A mix of the familiar and the unusual, the metropolitan and the rustic, Anchorage is a place where it is not uncommon to see moose walking through the parking lot of a downtown skyscraper, or to find yourself stuck in traffic as dogs fill the road as they begin the Iditarod sled dog race.

Government Hill

The oldest district and the northernmost part of Anchorage, Government Hill was one of many places to feel the destruction of the 1964 earthquake. When 400 feet of its bluff collapsed, it destroyed a school and dropped the railroad yard and shipyard by 30 feet. Only partially rebuilt, its shipyard has six fuel ports, which handle approximately 15 million barrels of petroleum each year. The Alaska Railroad Depot operates daily with freight and passenger service.

Ship Creek

Ship Creek was selected as the original tenting site of the pioneers who arrived in the area to build the railroad in 1914 and 1915. They first filled the area located nearby, the Ship Creek Viewing Platform, then spread north up to Government Hill.

Visitors who come during summer can experience the fun of amusement rides, car races and the Anchorage Weekend Market & Festival. Ship Creek is also a great place to be when the salmon are spawning, and it provides excellent salmon fishing, as approximately 9,000 king salmon spawn here yearly. The large parking lots used by fishermen in summer play host to the ice sculpting contests held during February's Anchorage Fur Rendezvous.

Downtown

An area teeming with activity and filled with high-rise buildings, businesses, restaurants and hotels, Downtown allows you to experience both the historic and the modern within the space of several blocks. From the small log cabin that houses the ACVB Log Cabin Visitor Information Center, you will find yourself in view of such hotels as the landmark Captain Cook Hotel, the Anchorage Marriott and the Hilton Anchorage. Several blocks away are glass-walled skyscrapers housing offices for multi-billion-dollar oil companies and other businesses. Nearby, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts offers local and international opera, theater, dance, chorus and symphony performances. From that building's second floor, take the Fifth Avenue skywalk to overlook the town square as you walk toward the Egan Convention Center. Here also is the Anchorage Fifth Avenue Mall. Finally, don't miss Captain Cook's Resolution Park platform at the Inlet's edge. With the telescope available, you can close the 120-mile gap between yourself and Mt. McKinley and see why this 20,320-foot mountain is referred to as the "Great One."

Midtown

In this "practical district," you will find schools, gas stations and grocery stores spread across an alluvial plane. You can find any type of food here—from Greek and Italian to Chinese and Japanese—as well as a selection of busy nightclubs. Shopping choices here include the Recreational Equipment Inc. (R.E.I.) outdoor store, Barnes & Noble Bookstore and more. Meanwhile, such establishments as the Hampton Inn and SpringHill Suites Anchorage Midtown welcome guests to the area.

Spenard District—Central, West

Considered the "red light district" in the 1970s and 80s due to the heavy presence of massage parlors and escort services, this area has since witnessed a revitalization program that has cleaned up the area and brought in many new businesses. The closest thing to "bohemia" in Anchorage, this district is home to new cafes and juice bars such as the Organic Oasis. Some of the older Anchorage flavors remain, such as Chilkoot Charlie's, with its dirt floor and stump seating, and Fly by Night Club, which hosts musical and comedy acts. An old-time local favorite is Gwennie's Old Alaskan Restaurant, an Alaskan-style restaurant. New hotels such as the Holiday Inn Express and older ones such as the Millennium Alaskan Hotel Anchorage and the Barratt Inn conveniently serve visitors staying in the airport area.

South District

This trail-filled district begins at Dimond Boulevard, home to the Dimond Center and its more than 200 shops. The Siam Cuisine restaurant and the Southside Bistro provide the area with a couple of first-class, yet still casual, dining options. Pockets of business dot the residential areas, which are made up of wide yards and quiet streets. Campbell Creek Greenbelt winds its way through the South and Midtown districts, beginning at Dimond Boulevard and stretching three miles to the east, meanwhile passing by salmon-spawning streams and several small lakes. A number of residential areas circle bodies of water such as Campbell Lake, which is also a floatplane runway; many residents park their floatplanes in their "backyards" here.

Also in this district, on the far west end, is Kincaid Park. This locale is home to the Blues on the Green Festival, and it also hosts many other special events and races on its 40 square miles of beautiful, wild, moose-filled woods. You can access Kincaid Park> by traveling from the downtown Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to its southernmost point, which ends at Kincaid Park.

University District—Central

Tucked between Midtown and Muldoon, this district is partly composed of the private Alaska Pacific University. It is spread over an expanse of nearly one square mile, which is home to two small lakes and a multitude of walking and biking trails. On these casual campuses, professors are nearly always referred to by their first names, while students sometimes cross-country ski to class. Many sky bridges and buildings are joined by hallways in order to help students escape the elements. The UAA campus is home to the popular UAA Seawolves hockey team, which recruits both international and local players onto its roster.

East—Northeast

This blue-collar neighborhood contains the Alaska Native Heritage Center, the Alaska Botanical Garden and the attention-grabbing Saint Innocent Orthodox Cathedral, with its 12 onion-shaped domes. You will also find restaurants such as the vegetarian-friendly Thai Kitchen. Beyond this area, which acts as the northeastern boundary of Anchorage, lie the Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Air Force Bases as well as the city of Eagle River.