South of the Arctic Circle

The people of Fairbanks are warm and friendly. The atmosphere is one of a small town - the kind where everyone knows you or knows of you.

We were greeted at the hotel and directed to our room - not just left to find it on our own. The hotel staff were helpful and quickly got the extra towel that we requested. They also gave us good ideas for what to do and where to go to spend our day.

The small town atmosphere gave way to metropolitan posh when we arrived at the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. This modern building on top of the hill holds a wonderful tapestry of what has become modern Alaska. From the early geologic and paleologic history, through the gold rush, to the rise of the tourist trade, it is all in there.

Downtown Fairbanks is just as varied as the museum. In fact, it has many little museums of its own within walking distance of the visitor center. The people in these buildings are more than willing to explain the displays - what they are and how they were used in everyday life.

You won't find the "hard sell" in the local shops that you find in the ports along the Inner Passage, but you will find many well made, hand crafted items if you take the time to look for them.

Visit during the summer solstice and enjoy eternal daylight. The sun only dips below the horizon, but doesn't completely fade away. The beautiful sunset sky at midnight makes you feel that it is only about 8pm. You wonder why the stores and restaurants are closed.

We need to visit Fairbanks again - got to start saving for it. There are so many things to do and just not enough time to do them all.

Quick Tips:

Jeans and T's are acceptable just about everywhere - even nice restaurants.

Take suntan lotion - the long days can fry you.

Take insect repellent - this is mosquito country.

Take your camera - 'nuff said.

Take the walking tour of Downtown Fairbanks starting at the visitor center. Some of the "curiosities" are very interesting.

Visit the Museum of the North on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For a nominal fee (less than ) you get a wonderful overview of the state and the people who live here.

Bring more money than you think you will need. Food cost more than in the "lower 48" and the cost is passed on to the tourist.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking in the Downtown area is easy - but the sidewalk sometimes disappears on you and you find yourself in the street.

There are pedicabs (for a fee) for the downtown tour area.

Most hotels have shuttles that will take you wherever you want to go. Some charge a fee per trip to cover fuel costs. Be prepared to tip each driver.

Pike's is located on the Chena River right across from the International Airport. Don't let that scare you, the sounds of the airplanes are not noticeable in the rooms. Even with the lobby doors open during the day, the plane's engines could not be heard inside. And the lobby is a study in taxidermy with bears, moose, and other critters covering the walls and ceiling.

The rooms are large and comfortable. There are several electrical outlets that are easily accessed. We were able to charge the phone, camera, and laptop without having to hunt for an outlet. The staff are wonderful. We asked if there was a scale available to weigh our luggage before heading to the airport and the bell captain brought one up to our room on a luggage rack. He helped us weigh our pieces and waited while we reshuffled items to make everything under 50lbs.

The staff are willing to give you ideas as to how to spend your time in Fairbanks. They will even make calls for you to make reservations if they are not busy with "hotel business".

There is a buffet breakfast in the morning that is very good. The pre-scrambled eggs were the only ones that were neither too runny or too hard. There were several juices to choose from and potatoes and sausage. They had several miniboxes of cereal available, and hot cereal for those who preferred that.

Dinner could be had at the restaurant across the parking lot. The deck affords a great view of the river and is a wonderful place to eat if it is not too breezy. Hubby and I split sandwiches so we could taste both. He ordered the Chicken and I ordered the Halibut burger. Both were very tasty and filling. The Chicken was tender and the roll was "to die for". The Halibut burger was flaky and served with a very good tarter sauce. the fries on both plates were crunchy yet soft on the inside. Wonderful food and extremely filling.

Walk back to your room or join others on the patio/bar next to the restaurant. Either way you are sure to enjoy Pike's.

Pasta Bella is an "orange" building that is visible from the Visitor Center in downtown Fairbanks. It was recommended to us by the driver of our shuttle bus.

You enter into a small lobby/bar area and see tables situated in small rooms located off this one. You can choose to dine inside or "on the patio" (which is really on the roof of the building and has a nice view of the river). There are several small rooms inside and we were seated next to the stairs that lead to the "patio".

The plates we ordered came quickly. I ordered the spinach fettuccine (creamy sauce with fresh spinach over very broad noodles). It was a little peppery for my taste, but that did not prevent me from eating most of a very large portion. Hubby ordered the meatball sub. The meatballs were large and filled the roll well, but the marinara sauce was a little skimpy for his taste. He said that the roll was very tasty, just a little too much of it to finish. His sub came with pasta salad and that was too spicy for him to finish. The iced tea was some of the best we had on our trip.

If we ever get to Fairbanks again, we will definitely go to Pasta Bella for a meal. It is conveniently located on the Walking Tour and the meals were very filling.