The Military Monday duty station feature on this blog is designed for us military families to meet our fellow military spouses and also to learn about duty stations across the world. We all get to (or have to depending on your outlook and particular set of circumstances), move every couple years to different duty stations that are scattered throughout the country and the world. This feature will allow us the opportunity to explore these different areas of the world before we get there. If you are interested in being highlighted for this feature, please send me an email.
***
Branch of service:
Army
Where currently stationed:
Fort
Richardson, AK
How long have you been there?:
Since 2009
Favorite restaurant in the area:
Simon
& Seafort’s in Anchorage downtown has lovely views, and delicious halibut.
Sullivan’s Steak House is always a safe bet for good steak and they do have an
extensive wine list. Moose’s Tooth pizza selection is absolutely stunning, and
pizza lovers do love that place. Even I, a non-pizza-eater, usually find
something to munch there.
A real
treat is Double Musky in Girdwood, about an hour south of Anchorage. Double
Musky has Cajun/New Orleans type menu, wonderful wine selection, and extraordinary
service. The restaurant is very popular, and they don’t accept reservations so
more than likely table is not available right away. But the wait is definitely
worth it.
Previous duty stations:
Ft Lee, Ft Sam Houston.
3 favorite things to do in your
current city:
Outdoors
activities such as hiking, mountain biking and skiing. Anchorage and
neighborhood is full of trails and paths, which makes the area a real paradise
for outdoors enthusiasts like us.
Anchorage
Museum has often interesting exhibitions, and their restaurant has good lunch
selection.
Seeing UAA
Seawolves or Alaska Aces’ hockey games – always a blast!
Favorite duty station so far:
Fort
Richardson definitely is a great place to be stationed at. If we could have
this particular Army post in Lower 48, it would be perfect! The only negative
side of Ft Richardson is the location of Alaska – while AK is part of the US,
we are still terribly far from the Lower 48. Traveling to and from Alaska is
expensive as well as takes quite a bit time. The nearest Lower 48 city,
Seattle, is 2,500 miles away - 3.5 hours by plane!
What is the biggest draw back to where your
current duty station?
The
distance! Alaska is terribly far away from everything else, and as avid world
travelers it has been sometimes a struggle to figure out the flight routes and
schedules. It typically takes half day to get anywhere out of Alaska.
Also,
the shopping is limited in Alaska; so online shopping becomes very handy, very
quickly. The downside is, unfortunately, the shipping – some stores do not ship
to Alaska at all, and some stores charge arm and leg for it. Selections in
stores vary quite a bit, and for example the Nordstrom’s in downtown Anchorage
carries very small shoe and cosmetics departments.
And
Alaska truly has four seasons. Summers in Anchorage area mild, temperature
around 70’s, although there can be days when the mercury makes it all the way
up to the 80’s, and even above. Winter is snowy. Like seriously snowy. And
cold. This winter has probably been the worst temperature and snow-wise: we
have had a few weeks of subzero temperatures, and shoveling the driveway has
become a great, regular workout.
How strong/ or not is the sense of community in the area?
Among
the military people the sense of community is strong. Naturally because of we
all are “outsiders” here, and Alaska is its own world, completely different
from Lower 48. People always told me that Alaska is nothing like the rest of
this country, and I used to laugh at them. However, after living here, I can
only nod. That is so very true. The life is slower here, people are more into
low-key activities, and locals live pretty much according to the seasons. Yes,
sometimes it feels like Alaskans hibernate for (dark) winter months! Making
friends with locals can sometimes be a bit challenging. To me they don’t seem
to be as outgoing and approachable as the folks in the continental US.
What is the overall feel of the community/area/base?
The base is great, and people stationed here are welcoming. However, Alaska is a very black-and-white duty station: you either love it or hate it. There is only a very little grey area. The local community is more closed, and it may take time an outsider to make friends here. However, being outgoing and getting into activities (also outside the military community) makes a difference and is a great way to meet locals too.
Are there any local festivals you have been to or are planning to attend?
Alaska
lives from an event to event! There are events for every reason: summer
solstice, winter solstice, Fur Rondy is a weeklong celebration right before
Iditarod Sled Dog race starts…. The local ski resort, Alyeska, hosts some kind
of event nearly every summer weekend. Up in Fairbanks they have annual
ice-carving world championship competitions every year – among other exciting
events.
We have
visited quite a few of these events, and Iditarod (sled dog race from Anchorage
to Nome) is probably one of our favorites although the summer events are fun too.
I will be shooting the Iditarod also this year for my photo agency clients, so
we will attend for sure! We are also planning a trip to Fairbanks to see the
ice carvings.
 |
| {Setting up shrimp pots} |
Have you joined any groups on base?
I do
some fitness stuff on base as well as am a member in Officers’ Spouses’ Club.
Who is your hero?
It’s hard to name only one hero since there are so many awesome men and women that I can look at, and say that they are real heroes and special people. However, my husband is naturally the biggest hero in my eyes. I respect him, and admire his dedication to this country and us. He is the one that I can always count on, I know he does always the right thing, no matter what, and most importantly he is always standing by my side.
***
If you are a military spouse and want be featured for this post, please send me an email at HandlingWithGrace {at} gmail.com
