South-central Alaska Day 1 (Friday June 11, 2021) - Travel from LAX to ANC

This was our first flight since Jan 1, 2020. We arrived back in the US from Shanghai China on Jan 1, 2020 and the rest is history. Joanne and I were already fully vaccinated and the kids had taken their second Pfizer shot a week before. With the pandemic situation in California and Alaska on the downtrend, we moved ahead with our trip. 

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:00 am so we made it to LAX early that day. 

LAX Terminal 6, 4:25 am

We had a short lay over in Seattle before boarding our second leg to Anchorage. Both LAX and SEA were quite busy since domestic travel has picked up quite a bit due to the lowering covid trend in the US. 

We had one check in (our red 80L duffle bag with our hiking and rain gear) and we each carried our carry-ons for our day-to-day items. 

Pre-dawn at LAX, our flight being prepped

Boarded our flight

Flying the 737-800/900, not the MAX

The plane is packed to 100% capacity

Reaching cruising altitude, snacks and drinks were served with reminder

Shortly before landing at SEA

Reached Seattle and taking the people-mover to our flight terminal

Cannot transit through Seattle without getting a cup of Starbucks

Our flight to ANC being prepped

Boarded our flight 101 from SEA to ANC with drink in hand

Minor delay out of SEA

I saved both the wipe and the snack for later use

Approaching Anchorage with snow-capped mountain and glaciers in view

A super clear June day in Anchorage

First meal in town-McFlurry and Chicken Nuggets

After the hungry people got some food in their system, we picked up our red duffle and our rental car. The airport seems quite empty and there was a rapid covid test station right next to the luggage claim. There is no covid test requirement for Alaska so we opted out for any testing. 

We have entered the great state of Alaska

Seaplane decor atop a restaurant and ...

world record halibut on display

After picking up our rental car (a red Toyota RAV4 XLE), we located our AirB&B accommodation in mid-town Anchorage approximately 10 minutes away from the airport. It's a three story condo located on Dorbrandt St and W 36th Ave. The unit we rented was located at the bottom floor. 

Driving out of the airport, the roads seemed quite empty to us

Our mid-town accommodation

The twin bedroom

The queen bed

After settling in, we made our way to the mid-town New Sagaya Market to check things out. We did not purchase anything there and then we made our way to Target (the one located on Muldoon Rd ) to purchase some supplies for the next few nights. We made our way back from Target and had dinner at Pho Lena, a local Vietnamese/Laotian restaurant within a few blocks of our accommodation. After dinner, we did laundry and kids stayed up to watch Marvel movies. I fell asleep quite early despite the persistent day light outside. 

Fresh catch at the mid-town Sagaya Market

Locally sourced salmon

A full-bowl of pho to end the night

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