Theater patrons suddenly have an abundance of choices. Valley Performing Arts is closing a run of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors; TBA Theatre is mounting its traditional Halloween shows; Anchorage Community Theater stages a radio play; Mad Myrna’s brings back its annual Rocky Horror Show; Perseverance Theatre opens its season in Juneau; and the following week, Cyrano’s Theatre Company continues its 2020 season after a long hiatus.
An empty hole now sits in the middle of the Great Alaska Mall, where Alaska Bagel served coffee and brunch to Midtown Anchorage for more than twenty-five years. The shop served its last dine-in customer on October 21, three weeks after receiving notice from the landlord to move out.
“As more people are vaccinated, we could see more Americans ready to travel—and travel safely—this summer,” writes a group of visitor bureau leaders. “But as you’ve no doubt seen, Alaska’s tourism businesses face a lot of challenges between now and recovery. As Alaskans working in tourism, we have our work cut out for us.”
After moving from Dallas to Anchorage, Suzanna Smiles came across Set Up Shop, Anchorage Community Land Trust’s (ACLT) flagship program to help neighborhood entrepreneurs. Smiles had noticed a lack of groomers in Anchorage and wanted for years to set up her own shop. ACLT helped make that happen.
The “Love, Anchorage” box features an assortment of curated goods from favorite neighborhood businesses and represents businesses from the Mountain View, Fairview, Spenard, and Downtown neighborhoods.
While everyone is eager to get back to normal (or close to what normal used to look like), Alaska’s organizations are making the most of the opportunities they have now, helping people travel far and wide—digitally, at least.
With the number of tourists drastically reduced (if they come at all), locals will have the run of Anchorage—which makes it the perfect time for the city’s residents to become acquainted with all the municipality’s outdoor options.
What do Oklahoma City; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Boise, Idaho; and Bend, Oregon have in common? Visitors to these cities—and the people who live in them—are benefitting from the fact that their downtown areas have undergone a revitalization, attracting businesses, tax dollars, and tourists that contribute to the area’s overall economy.
Most experts indicate that the Last Frontier has turned the corner and in 2020 will claw its way out of the recession that started several years ago. However, the recovery is not expected to be uniform, as Anchorage remains in recession and many of the impacts of the state’s budget cuts have yet to play out.
EasyPark announced 6th & H, 7th & G and 5th & B parking garages purple level (2nd floor) will have dedicated parking spaces for recipients of the Purple Heart medal and preferred parking spaces will be donated to those recipients.