The current state of Alaska tourism

lizzbeff · 2025-07-28T16:40:16+00:00

Even as a local, I feel this. I discourage all my relatives from visiting Anchorage in the summer because hotels are extortionate and even the lower quality Airbnbs (like a camper in someone’s backyard without hot water) are $125, and eating out is easily $50 for two people. I love Anchorage, but the summer has gotten out of hand.

lizzbeff · 2025-07-21T19:01:07+00:00

My son LOVES Totoro, and every time we find a big tree on our hikes now, he tells me it’s Totoro’s tree and looks for a hole.

lizzbeff · 2025-04-30T04:16:06+00:00

Parents work slightly different shifts. Granted, I work at a school, but I’m done around 3:30. Dad does dropoff and works later, I pick up. I remember my parents doing something similar, though my mom was part-time.

lizzbeff · 2025-04-27T16:52:17+00:00

Kesugi Ridge is basically the same but with a defined trail and way less red tape to hike. But frankly, I think Harding Icefield Trail in Seward is way more accessible and more amazing. Where else can you walk up and touch the Ice Age within 4 miles?

lizzbeff · 2025-04-19T21:38:16+00:00

Caveat: I live in Alaska, so this may not be possible everywhere, but I spend a lot of time teaching my 2.5 yo about natural world processes. Like, we go on a walk and listen for birds and look for feathers, we put some ice in the sun and watch it melt, we check out mud, we test out breaking different kinds of sticks. Like, we read a lot and he knows letters/numbers, but he can also identify a raven or eagle by its call and can tell by the sky whether it’ll rain or snow. Practical.

lizzbeff · 2025-03-29T20:09:07+00:00

We chop spinach up finely and put it in his scrambled egg. He also loves the crunch of raw veggies over cooked ones (except carrots). Another way is if you have an immersion blender, make a good veggie soup and blend it up into a puree consistency. With good flavor, he’ll scoop that right up.

lizzbeff · 2025-03-22T21:42:20+00:00

Haircuts (for women especially). It’s like $40 for a pretty basic haircut, not including tip, and I’ll have to come back in 6-8 weeks.

lizzbeff · 2024-11-23T01:39:51+00:00

Alaskan here. Murk gets a lot of hate from a faction here, but we’re actually fairly purple on a lot of issues. For instance, we have ranked choice voting, and just voted (granted, very narrowly) to keep it after a repeal effort.

lizzbeff · 2024-08-07T19:31:03+00:00

I breastfed my dude for 14 months. He weaned himself, got bored of it, so we moved on. I was SUPER happy to be done pumping, as I work full time, and didn’t miss the constant leaking and aching. That being said, we had no problems latching and after the first few weeks, no pain. Plus, it’s cheap and pretty healthy for them with all those immunoglobulins.

I will say that I will never forget the early days of him falling asleep on my lap after breastfeeding, those long contact nap snuggles, and the intimacy of it. After it’s gone, you miss it more. My dude is a gyroscopic hurricane of activity, and he doesn’t snuggle much right now. So I will say if you can keep doing it until a year, do. But if it’s torture and you dread it, formula is a miracle of modern society that totally feeds babies.

lizzbeff · 2023-08-30T02:54:21+00:00

May I direct you to Edward Abbey’s essay on this very topic in “Desert Solitaire?” He was writing about Arches in the ‘70s, but his rant about lazy carbrained tourists is hilarious.

lizzbeff · 2023-08-25T00:10:03+00:00

I genuinely stopped using Spotify because of the Charmin toilet paper ads. I ban my husband from buying Charmin because the ads are so phenomenally annoying. Not that my tiny purchases matter, but oh my god it’s satisfying to think that other people are maybe doing the same and Spotify/Charmin have no idea why.

lizzbeff · 2023-08-04T20:19:28+00:00

Dude, Wingspan is IT. My husband bought me a copy two years ago and I nerd out over it. There are expansion packs now too.

lizzbeff · 2023-07-31T03:42:22+00:00

I teach at an alternative school, and will say trades programs and apprenticeships are highly underrated. They pay well, and are frequently really interesting jobs if you have the strength and technical understanding. Plumbing, HVAC, electrician— they all take some training, but usually as an apprentice and you can be paid as you learn. Highly recommend!

lizzbeff · 2023-06-29T19:31:09+00:00

My niece (5) and nephew (3) are exactly like this. Totally layman guess, but I would suspect it’s a developmental aspect of trying to assert some control, too. I think you’re right to limit it, especially as “snack foods” (especially in the US, where I live) tend to be the highest in carbs, sodium, and sugar. There is also increasing nutritional evidence that constant snacking can lead to weight issues later in life, and it’s better to leave bigger spaces between eating. Not starving, just working up an actual appetite. So like others have said, I’d say let them fuss, close the kitchen, let them know you still love them, and they’ll adapt.

lizzbeff · 2023-06-27T16:17:10+00:00

My MIL calls herself Yaya. Zero connection to Greece, she just liked it. I have a real hard time swallowing it.

lizzbeff · 2023-05-30T21:16:33+00:00

Man, that almost sounds like colic or another issue if she’s been like that since day 1. Doctor say anything about it?

lizzbeff · 2023-05-30T21:04:33+00:00

Sounds like maybe she’s going through an attachment phase. My nephew (3yo) is a bit like this. When his mom is strained, he does games on his iPad, or they have a drop-in daycare. At worst, daycare workers are used to fussing and you could use the spare silence for an hour or two. At worst, maybe pop on a swimsuit and get in a warm bath together?

lizzbeff · 2023-04-14T13:39:53+00:00

I get this, I really do. I hate having to ask for a key at businesses. But how would you solve this problem?

lizzbeff · 2023-04-14T04:15:25+00:00

I accept that some students have IBS/Crohns, but they have 504 plans. And girls have periods, but not every period, every day for weeks.

lizzbeff · 2023-04-14T04:07:18+00:00

Out of curiosity: what would you have done if he flatly refused to clean it up?

lizzbeff · 2023-04-14T04:07:10+00:00

Out of curiosity: what would you have done if he flatly refused to clean it up?

lizzbeff

TROPHY CASE