Some observations of Anchorage...

So... I've been here a little over a week now, and have some observations I thought I'd share.

First off, there has been a list of things that I'm excited they have here, some things I miss and the best are things they don't have other places I've lived... so let's see...

Things they DO have
-Houses, not igloos
-Costco
-Dominicks (grocery store), except they call it Carrs

Things they DON'T have
-Professional sports (unless you count a minor league hockey team... go Aces!)
-Paved roads.  Ok, most of them are paved, but it's not uncommon for a road to turn into gravel into sections.
-DSW :(
-Chick-fil-a
-Panera/Cornery Bakery/Atlanta Bread Company.  And I haven't really found a comparable place either...

Unique things to Anchorage, as compared to other places I've lived
-Tiny little coffee shacks in gravel parking lots you drive through
-Permanent Fund Dividend, although it will be some time until I see the benefits of that
-They appreciate the oil industry, for the most part (see above reference to the PFD)
-Mountains
-Fish, fish and more fish (other places have fish, but this is on a different level)
-Aggressive moose that attack/chase people in the city.  I learned about that on tonight's news. http://www.adn.com/2011/05/18/1869840/angry-moose-injures-girl-and-her.html

A couple of other things I've noticed that I thought worth sharing...
-Most of the trucks/cars are old and beat-up and dirty.  To be expected I guess.
-Alaskans are proud of Alaska and give Texans a run for their money on their attitude in respect to their state pride
-A penchant for decorating buildings and/or houses with silhouettes of moose, caribou, bears and other wildlife.
-Being three and four hours behind Central and Eastern time zones makes keeping up with people akward :(  But with a little effort it will be just fine!
-The long hours of daylight really do make you feel like you do not need as much sleep. 
-People move veeerrryyyy SLOWLY.  Now I'm not one to have any issue with people wanting to talk and chat and take their time etc. etc.  (I am southern) but 10 minutes to get a cup of coffee... just coffee... is a little out of my patience range... and McDonalds is not fast food anymore, it is just food.  :)

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings of observations... I'll possibly have more to update at some point.