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Juneau - Alaska
Cruise Travel, March, 2001 by M.T. Schwartzman
Glaciers, Gold, & Good Times In The Capital Of The Last Frontier
Every time I go to Juneau, I have a good time. It's my favorite place in Alaska--perhaps in the world. Why? Because this city of 30,000 has a little bit of everything that Alaska has to offer.
Looking for glaciers? There's one just 13 miles from downtown. Whales? Daily whale-watching trips leave from the waterfront. Cultural heritage? There are totem poles and a Russian Orthodox church. Pioneer history? The city's mining past is on display in two fine museums. How about natural history? Juneau has the state's best system of hiking trails.
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As the capital of Alaska, Juneau is not just the political center of the state, but its cruise hub as well, welcoming more than 600,000 cruise passengers each summer. Lloyd's List has ranked it in the world's top 20 cruise ports according to arrivals, and a survey in the Los Angeles Times once placed Juneau in the top five ports for its combination of shopping and scenery--the only U.S. port that made the cut. (Just for the record, there are more than 1,800 cruise ports, according to Cruise Lines International Association.)
Cruise passengers will have a hard time deciding between the many shore excursions offered in Juneau. Classic favorites include the Gold Creek Salmon Bake (about $30), helicopter flight-seeing ($180), or the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery and city tour ($35). If you've never been to Juneau before, the city tour is definitely in order. It takes in all the main attractions, from the mighty Mendenhall Glacier to historic South Franklin Street.
Juneau is also a good place to book a sportfishing charter ($160); all the cruise lines offer this "shore excursion." If you don't mind cheating, though, you can fish right from the dock beside the salmon hatchery. Other active options include kayaking along the waterfront ($85), river-rafting in the shadow of the Mendenhall Glacier ($100), hiking through the rain forest ($60), or a bike-and-brew tour ($65) that visits the award-winning Alaskan Brewing & Bottling Company, located just outside downtown. (You bike before visiting the brewery and ride back to the ship in a van.)
At more than 3,000 square miles (including the Gastineau Channel and the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Icefield), Juneau is said to be the largest city by area in the United States. But downtown is a cozy few square blocks, easily walkable for independent passengers. The Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau publishes a free walking-tour brochure covering the major sites of interest, all clustered together in a square mile. Maps are available as you debark the ship at the information kiosks right on the dock. Copies also are available at the Davis Log Cabin, a visitors center located in the heart of downtown at the corner of Seward and Third streets.
Up to four ships at a time may visit Juneau on any given day. Three can tie up pierside--two at the City Docks, and another at the Princess pier, which is also used by other lines. A fourth ship may drop anchor in the harbor. Depending on where you come ashore (the Princess pier is the farthest away), it's just a short walk or bus ride to South Franklin Street, the main tourism district and one of the best shopping areas in all of Alaska.
Here, along the main thoroughfare and side streets, you'll find everything Alaskan, from cute and furry faux creatures (like iceworms) to handmade native crafts and expensive fine art. To ensure authenticity, look for the polar bear symbol for goods made in Alaska and the Silver Hand label for genuine native crafts.
Shops in Juneau run the gamut from famous chains to local mom-and-pop operations. Veteran passengers will recognize names like Little Switzerland and Colombian Emeralds from the Caribbean. Both are on South Franklin Street proper. Other stores are more homespun, like Rainy Day Books, which specializes in rare and sometimes used (i.e. cheap) Alaska titles--great reading for days at sea (of which there are two or three on every weeklong Alaska cruise itinerary).
The best-kept shopping secret in Juneau is the gift shop at the City Museum, where you can buy authentic and affordable artifacts from Alaska's past. Items for sale include original fish-can labels (25 [cts.]), pottery used in the Juneau mines (50 [cts.] to $2), and pieces of ore taken from the mines ($3). Museum galleries focus on the men and machines of Alaska's mining industry, which for half a century was the foundation of the local economy.
Not far from the City Museum is the impressive Alaska State Museum. Exhibits include a re-creation of the Southeast Alaskan rain forest and a walk-through timeline of Alaska's early history. Also on view is the original head from the famous Abe Lincoln totem pole (a replica now stands in Ketchikan at Saxman Native Village).
Passengers interested in pioneer history can explore further by visiting two original sites from Juneau's earliest days. The St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, built in 1894, is the oldest original church in Southeast Alaska and a relic from the days of Czarist rule. The nearby House of Wickersham was the home of Judge James Wickersham, who established law and order in the newly American territory of Alaska, purchased for $7.2 million in 1867.
