About one month ago, the WCHA Blog kicked off its list of which WCHA towns make for the best roadtrips. For my list, I’m basing this off five criteria (Access, Bars, City Experience, Hotels, and Ticket Cost / Availability). For a detailed list of what these five items mean to me, click here.
Here is a list of the cities the preview has previously covered up until today:
10. Houghton
9. Grand Forks
8. Mankato
7. St. Cloud
6. Madison
This week, it’s city No. 5: Anchorage, AK., which is home to the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
Access
If there was ever going to be a mark against a city in the WCHA, it would certainly come here. Obviously Anchorage is very far away from most other WCHA schools, and requires a flight to gain access to the city.
There are daily flights from Denver and Minneapolis to the city of Anchorage, so finding a flight isn’t the problem. The price that one must pay for their ticket is the issue, as most flights from either airport cost in the neighborhood of between $500 and $600.
If and when a person gets to Anchorage though, it’s no different that navigating around a normal city, assuming the weather is decent. There are some minor hiccups, but all in all, getting around Anchorage is not problematic.
Bars
As with any large city, Anchorage’s downtown area features plenty of fun places to grab a drink or a bite to eat. I’ve only been to Anchorage once, but over those four days I tried to visit as many places as possible.
One of my favorites was the F Street Station, which is in the heart of downtown and near many of the other bars and restaurants in the area. We went there late at night and it was absolutely packed, mostly with college-aged kids. Because the bar itself is pretty small on the inside, it did get pretty tough to move around. The food is above-average and is served much later into the night than some other establishments in the area.
Chilkoot Charlie's was one of the most unique bars I’ve ever been to. It’s located just outside of downtown Anchorage and – like the Red Carpet in St. Cloud – features several different mini-bars inside. They have everything from a live band area to a room with wood stumps for tables and seats with underwear hanging on the walls. As you can imagine, most of the crowd was more young than old, but at the very least it’s worth a stop if you make it up to Anchorage.
Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse was another favorite of mine. It was very roomy inside and like the previous two bars, most of the clientele were college-aged. Because the inside was so large, it was much easier to spread out and getting service was also easier.
If you’re looking for a reasonably priced restaurant that’s close to the arena and is a step above the “college / bar scene,” Sorrento's Restaurant is an excellent choice. They feature outstanding Italian food in a classic setting.
City Experience
The city of Anchorage – or more appropriately the surrounding area – may top all other WCHA cities in terms of City Experience. In my opinion, if the City Experience wasn’t so great, very few fans would want to make the trip up to Anchorage to watch their team play.
Even from the downtown area, the views of the Cook Inlet and the nearby mountains are spectacular. But the real fun happens when you leave the downtown area. One drive that I was advised to make was down to Seward. On my lone trip, the weather was very good – near 50 degrees in February – and because of that, the highways down to Seward were drivable, although we were warned beforehand that the warm temperature could result in possible avalanches.
But, we encountered few problems on the 130 mile drive. Just outside the city, you’ll drive along Turnagain Arm, and there are several places to stop to take pictures on the road. Further along Highway 1, you’ll be able to turn off into the city of Alyeska. There are a few ski resorts here, and you can spend a few bucks to take one of the ski lifts to the top of one of the mountains. The ride up was fairly smooth and the view was great.
On this day, there were some melting problems on the road that results in some unexpected slick spots as you ducked in and out of the shadows, but we were able to manage. As we neared Seward, there was thick fog that almost ruined our view from the city out into Resurrection Bay. Luckily the fog lifted during our lunch-break and we were able to see what all the fuss is about – Seward is defiantly worth the drive.
One could also venture north out of Anchorage and up towards Wasilla. This is as far north as we went, but this drive was very picturesque, but much different than the drive to Seward.
Be on the lookout for wildlife on both drives though. We saw a handful of moose while in the Anchorage area, but fortunately none on or near the highway.
Hotels
There are several lodging options in downtown Anchorage. We were able to secure a very good rate at the Captain Cook Hotel, which is one of the best hotels in Anchorage. This hotel was very nice, and featured arguably the best hotel bar I’ve seen. There are a handful of restaurants in the hotel, and there are also several shops on the first floor. Ask a hotel worked about the “secret” breakfast area on the top floor, too.
Sullivan Arena is only a few miles from the heart of downtown, so there are plenty of hotel options near the arena, although most aren’t within walking distance.
Ticket Cost / Availability
This is another area where Anchorage excels. Tickets are very inexpensive and are easy to obtain on most nights. Additionally, because most of the crowds in Anchorage are sparse, one can move around Sullivan Arena a bit to find optimal seating or to view the game from different angles.
Summary
This is one trip that each WCHA fan should try to make at some point. Even though it’s much more expensive than most other WCHA trips, it’s worth it. The city is great and if you plan things out right you can really maximize your time in Anchorage.
Overall Grade: B
Showing posts with label Anchorage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anchorage. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
WCHA Arena No. 10 – Sullivan Arena
Last week, I started my review of all of the WCHA towns and am in the process of ranking them 10 through one in terms of which towns are best for roadtrips.
This week, I’m going to start my list of which WCHA arenas are the best in my mind. What makes a college hockey arena good or bad? Here, in alphabetical order, are my criteria:
1) Arena – Obviously the arena itself is important when it comes to this ranking. How are the sitelines? Is the arena easy to get to and park at? Does the arena offer anything special on the inside?
2) Atmosphere – What is the arena like when the game is going on? Is it more of a college or a pro atmosphere?
3) Crowd – How into the game is the crowd? Do students typically attend the games?
Like I said last week in relation to what makes a roadtrip town the best, it’s largely a personal thing. Some people may base the in-arena experience largely on the crowd and how into they game they are. Others may want a nice and modern arena and don’t care as much about the crowd.
I’ve been to each WCHA arena at least once, and have been to most of the arenas multiple times, so I feel that makes me fairly capable of putting this list together with a decent amount of knowledge.
Starting today and continuing through the next nine Wednesdays, I’ll countdown my personal list, starting today with No. 10: Sullivan Arena, which is located in Anchorage, AK and is of course home to the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
Arena
One immediate red flag for me about Sullivan Arena is that it’s a multi-purpose facility. That generally means that the sitelines for a hockey game have potentially been sacrificed to accommodate for other events. But, because it’s fairly easy to get tickets to a Seawolves game and thus you can move around to find a decent spot to sit, this isn’t a huge issue in this case.
The Seawolves share Sullivan Arena with the city of Anchorage, and the arena is located in downtown Anchorage and not on campus. There is ample parking on both the south and west sides of the arena, so finding a place to park isn’t an issue. Because Anchorage is a decent-sized city, there are many hotel offerings in and around the downtown area. However, there aren’t many that are within walking distance of the arena, so the available parking comes in handy.
What really hurts this arena is the inside. Because of the sparse attendance, there are lots of empty yellow and orange seats littered throughout the crowd. The food options are okay, but I was personally disappointed that they had a very small souvenir stand with very few options. I like to purchase a puck at each arena I visit, and was unable to accomplish this feat in Anchorage. The campus bookstore does have some good souvenir options, though.
The university is moving forward with plans for a new sports complex that’s slated to include a new rink for the Seawolves, and that would certainly help out the Anchorage program.
Atmosphere
Sullivan Arena really suffers here as well. Because the team has generally been one of the bottom-feeders in the WCHA over the past several years, the crowds for games are usually pretty sparse, especially when you consider that the arena holds over 6,000 people for hockey games, which is a pretty high number.
Plus, like I said, the arena is a multi-purpose facility; there isn’t that “great college atmosphere” that can help carry some smaller programs in various NCAA sports. Having a great college atmosphere, even on a small scale, can do wonders for the in-arena experience.
Crowd
There are a handful of diehard Seawolves fans that certainly make their voices (and cowbells) heard throughout the evening and are 100 percent behind their team. However, if the team gets behind, which they often do, the arena can get quiet pretty quickly. Student attendance at the games I’ve been was nothing to write home about.
I found that the locals are very friendly to opposing team fans that make the trip to Anchorage. The city residents as a whole take a great deal of pride in what they have up there, and the same holds true at Seawolves games. I was graciously invited into the blueline club area and met many great fans that were a blast to talk to. If you make the trip up to Anchorage, I suggest you poke your head in and say ‘hi.’ You may even get in on some of that Wendy’s chili.
This week, I’m going to start my list of which WCHA arenas are the best in my mind. What makes a college hockey arena good or bad? Here, in alphabetical order, are my criteria:
1) Arena – Obviously the arena itself is important when it comes to this ranking. How are the sitelines? Is the arena easy to get to and park at? Does the arena offer anything special on the inside?
2) Atmosphere – What is the arena like when the game is going on? Is it more of a college or a pro atmosphere?
3) Crowd – How into the game is the crowd? Do students typically attend the games?
Like I said last week in relation to what makes a roadtrip town the best, it’s largely a personal thing. Some people may base the in-arena experience largely on the crowd and how into they game they are. Others may want a nice and modern arena and don’t care as much about the crowd.
I’ve been to each WCHA arena at least once, and have been to most of the arenas multiple times, so I feel that makes me fairly capable of putting this list together with a decent amount of knowledge.
Starting today and continuing through the next nine Wednesdays, I’ll countdown my personal list, starting today with No. 10: Sullivan Arena, which is located in Anchorage, AK and is of course home to the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.
Arena
One immediate red flag for me about Sullivan Arena is that it’s a multi-purpose facility. That generally means that the sitelines for a hockey game have potentially been sacrificed to accommodate for other events. But, because it’s fairly easy to get tickets to a Seawolves game and thus you can move around to find a decent spot to sit, this isn’t a huge issue in this case.
The Seawolves share Sullivan Arena with the city of Anchorage, and the arena is located in downtown Anchorage and not on campus. There is ample parking on both the south and west sides of the arena, so finding a place to park isn’t an issue. Because Anchorage is a decent-sized city, there are many hotel offerings in and around the downtown area. However, there aren’t many that are within walking distance of the arena, so the available parking comes in handy.
What really hurts this arena is the inside. Because of the sparse attendance, there are lots of empty yellow and orange seats littered throughout the crowd. The food options are okay, but I was personally disappointed that they had a very small souvenir stand with very few options. I like to purchase a puck at each arena I visit, and was unable to accomplish this feat in Anchorage. The campus bookstore does have some good souvenir options, though.
The university is moving forward with plans for a new sports complex that’s slated to include a new rink for the Seawolves, and that would certainly help out the Anchorage program.
Atmosphere
Sullivan Arena really suffers here as well. Because the team has generally been one of the bottom-feeders in the WCHA over the past several years, the crowds for games are usually pretty sparse, especially when you consider that the arena holds over 6,000 people for hockey games, which is a pretty high number.
Plus, like I said, the arena is a multi-purpose facility; there isn’t that “great college atmosphere” that can help carry some smaller programs in various NCAA sports. Having a great college atmosphere, even on a small scale, can do wonders for the in-arena experience.
Crowd
There are a handful of diehard Seawolves fans that certainly make their voices (and cowbells) heard throughout the evening and are 100 percent behind their team. However, if the team gets behind, which they often do, the arena can get quiet pretty quickly. Student attendance at the games I’ve been was nothing to write home about.
I found that the locals are very friendly to opposing team fans that make the trip to Anchorage. The city residents as a whole take a great deal of pride in what they have up there, and the same holds true at Seawolves games. I was graciously invited into the blueline club area and met many great fans that were a blast to talk to. If you make the trip up to Anchorage, I suggest you poke your head in and say ‘hi.’ You may even get in on some of that Wendy’s chili.
Summary
Overall, the Sullivan Arena is certainly not on par with some of the other arenas in the WCHA. That being said, it’s one of the lone downsides of the Anchorage trip. Hopefully the university’s quest for a new facility will come to fruition.
Overall Grade: C-
Overall Grade: C-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
