My adventure in Alaska didn't come without a price. Here are the top 10 things about living here that I didn't like:
1. Rain
When I first arrived in Juneau in February 2011, it was all sun and blue skies. It eventually started raining here and there, and after August 2011, it didn't stop raining. I'm not kidding. I think it rained every day in August that year, most of the days Sep-Nov. It rained all of December 2011, and most of January 2012. It wasn't a good Spring in 2012 and the summer sucked as well. It wasn't until later in the summer this year and the fall when we started seeing more clear skies. By then though, summer was over. There's lots to do outdoors here, but a rain literally puts a damper on your plans. I've gotten used to walking Millie in the rain, but it doesn't really encourage you to get out and do long hikes. Not to mention it's depressing....
2. Ice
This is Alaska so naturally you get a lot of snow and cold weather. The climate in Juneau is fairly temperate for Alaska though, so there are warm days that melt the snow, and when it gets cold again, it all turns to ice. The roads and sidewalks often turn into one big skating rink. While I'm fortunate that I have a short walk to work, it's not easy walking to work on ice. Wearing snow trax is recommended for bad days. Oh, and if it's not ice, it's a big slush of snow and runoff so wellies are handy here too.
3. Housing Situation
Everything is expensive in Alaska, and housing especially so in Juneau. For a dog friendly town, it is especially difficult to find a place to rent if you have a dog. I got lucky that I found a 3BR/2BA place with a fenced yard close to work, but it wasn't without a price. Rent was an arm and a leg, and it was an old house with several problems. It's drafty so oil bill this winter is so far running quite high too.
4. Isolation
There are no roads going in and out of Juneau so you're only way in or out is by ferry or air. The only connecting airports you can get to from Juneau is Seattle and Anchorage, and you can get there only on Alaska Air. While Alaska Air is a nice airline, it's not cheap to get out. A flight to Seattle will run you about $600 unless you find a deal (they do have 'em often). The good news is you can rack up miles easily since getting anywhere is a long flight.
5. Lack of Social Life
I found it really difficult to make friends in Juneau. My next door neighbor hosts a ladies night every month, but after two months of hearing these ladies talk about nothing but their kids, I got tired of going to them. Two of the three people I hung out with the most I met on the ferry coming here. The third I met at work. This isn't to say I didn't have opportunities to get out and do more or make new friends, but it's definitely been slow going, and it was harder for me to want to get out and about in crappy weather.
6. Lack of Dining Options
It seems every other restaurant here is a Chinese restaurant. There's no real Japanese restaurant and the only fast food choices in town is 1 McDonald's and 2 Subways. I don't like Subways. There's couple of Mexican places, a popular Thai place, couple of seafood places, and some others. After a while you get sick of eating the same food all the time.
7. Mud
Since it rains so much in Juneau, the trails here are often muddy. Waterproof hiking boots are a must, and some even hike in Extra Tufs (Alaskan wellies). I need my ankle and arch support so I stuck with boots, but it was definitely hard and not fun trying to navigate around deep muddy areas that were common on the trails.
8. Cold Temperatures
Duh... you live in Alaska so it's going to be cold. Well, what I didn't expect was for my house to be so darn cold. With thermostat set to 64 on average and the temperature in the house actually hovering a bit lower than that, the cold gets old. I usually feel warmer when I'm outdoors bundled up and walking the dog. Yeah, cranking up the thermostat helps, as does a space heater. But did I mention what my oil bill was last month?
9. Berms
I have street parking and whenever it snows I have to dig my car out. That wouldn't be so bad on its own but when the snow plows come through, they often leave a berm of snow right up against the cars parked on the street. It's a good work out, but I'm just not cut out for it and often end up with back pain :(
10. Wild Animals
I love hiking, but it's not so nice having to hike while worrying about whether there's going to be a bear around the next corner. Bears are often seen running down the street in my neighborhood too. Then there are the porcupines Millie have had a few encounters with. And the wolves... I hear they are making a come back up near the Salmon Creek Reservoir.
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