If you know Anchorage, I need a little help

[Zoolander]

Before heading out to Seward on the morning train, we will be staying one night in Anchorage (May 17). I have a couple small questions that I need advice on:

 

1) We will be staying at the Hawthorn Suites (points).

2) Where to eat: right now I am leaning towards Orso Ristorante (close to the hotel) for a late lunch and am very open for dinner ideas at this point. (TripAdvisor lists quite a few pizza and pub types high on their restaurant list/Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria is number one but is it so good that I want to order pizza in Anchorage Alaska?/If so, not into waiting and crowds, do they deliver or do take-out?)

3) Now this is the most important question: we want to do the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (complimentary tickets from Kenai Fjords tour). We arrive into Anchorage at 12:30 pm so we have time (they close at 8), and after looking at the cost of a rental car in Seward (plus extra charges after 100 miles?), it looks like the best bet would be to get a car out of the Anchorage airport or close to the hotel and travel the shorter drive on Sunday, instead of Monday from Seward (we have Seward pretty much booked and we don't need a car). What do you think?

 

Plus, if we have a car in Anchorage, that also opens up the opportunity for other restaurants/sightseeing (I noticed Deb's is closed on Sundays-too bad).

 

Thanks in advance.

[Yukon]

You just don't have enough time in Anchorage to do what you want to do. The wildlife center is excellent, but not good enough to make yourself nuts about. I assume you're taking a shuttle to Seward that doesn't alow for a stop there?

 

Two very good, very casual places for the late lunch near your hotel are Phyllis's Seafood in a tent on 5th and Rumrunner's pub on 4th - those are the two I go to most often.Orso is fabulous for a special dinner, but too dark/formal for the type of lunches I always want. The Glacier Brewhouse next door to Orso is also high-end food but very busy and noisy so I've given up on it.

 

Murray

[Zoolander]

Yukon,

 

Taking the 6:30 am train to Seward.

 

Thanks.

[Chenega]

Wife and I have always been fans of Simon and Seaforts. One of the few in Anchorage with a view of Cook Inlet and they have great food.

[AkSusan]

I like Orso but it is on the higher end and it is going to be a bit of a walk (4 blocks north and 5 blocks east) if you don't have a car. There is a Beninhana's right next door to Hawthorne. Someone mentioned Simon and Seafort's that would be about a 4 or 5 block walk.

 

In regards to Moose's Tooth, yes it is fantastic pizza but they don't deliver but do takeout but you'd need a car because it's in Midtown, not downtown.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[kenish]

We used Alaskan Leopard shuttle service from Seward-ANC and they stop at the Wildlife Center; it's included in the fare. I'm not sure if they stop there on the way to Seward. I definitely recommend them and it's a way to see the Center and get to Seward.

 

I agree the AWC is good but if we had rented a car and made a special trip just for that purpose we would have been disappointed.

[NancyIL]

We really enjoyed The Moose's Tooth - but that place is VERY busy. We ate twice at Glacier Brewhouse, and didn't find it particularly busy or noisy.

[asalnars]

I dont think that this park is worth all the trouble of hiring a car to go out from Anchorage for a rushed afternoon vist. The scenery on the way is fantastic but you will be seeing that anyway on the next day.

 

I visited the park in May but did not enjoy the visit very much, probably due to the pouring rain/sleat that we had. Four weeks ago I was in Alaska with my son and did not even bother to stop there to show him the park. I thought there were better things that we could do like going for a hike up the many roadside trails.