Our first port stop for the cruise was Juneau, AK and it was today. But we also weren’t docking until 2:30 pm and were able to have a leisurely morning and early afternoon, soaking up the scenery in the quiet environments of our balcony and the thermal suite.
We had no specific plans or excursions booked for our time in Juneau, only a rough expectation of wandering through the city and likely checking out their breweries. As we pulled into port I could see how much smaller it felt than its title of State Capital might suggest. Although perhaps exactly the size you would expect knowing that it is the only US capital city that can only be accessed via air or sea.
NCL’s dock in Juneau is about a mile from the center, but we skipped the free shuttle (and the line) and opted to just walk in. The weather was overcast but pleasant.
We walked fairly quickly through the first shopping area we encountered, just off the closer cruise ship docks, that was hyper-touristy. Why are people traveling so far to just buy tshirts and plastic crap made in China?
We did enjoy taking a picture with this sign tho.
We pushed through to what felt just a bit more local (although still obviously surrounded by shops for tourists), and grabbed a coffee at Heritage. We sat in the window for people watching and overheard the barista telling another tourist which shops in town offered authentic indigenous art pieces. She specifically named Mt. Juneau Trading Post as a place that sold pieces made by her family member. That was our next stop, and it was a nice place to browse and enjoy the art. Luckily they had some portable items in my price range for me to pick up… stickers. <face palm>
Juneau also had some gorgeous public art pieces that I really, really loved. Public art is EVERYTHING.
And then on to the important work of the day… three breweries and a food truck court.
Devil’s Club Brewing was our mid-sized visit of the day. A nice variety of styles, and a good mix of locals and tourists inside. Hot tip: upstairs vibe was better (at least the day we were there).
Barnaby Brewing was our small-sized visit of the day, with that somewhat minimalist, industrial feel that a lot of new brewery spaces have. The beer here was my fave of the day, and not just because they had an adorable, friendly cat wandering around. Fun fact: apparently it’s really easy to break Alaska State Law, especially if you were hypothetically going to be visiting three breweries in one day.
UGH… THEY’RE PERMANENTLY CLOSED NOW! BUMMER!
And of course we hit up the ginormous Alaskan Brewing Public House with a big souvenir shop attached. I was part of the problem and bought stickers. Beers were about as good as these big places typically are. I am quite pleased that they haven’t sold out to Budweiser yet though, and Google tells me that as of 2016 they were the 19th largest craft brewery in the world. And their own website tells me that they’re “the 67th independent brewery in the country and the first brewery in Juneau since Prohibition.” That’s pretty cool!
There was a collection of food trucks in (behind?) a place labeled on Google Maps as Gunakadeit Park that looked great. Several options with covered outdoor seating. Definitely a lot of locals there. I indulged in a salmon crepe, and Scott was a monster and had a hotdog made out of Rudolph.
With full bellies and exacerbated liver damage we managed to avoid arrest and walked the mile back to the boat. And we went ahead and grabbed another photo next to the city sign along the way. Because why not? We are freaking adorable.
Once onboard, we were able to catch some end of the evening time in the super quiet thermal suite before heading to our comfy bed.
Until next time Juneau… I enjoyed our time together very much. And you’re right, gray really is the best color.
Kjar-ied Away 