Alaskans (Day 15)

This weekend has given me fodder for many blogs. One of the first things I noticed about Alaska was how friendly everybody was. The girls at the hotel reception were extremely engaging and interested in what we were up to. Although my coach pointed out that they are paid to be nice, they certainly went above and beyond.

At dinner that night, we sidled up to the bar of a local brewery, and a friendly gentleman next to me explained which beers the brewery specialized in and recommended a few. Awhile later I discovered he was a transplant from Ruidoso, NEw Mexico, but had been in Alaska for over 20 years. The gentleman who replaced him at the bar also chatted with my teammate about our upcoming adventure. The bartender herself was also extremely friendly.

The next day at the Iditarod start, a friendly woman next to us patiently explained the difference between the ceremonial start and the real start and various other race intricacies. Later at the reindeer run, other spectators explained to us how that race worked.

Our tour guide was quite friendly, although less so after someone made a comment about Sarah Palin. At lunch, one member of our group was a little too friendly with an Alaskan, offering him his uneaten chips. After a first look of surprise and possibly disdain, you could see the Alaskan in him kick in and he proceeded to have a friendly conversation with us. That night, a host at the hotel cafe spent considerable time with us outlining our options for dinner downtown and finally choosing a restaurant for us.

The Alaska Airlines customer service agents at the airport were rather less friendly, but it was late at night and maybe they were not actually Alaskans. I wonder how long a person has to live in Alaska to become super friendly. A teammate speculated that because they are likely to be from cold places such as the Midwest where people are already friendly, they might be pre-inclined to that character trait. Whatever it is, it was a welcome change from the East Bay where my neighbors and co-workers regularly avoid saying hi if at all possible. Unfortunately it is way too cold in Alaska for me to consider enjoying their friendly company on a more permanent basis.

Thanks for welcoming us to your state!