Great Grey Owl
It is entirely possible that we’re just suckers for clever branding. After all, we can’t say for certain whether there’s any real difference between the places we visit that bill themselves as “animal hospitals” or “rescue centers” and ordinary zoos. But that difference in stated mission – for rescuing animals on the one hand, and mostly just displaying them on the other – has come to matter to us.
An Alaska Marine Highway ferry
No roads lead to Juneau.
Flanked by mountains peaks and the Gastineau Channel, Alaska’s capital is one of numerous cities and towns in the state that can be reached only by air or water. We flew in from Anchorage and departed by boat, the first leg of our trip along a portion of the Inside Passage, a waterway extending from Alaska to Puget Sound.
Our ride wasn’t one of the fancy, massive cruise ships docked in downtown Juneau’s harbor. Instead we made like locals and hopped aboard a more modest mode of transport to cruise the remote waters. A public ferry system operates along what is known as the Alaska Marine Highway, the only marine route in the U.S. to be dubbed a “National Scenic Byway” and “All American Road.”
Seward may have a “drive up glacier,” but I’m wagering Juneau is one of the few places on earth with a glacier served by public transportation. And that was great news for us, having just returned our rental car in Anchorage.
Photo locations (from left to right) Crystal Pier San Diego, Radio City Music Hall NYC, Pacific Beach SD, NYC Subway, Rockefeller Center NYC, NY Stock Exchange.
As great as it was to be back in New York City (we really do Love NY), we have to admit that this time, it was equally good to get away. Over the past four years of travel we’ve mostly managed to avoid winter and, in the process, have become hot-house-flowers of sorts. Last weekend’s storm gave us enough snow and ice to keep us stocked up on winter weather for the foreseeable future.
And for all the bitching we always do about air travel – the ridiculous undressing for security, the cramped coach seats, the inevitable delays – we really owe it a big, fat round of applause. Thanks to modern aviation, we spent only a half a day getting from Central Park’s winter wonderland to Southern California’s bikini beaches.
After spending two weeks in the cold, returning to the sun and palm trees we’d otherwise have taken for granted felt like vacation. It is nothing short of a holiday miracle.
Everywhere Once 