railroad station (this may sound dweeby but the AK RR has the best-looking trains, and this year I actually spent part of a morning chasing after one in an attempt to get a good photo).

There's also the Natural History Museum, which isn't downtown but it's still fairly reachable by bus, and the military museum on 4th Ave (small but nice). Haven't done Sullivan's Steakhouse yet, but only b/c I haven't managed to drag anyone to it and I don't want to eat there alone--it seems like a place where you'd feel lonely if you ate by yourself. If anyone wants to go antiquing (aka "chasing down old race posters/programs/memorabilia/etc"), there's Lazy Dog Antiques in the Fairview neighborhood, which is walkable from downtown if you know which streets are crossable; and Pack Rat Antiques in Spenard (just behind Chilkoot Charlie's, which I haven't been brave enough to go into yet), not to mention a super-upscale place downtown where I managed to get a very nice Audubon "Esquimaux Dogs" image in 2015--long story there.

I sometimes bring people with me (this year, my best friend was going to come with but can't due to family issues). There have also been years when I go up and just "kidnap" tourists as I meet them. "Oh, you're up for the race too? Who's your favorite musher?*...Are you going to the Banquet on Thursday?...I was just about go to Title Wave and see if they added any more rare mushing books to their inventory--wanna come with?" Next thing the tourist knows, he/she is off on an adventure. * NOTE: the tourist's answer to the question about "favorite musher" often determines if I end up "kidnapping" them or not.

[Moose]

Great report, Holly! We slept in Anchorage on the way to Nome in 2010 (so long ago now), but we got in too late and left too early to see anything more than our hotel, the shuttle, and the airport.

[Holly Golightly]

It's OK, Moose--the airport, believe it or not, is another "favorite" place to hang out (usually in the context of "fetching the people I convinced to come with", but I also drop by in order to pick up the newspapers which can't be gotten downtown, like the -Bristol Bay Times-, -Delta Discovery- and -Tundra Drums-, etc). Plus ever since the 2015 reroute I've become fond of taking day-trips to other towns--"mini-vacations", I call them. Flew up to Fairbanks for the day in 2016 ($156 round trip on Ravn Air) and had such a good time that I'm going to try Cordova this year, since they have a museum and cultural center and award-winning restaurant with halibut tacos.

Staying in AK 2 weeks gives me the chance to do things like that--someone who's up for a week or less would be cramped for time, esp since much of that time would be filled with race-related goings-on. My first year I only did ten days and it didn't seem like nearly enough time; the 2nd year I did 2 weeks and one day, but ran out of laundry near the end. Two weeks exactly is "just right" for me; fly up on a Saturday afternoon, get kicked out of hotel and leave town two Friday evenings from then and take the red-eye home.

[Moose]

You're living the good life, Holly. Long may you reign!

[Holly Golightly]

I cram a whole year's worth of living into two weeks--and every year I say "By this time next year, who knows, I just might be up here permanently." (A gal can always hope!)

I was at a mushing event (spectating) this weekend, and people kept on saying "You go up to Alaska EVERY year? Isn't that expensive?" I kept saying "Plane tickets are the hard part, everything else is manageable once you figure it all out." I think the fact that a lot of people think "cruise" when they think about going to AK, and cruises are expensive, causes the misconception that going to AK is super-pricey. Or maybe the cost of other hotels is more than I'm used to--esp since I get the "returning guest rate".

[flowerpower]

So question-I'm sure I'll have many-which hotel in Anchorage would you pick to stay at? The Lakefront/Millennium? Somewhere on the race route? If you were going for the start, which I still haven't decided.

[Holly Golightly]

I'm going to answer that question WITH a question, or actually two:

"Do you want to have an easy time getting downtown for the Ceremonial Start, or are you OK with the headache of trying to find a parking space on the first Saturday of March (not to mention having your 'home base' be away from downtown)? And how do you feel about hotel prices, too?"

Because the answer to those questions will influence part of my answer to the initial question. And PS, to my knowledge the only places along the race route that have hotels are the start and the finish--and Nome fills up fast from what I've heard.

[Another UK Fan]

Oh joy! Guess what - this is our next big thing too! I'd said a little while ago that come what may I'm going to Iditarod in 2018 . . . and my husband (oh it's so nice to say that) leapt in with 'count me in'. Well, I mean, what's a girl to do . . . of course I married him.

So he's reminding me that we need to get our homework done, and I suggested visiting the forum for ideas - and here you all are, planning the same thing.

We'd really like to do some volunteering and so the next bit is seeing how to do that. Meanwhile, air fares, hotels and so on.

I did read a while back that if you are a volunteer then you get discount accomodation at the hotel. It was the year the Millenium Hotel was being refurbished and Marriott had offered to host HQ.

Anyways . . . . the research starts. I'm so excited that so many of you also plan to be there. Yes!

And now .... off to see if I can find a way of uploading the photo of our wedding cake with the dog sled team.

[Holly Golightly]

For info on volunteering, you'd have to contact the ITC; Joanne will either know right away what info you'll need, or she'll know which other staffer will know the answer. I haven't volunteered yet; long story involving something which was said to me by an actual volunteer during my 1st trip up there (2008, when I was just a flaky 29-year-old). The volunteer told me incorrect information, but I didn't find this out until 2015, when another volunteer set me straight--by then, I felt it was too late to volunteer for that year, and this year (2016) I was a bit distracted.

I'm also going to be preemptive and list a few of the hotels in Anchorage:
Millennium/Lakefront
Sheraton
Westmark
Inlet Towers
Anchorage Grand
Hilton
Clarion Suites
Anchorage Marriott
Anchorage Lofts
America's Best Value Inn Anchorage
Anchorage Super 8
Best Western
Coast International
Ship Creek Comfort Inn
Courtyard by Marriott Anchorage Airport
Crowne Plaza
Embassy Suites
EconoInn
Historic Anchorage Hotel
Guesthouse Anchorage Inn
Hampton Inn Anchorage
Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott
Holiday Inn Express Anchorage Airport
Captain Cook Hotel
Ingra House Hotel
Long House Alaska Hotel
Lakeshore Inn and Suites
Merrill Field Inn
Microtel Inn/Suites Anchorage Airport
Motel 6 Midtown
My Place Extended Stay
Puffin Inn
Quality Suites Historic Downtown
Ramada Downtown
Residence Inn by Marriott Midtown
Dimond Center Hotel
Creekwood Inn

There's also a bunch of bed-and-breakfasts, a few hostels, etc, but I wasn't 100% sure if I should go into more detail (not everyone likes B&Bs or hostels).