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Tags: Alaska Hotel Guide / Ketchikan Hotels / B and Bs / → All Tags

It Ain't the Big Apple, But The New York Hotel is a Cozy Bet

Where: 207 Stedman Street [map], Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, 99901

Hey, Alaska travelers – especially those not yet eligible for AARP! Guess what? You don’t have to subject yourself to big cruise ships packed with thousands of passengers to experience the islands of Southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage. (Although if en masse modes of transport are your thing, that’s a-okay by us.)

Independent travelers with wanderlust and time to spare hop on the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry in Bellingham, Washington for a scenic 38-hour ride to Ketchikan. Don’t panic – there’s a bar onboard, as well as cabins for your sleeping pleasure. Or you can start your nautical itinerary from a handful of other islands within Southeast Alaska. Alaska Airlines also operates flights between the major destinations.

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Tags: Alaska Hotel Guide / Juneau Hotels / B and Bs / → All Tags

Best Digs in Downtown Juneau: Silverbow Inn and Bakery

Where: 120 2nd Street [map], Juneau, Alaska, United States, 99801

Silverbow Inn and Bakery co-owner and former New Yorker, Jill Ramiel, had us at hand-boiled bagels. There has been a bakery on this historic site since the 1890’s, and Ramiel’s bakery is a bit of a social fixture in the small community, being the first to offer free Wi-Fi.

Jill and her hubby also offer regular indie flicks on a big projector screen, rotating art exhibits, and the most divine cookies, brownies, and yes, bagels. Don’t miss the snickerdoodles, toasted toasted almond bagels with apple butter and Alaskan Beer bread.

The bakery also stays open late serving beer, wine and light fare, offering a civilized alternative to the countless beer-and-a-shot dive bars that dot downtown Juneau.

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