We opted to make today a rest day so we could wash clothes, get groceries, and settle in.

We started by discussing the coffee option and found a little coffee house called Aftershock Espresso. It was a 9-minute walk away and had a grocery store nearby, so we put on our Alaska clothes and went out…which lasted about a minute.

It was hot! When the sun is out, it was warm enough that we only needed short sleeves. Regardless, we moved on, and I’m glad we did. The coffee shop itself was a tiny freestanding building that displayed a PRIDE flag and had stickers signifying a woman-run business. They had closed the lobby due to COVID but converted the drive-thru to a “drive & walk”-thru and had some outdoor seating available. They also had alternative milk options AND vegan breakfast sandwiches (all stuff I can consume) and very quickly became our Anchorage Coffee Spot. (P.S. if you’re Megan’s Seattle coffee spot—you’ve got competition.)

We enjoyed our breakfast then went to the grocery store for a few items. Back at our Airbnb, there was a paper bag filled with other paper bags, and when we got to checkout we then knew why. Apparently most of Alaska has a plastic bag ban but they readily have paper bags available for $0.10. We didn’t have much so we got everything into the paper bag and headed back.

Since it was a rest day, we had made plans to see a movie. On the way to the theater we had a conversation about yarn (Megan is an artisan knitter) and we actually found a yard store within walking distance of the theater AND had about 45 minutes to kill. So, without further ado, I present the Megan in her natural habitat…

One of the theater options we considered was called Bear Tooth Theaterpub, but our movie wasn’t playing there that day. But a few taxi drivers told us to try Moose’s Tooth Pub and Pizzeria. Bonus: it was within walking distance of the theater! Double bonus: they had vegan cheese!!!