I've been to Alaska a few times now, every time just as beautiful as the last. Hopping around to little towns like Sitka, Haines, Petersburg and more! Visiting Alaska during the summer is spectacular and a must-see. I saw an iceberg for the first time as well as Orca. Whales became a daily sighting and otters every other week, it seemed. Here are some of the beautiful sights I saw in Alaska:
THE HOTEL
- The Alaskan Hotel -
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This was the first hotel I stayed at in 2018. The hotel was haunted. I repeat the hotel was haunted. In the middle of a quaint little downtown area in Juneau, AK there is a bar and hotel called The Alaskan. When you walk in you are greeted by the front desk clerk next to a very large, red-carpeted, staircase. ~Creepy ~ but let's continue. Checking in at 5 PM in Alaska there is still plenty of daylight since most sunsets in Alaska occur as late as 10:30 PM! So just to give you perspective, it felt like the middle of the day. But, already I have an eerie feeling in the silent lobby. I get my room key, room 306, a small little corner room on the third floor. I would like to mention I had no idea the hotel I was staying in was haunted. So, I walk up the creaky stairs to see large portraits and mirrors on the walls of the hotel. Why was this so creepy? I don't know, but it was. Getting into my room was very difficult! Although the key and lock looked newly replaced, I kept having difficulty trying to get the key to turn! Silence throughout the hotel, so I am sure you can hear me struggling to open this hotel door. To make matters worse I keep getting the feeling someone is standing behind me, directly behind me. Every single time I turn around, no one would be standing there. I hear footsteps coming up the staircase. FINALLY, I think to myself, the clerk upfront must be coming up to help me get into the room. I turn around to look at the staircase...no one is there. Looking to see if anyone was around to help me, I walk to the staircase and look upstairs, no one. I go down to the lobby again to see if anyone was down there, no one. So I go up to the lobby clerk and say I'm having a hard time getting into my room, he comes up to help me and on the way, I ask, "did you come up the stairs a few minutes ago? I could have sworn I heard someone coming up the stairs." He gives me a look and says, "Nope I haven't left my desk since you checked in." Cool. I finally get into the room and decide, something feels off, so I put on my detective hat. Pulled up Google and went to work. This is what I find:
Along with features on TV shows, like this one on the Travel Channel about Haunted Rooms. Let the sweating begin. After reading the different horror stories that were experienced in the hotel. Here's the basic, short version of what has happened:
Back when the Gold Rush was big, this historic hotel was the destination for Miners. So, this couple stayed at the hotel and the minor, had to leave for work. He ended up being gone longer than the woman anticipated and she now needed money to eat - so, she became a lady of the night (prostitute). He returned and was very distraught over finding out that his wife was now a prostitute so...he...murdered her in the room... People have said that they have seen a woman walking up and down the stairs from the 2nd to 3rd floors (and remember all those mirrors, yeah people see her in those too) Housekeeping has also reported that room 219 being the coldest room in the hotel and that their towels have been moved on the bed multiple times when they are cleaning up rooms. This is just one of the few stories that has happened in this 113 year old hotel!
I shut my laptop, "Well, sh*t :)"
I wouldn't say I fully believe in ghosts but sometimes things that can't be explained happen and the 45 minutes I had spent in this hotel so far had quite a few odd instances. I wasn't sure if I was going to lock myself in this room until checkout (because ghosts can't get through locked doors right?) or find a new hotel, in this TINY town. So I go downstairs and ask the clerk, "Hey, So... is this hotel Haunted? Asking for a friend." He replied hesitantly, "Ya, I mean yeah it is haha" HAHA?! I didn't know what to say so obviously, "Oh dope" is a great response. I return to my room, following through with plan B: lock yourself in your room if the ghosts can't see me I won't see them. Right? WRONG. While I was asleep. Great start right?
I was abruptly woken up around 3 something AM. I am truly the deepest sleeper I know so, I don't know what JOLTED ME out of my sleep but I felt like I was in a dream. Unfortunately, I wasn't.
Quickly, I realized I was covered in sweat (and no not from earlier) within a few moments the phone started ringing. THE HOTEL PHONE, WHERE NO ONE HAS ANY REASON TO CALL ME AT 3 something AM. THE HOTEL PHONE, WHEN NO ONE KNOWS I AM STAYING HERE THE HOTEL PHONE THAT NO ONE USES BECAUSE it's 2019 AND WE HAVE CELL PHONE THE HOTEL PHONE, IS RINGING, LOUDLY. I panic... I answer the phone and there is just loud static on the other side. Great. Panicking more. My very own horror movie. Fantastic. I hung up the phone and called, on my cellphone, my friend because there was no way I was going back to sleep. I also put a chair under the doorknob because I was convinced this would stop the ghosts. Surprise *insert IPhone gentle effect* I make it to the next morning. So yeah, that was my experience at the Alaskan Hotel. This year in Alaska I will not be staying at the Alaskan. If ghost hunting is your thing or you like a good little scare, this might be for you! For the super dare-devils try staying in the room with the most reported activity, ROOM 219
PLACES TO SEE & EAT
So there were not a lot of places to eat in the little town. I found a cute little Mexican restaurant next to the hotel. Unfortunately, I can't find the website or even the name online. But it's the only Mexican restaurant next to the Alaskan Hotel. Another place I enjoy is called T.K Maguire's it's in a hotel - but has a great view of the docks and good food.
to see what I did while I was here.
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Trip from LAX to JUNEAU, ALASKA
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