Skagway Hotel in Alaska Cruise Town, United States.
You can drive to Skagway, but it’s much funner to take the White Pass & Yukon Route train from Carcross, YK or Fraser, BC on one of the Skagway, Alaska tours. After almost two-hours of watching the pretty scenery go by, I arrived in cruise ship mecca of Skagway. Unfortunately, thousands of cruise ship passengers had the same idea.
You can’t get around it, though. The town is made up for the show of its life, with mostly original buildings refurbished to elicit the gold rush era. That’s the good part- the streets are very picturesque and the false fronts make you think you’re back at the turn of the century.
The bad part is that they’re all filled with gift shops, jewellery shops and any other kind of shops where you can buy things. Most are not owned by locals, as foreign investors come in for the summer season to cash in and then board up their doors and leave the town.
Starfire Thai Restaurant in Skagway, Alaska.
There’s also the foot traffic, taking over the sidewalks with plastic bags and shopping purchases. It was all just a little much for me.
On the bright side, Jim suggested a Thai restaurant that he’d been to last year and we finally found it down a side street: Starfire (4th Avenue between Broadway and Spring, 907-983-3663).
Their menu, filled with curries and Thai dishes, looked so much better than the others in town. The staff were super friendly and quirky, and the food was delicious. I ordered the curry special, which was yellow curry that day with tofu and a hotchpotch of vegetables, served on a heaping scoop of rice. I ate every morsel and was completely, happily stuffed.
What I Liked:
- The buildings aren’t all made up from modern designs, most are actually authentic.
- Just know before you go that it’s a tourist town, made for shoppers, and you’ll be fine.
- Definitely eat at Starfire, as it’s genuine (and ultra casual) hospitality and rockin’ food are made for a good meal.
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we visited Skagway in July 2009 and I found but did not purchase an Eskimo doll made by the store owner. The doll was named Denali, I think and scented with baby powder. She was not porcelain. I’d like to order the doll on line. Can you help me find the store?
Hmmm, do you remember the owner’s name or store name? Denali is a pretty common name (it’s a national park), so that probably won’t help. Perhaps this list of galleries in Skagway will jog your memory? http://www.skagway.com/shops.html#9