fairbanks, alaska!
by anne kristoff, a photographer, writer and artist (and formerly a music publicist for missy elliott and ac/dc!) whose work has appeared in travel + leisure, bust and budget travel, among others. she sells photographic prints on etsy: poof NY and anne kristoff: capture + release.
best venues: the marlin, the pub, college coffeehouse, the blue loon.
best record stores: vinyl albums hidden at the secondhand stores around town. local music: college coffeehouse.
best vintage / thriftstores: some folks would say the transfer site. also, search at value village and definitely chartreuse (sheri does a great job of curating the collection there)
cheap eats: sam’s sourdough café, miguel’s.
not so cheap eats: turtle club, lavelle’s.
vegetarian-friendly eats: thai house, pita place.
best neighborhood: taiga woodlands.
cheap haircut: fort wainwright PX barber shop (men), elements day spa (women).
best drinking holes: the mecca, the big I, the howling dog.
best coffee or tea houses: college coffeehouse.
best radio station / web station: KSUA and KUAC.
cool cinemas: the blue loon.
best used bookstores: gulliver’s and forget me not.
best place to see art: well street, alaska house.
best local bands: young fangs, phineas gage, thought trade. artists adam ottavi, briana reagan, mark leon, mark fejes. writers gary black. designers sue sprinkle.
parks and green spaces: the triangle (new greenspace downtown), ester park, granite tors.
unmissable highlights: UAF museum of the north, biking along farmer’s loop, paddling down the chena river, breathing in 40 below zero air, fireworks on new year’s eve, rainbows at 3am in the summer.