Northern Exposure

Week 70: Anchorage, AK

Welcome back! I had a hectic, but ultimately good week off in New York. Got my taxes done, visited with old friends, and made it to three Broadway shows. I also took my driver's road test, but alas, nerves prevailed and I failed. Which means that in a couple week's time I will be taking a vacation in order to return to New York and retake the test. I am undaunted and determined to get to California as a licensed driver!

So here we are in Anchorage for almost two weeks. I admit that I wrote a whole blog post about my reaction to Alaska but discarded it because I realized that from where I have been and lived my whole life, the Alaskan way of life is something very foreign to me and I had a lot of judgments about it. While these observations may have been entertaining, they were ultimately unenlightened and needed rethinking! Alaska is remote, and the people who live here have a keen sense that they live in a place and a culture far removed from much of American life. As such, they take great pride in their way of life, and have an interesting paradoxical relationship with the wildlife and natural beauty that surrounds them. The animals that populate Alaska, from moose to caribou, from wolves to salmon, are celebrated everywhere here: on wall murals, statues in public squares, and in numerous depictions from fine art to tourist trap souvenirs. Wildlife is also seen as a source of income, commerce and sport for Alaskans. There seem to be almost as many fur shops in Anchorage than there are coffee shops and bars--which is saying a lot. Alaskans are passionate about coffee and love their microbrews and booze. Anchorage is a PETA supporter's worst nightmare. The minute you get off the plane you are confronted by an airport display of the trophies of the hunter and the taxidermist's art, in the form of decapitated moose and deer heads and even an entire stuffed polar bear in a glass case.
In an effort to understand the whole hunter culture I have visited websites and picked up pamphlets about things like "Predator Control," which essentially is the systematic slaughter of wolves and bears in the wild which feed on moose and caribou, thus leaving more moose and caribou for "harvesting" by hunters. I just wonder in what way the "harvesters" are different from the "predators." And I wonder too if moose and caribou meat and skins etc are of real use to people who don't necessarily live any more in an arctic wilderness. Again, I make assumptions. But blood sport holds no fascination for me and it is difficult for me to be open minded about it. There's also controversy here about efforts to get oil drilling going offshore and in nature preserves and national parks. This was, of course, one of the cornerstones of Sarah Palin's message during the presidential campaign. And again, it is part of the conundrum of human beings living so much surrounded by nature and wildlife, and yet having the usual human urges for comfort, profit and "progress." I had a surreal moment the other morning as I walked to the gym around 9AM and saw coming toward me a fancy hansom cab, led by two horses in jingle bell harnesses and driven by a man in a top hat. As the rig jingled past, I saw that in the back was someone dressed in a polar bear suit, holding up a sign that read, "Drill, Baby, Drill." It went along its way and I stood there and gaped, as local residents went about their business, completely oblivious to this bizarre nose-thumbing at environmental protection.




All of that said, there is much to appreciate about Anchorage, not the least of which is its gorgeous natural setting, surrounded by majestic snowy mountains, glaciers and expanses of mud flats. While it is not unusual to see a moose roaming the downtown streets, as of this writing, I have not yet had the pleasure of a sighting! The town itself is a unique mix of cultures and an odd assortment of buildings--while the people have a great deal of character and diversity, the town itself lacks a cohesive, attractive look. Lots of boxy structures , a few glass office buildings, and a plethora of souvenir shops, everything coated in a thin layer of grime from a hard winter of snow and road salt. There is an odd, suburban feeling mall in the center of town, and the large Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, where we make our home this week.
The Center was built in 1989 and our venue, the Atwood Concert Hall, has a very interesting and colorful interior, which resembles a series of teepees fanning out from the proscenium arch. Our audiences have been terrific and buzz around town has been ecstatic--there are some hardcore Monty Python fans out here, and on our opening night, they were cheering for familiar characters and situations as fast as we could parade them out for them! One thing that does characterize Anchorage is the food, glorious food. Wonderful restaurants abound here, from genteel Italian and Pan Asian bistros, to traditional seafood restaurants and brewhouses, to local favorites like the Snow City Cafe, which serves hearty breakfasts all day and makes the most delicious homemade granola (I bought a huge bag of it and eat it all day long). The popular bars, like Humpy's, where one can enjoy everything from trivia tournaments to live blues bands, are hopping every night of the week. I guess in a place where the winters are long and sometimes the sun never seems to set on a landscape that can be more than 20 degrees below zero much of the year, nice warm corners to eat a good meal or drink a nice brew are highly prized.

Now that the delightful John O'Hurley has opened as King Arthur, we do not have the same hectic schedule of rehearsals we were doing prior to the layoff. So Anchorage has been a place for quiet contemplation and lazy days of exploration, with plenty of free time to rest. The Anchorage Museum, regrettably, does not open until May, but I have had the pleasure of exploring some very nice art galleries featuring local artists, most choosing as their subjects the natural beauty of the region and the art of the indigenous cultures. Next week, a few of us are renting a car and driving out to view the glaciers and other wonders of the surrounding landscape. Full report and photos on that next week, when we will complete our two week run here in Alaska, and I will reach the 500th performance mark with the "Spamalot" tour! Phew!