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• Ketchikan, AK
• Trafalgar Square in London

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• British Midland Lowers Intra-Europe Fares
• Get A Free Wienerschnitzel Chili Dog On July 3

WHERE'S JOHNNY JET ?
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What a vacation we had!  When my best friend from college, Kevin Morris, invited us to Alaska this summer and I wasn't going to turn him down.  I always dreamed of going to Alaska for Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year , so that's just what we did.  Before leaving, I contacted our good buddy over at the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Travel Gram ; Scott McMurren.  I asked him what should be on our agenda and he told me if we wanted to do a lot of sightseeing and tourist stuff that we should get The Tour Saver book which is "The Ultimate Alaska Travel Coupon Book."  He was right.  I'm glad we got it because there were some incredible 2 for 1 deals and other tremendous savings.  

HERE ARE SOME QUICK FACTS ON ANCHORAGE:
Did you know Anchorage is as far north as Helsinki, Finland and as far west as Honolulu?  Neither did I.
The population is approximately 261,000 which is 42% of the state's total pop.  
It's on AST (Alaska Standard Time) which is 1 hour behind PST and 4 hours back from EST.

OUR TRIP:
We flew from SLC and arrived in ANC (Airport codes for Salt Lake City and Anchorage) at 9pm.  Flying in was one of, if not the most incredible flying experience I have ever had.  To see the snow capped mountains in the middle of June was surreal.   Kevin and his wife, Lisa, were amazing hosts.  Can you believe Kevin and his brother-in-law built this incredible 4,000sq. foot home by themselves?  There's nothing like going away on vacation and staying in a sweet home with cool people rather than staying in a hotel.  Besides, you feel more like a local than a tourist.

I always heard about how it doesn't get dark in AK during the summer, but I couldn't imagine it so I wanted to experience it first-hand.  They were right!  This picture was taken at 11:30pm and look how high the sun still is!  11:30pm felt more like 5:30pm in California.  My advice to you is to bring eye blinders if you want to get a good night's sleep because this picture was taken at 2 am which was the darkest it got, and that dusk only lasted two hours.  It definitely threw off my internal clock, but now that I'm home I miss it.  There really was something magical about having daylight for so long.

After getting a few hours of sleep the first night, we all went down to the Millenium Hotel to have one of the city's best breakfasts.  We ate with Scott McMurren and his two boys right next to Lake Spenard/Hood which is the World's Largest Float Plane airport.  This is when Amber Airplane got the bright idea of taking one of these things around for a spin (More on that later).

We spent most of the day (Wednesday) relaxing around the house, catching up, sharing memories, and checking out some of the local sites.  Kevin took us up to Flat Top Mountain which is one of the most popular hikes in Anchorage.  It's 1.5 miles and sometimes steep, and the trail has a panoramic view of Anchorage.  But, as I said earlier, this was our relaxing day so we just went to the base to see the incredible views, besides I ate way too much for breakfast to do any hiking.
 
Thursday Morning is when all the adventures began.  The four of us jumped in their car and took a drive down one of my favorite scenic highways in the world. Driving in between the Chugach Mountains on the Seward Highway is breath taking.  It's named after the old Secretary of State, William Seward, who negotiated the sale of Alaska in 1867 from Russia for 7.2 million dollars or two cents an acre.  (I was a history major so that's how I know this, plus this little Anchorage Guidebook in front of me didn't hurt :-)

We drove to Whittier and the only way to get there is by train or the new Whittier tunnel , which is only functional in one direction.  On the hour the tunnel goes north and at the half hour it goes south, so plan accordingly .  It costs $12 for the round trip toll and it's 2.5 miles long which is why it's North America's longest highway tunnel.  Whittier is a tiny port town (300 people) and is the starting point to the 15,000sq. mile Prince William Sound.  There is a mix of tidewater glaciers, rainforests , and towering mountains.  Day cruises and kayaks are the most popular ways to see seals, sea lions, whales, and eagles.  We saw lot's bald-headed eagles and a sea lion.  We took a 3-hour Kayak tour (we could've done a 5-hour or even a multi-day tour) from Alaska Outdoor Adventures .  The cost was $84/person and was well worth it.  Believe me, we were nervous about going because the water temperature was a chilling 38 degrees and we knew that if we fell in we had about 8 minutes to get back into the kayak before we expired.  You should've seen Amber Airplane's face when they told us that.

Amy our guide assured us that the kayaks were very sturdy and the only way we were falling in is if we screwed around.  We walked down to what they call Waikiki Beach (does it look like Waikiki to you?) to get into our sea kayaks .  The water in the Prince William Sound was as smooth as ice and yes it felt like it too!  It was an incredible experience that I am sure I will never forget and I encourage all of you to do the same.  There were people of all ages in our group so you don't have to be young or incredibly fit (not that I am).  The highlight was seeing these amazing waterfalls , pouring down from the glaciers.  One waterfall had about 5,000 seagulls flying around, but that didn't smell too hot and I swear these birds thought they were fighter planes dropping bombs, we were weaving in and out while  AA was screaming. 

When our light workout was over, we jumped back in the car and drove a few miles north to check out the glaciers.  If you're driving from Anchorage it's only 50 miles south to Portage Glacier and the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center (907/783-2326) and is one of the State's most popular attractions.   You can get close up to the sometimes-mammoth icebergs and feel their presence.  BTW: Did you know Alaska has approximately 100,000 glaciers? 

From there we drove 10 miles north to Kevin's cabin in Girdwood.  Girdwoord is known for being a ski resort and summer vacation spot.  The main attraction is the Mt. Alyeska Ski Resort (PHONE: 907/754-1111; 800/880-3880), which is the largest ski area in Alaska.  It's also home to the Westin Alyeska Prince Hotel which is located at the base of the mountain.  Even if you don't stay there it's a good place to eat lunch, shop for gifts, or workout and swim in their pool ($10 for a day pass).  

That night we went to the coolest movie theatre I have ever been to, it's called the Bear Tooth and is located in Anchorage. There you can order food and they will serve it to you while you watch the movie.  It's awesome.  Another great place to eat is the Moose's Tooth .  They run Anchorage's most popular pizza restaurant and you can get almost any kind of pie you can think of.  While we're on the subject of food, Kevin told me we had to get (according to Time Magazine) one of the top 10 hot dogs the the U.S. You can get it right downtown at a little Reindeer Hot Dog stand.  Don't go sending me any nasty emails because I didn't get the reindeer dog, I had the chicken dog.

If you want some night life go to one of the most popular bars in America, called Chilkoot Charlie .  It's huge and has all kinds of dance rooms and a diverse group of people. They range from cowboys to heavy metal freaks.  It's also known as a rough bar, so if someone put's an elbow into you, say your're sorry or plan on defending yourself.  It just so happened that the night we went was a private party, and my buddy Kevin knew the doorman so he let us in.  Do you know what kind of party it was?  Penthouse Pets, yeeeee Haaaaaaa!  (Just kidding, Amber, I hated every minute of it.)

Another must-do is going to 'The Fly By Night Club' and seeing the Whale Fat Follies .  Cost is $13-$18, we went standby and got the worst table in the house but it was free!  Although the food was fair the show was great.  Mr. Whitekey is the host and he talks about how everyone comes up to Alaska in the summer, and invade their friends or family's house and turn into the "House Guests From Hell".  (I just realized....Kevin , did you take us there to insinuate something???)  According to Mr. Whitekey, whose facts are supposedly accurate: 
Anchorage has the least amount of sun out of all US cities.
The first humans came through Anchorage via the Siberian Land Bridge.
Alaska is #1 in National Parks and
#2 in SPAM consumption (After Hawaii).
Alaskan's hate the singer Jewel because she tells people she's not from there, even though that's where she grew up.
They have the best drinking water in the nation.
And have the most cremations per capita but I can't end these facts on a morbid subject so let's talk about moose 's.
Did you know there are roughly 166,000 moose's in AK?  I can guarantee you didn't know this but people are fascinated with moose poop.  They sell all kinds of souveniers of this stuff in the gift shop so if someone brings you home moose poop earrings, watch out!  It's real poop.  Mr. Whitekey went on to say moose poop 13 times a day and they have about 37 nuggets in each bowel movement.  Don't get too grossed out, it's nothing messy, in fact, I took a picture of some when I went hiking through the woods .  By the way, on our hike we didn't see any bears or polars except stuffed ones in hotel lobbies, gift shops, and in the airport.

If you want a good Martini Bar check out Bernies Bungalo , but I had a hard time hanging out even though it was after midnight because the sun was still shining and I just can't get into bars during the day.

I realize this thing is waaay too long and I'm only halfway through our trip.  Your lunch break is probably coming to an end, so I will end it here but stayed tuned to next week's Johnny Jet so you can read about our Float Plane adventure from hell and.............

MEDIA ALERT
Alaska Travel Gram Radio Show
Scott McMurren, and his side kick Steve Strippler invited Johnny Jet to be their featured guest on their weekly radio program the Alaska Travel Gram. It was an in house appearance at the   KFQD-AM750 studios.  

AIR E-MAIL:
Loved your Alaska story.  It reminded me of the time I was going to give a speech in Anchorage, and the organization that was flying me in was using one of its member's Delta miles.  Delta insisted the only way they could route me from New York was through Atlanta.  I said, "No way -- I am NOT flying to Alaska through Georgia!"  I pointed out that their hubs in Cincinnati and Salt Lake were perfectly capable of getting me where I was going with less fuss.  Eventually they relented, but it should not even have been an issue.  -- Dan W.

Next Week:   ?
 

TIP OF THE WEEK:  
Super Survival Strategies for Life's Trickiest Situations
EARTHQUAKE
If you are indoors: Stay there. Get under a desk or table. Stay away from windows, a fireplace, furniture and appliances. Kitchens are very dangerous.
If you are outside: Get out in the open, away from anything that might fall -- power lines, a chimney, etc.
If you are driving: Stop -- but not on or under a bridge... under an over-pass... or near a tree or light posts. Stay inside your car.
By: David Borgenicht / Joshua Piven Special from Bottom Line/Personal  

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

• Michigan resort town with an artful lure
• New products ease security hassles
• Hilton Head passes the check-up
• Hotels offer deals
• WORLD WATCH
• Art goes political in Madison
• Five park beauties in NW Illinois
• Tramping around Tikal
• Travel agent may help you find that low price
• VOICE OF THE TRAVELER (Letters)
• Ride tall in the saddle in Colorado
• Add fine dining to the attractions of Yosemite
• TV show tapings are cheap travel activities
• City hopes Venice Card will regulate tourism
• Gift books
• TAKING OFF
• VACATIONS FOR SWINGERS
• Illinois: Land of Lincoln and Superman
• Visitors will find room at the park
• Connecticut's castle redux
• Appalachian magic
• Fume-free and rolling
• Room at US national parks

• Ensuring a Photo Finish to That Dream Trip
• Museum Openings Display Antiquities, Glass and Pearls
• Festivals, Feasts & Fairs
• Digging the Scene at an Arizona Ranch
• Sample the Food of the Gods in Oaxaca, Mexico

• A Novice Paddles to Her Heritage
• The Sandpipers of Fundy
• The View From the Castle
• Out of the Way, a Little Hotel Feels Like Home
• Choice Tables: North Carolina Is Cooking, and It's Not Always Barbecue
• What's Doing: In Kansas City
• Essay: A Quest for a Dress in Ecuador
• Practical Traveler: Single Parents' Family Trips
• Correspondent's Report: Exotic Options Tested for Airport Screening
• Travel Advisory: Four Debuts, Both Thrilling and Chilling; A French Hotel for the Nation's Capital
• Q & A: Cycling in Northern Ireland; Apartments in Washington; Digital Cameras and X-Rays
• Letters: Car Rentals; Stourhead Vistas; Airline Seating

• A Climbing America West
• Cabins for Rent in Maryland and Virginia
• You Go, Studs: Chicago Is Terkel's Kinda Town
• COMINGANDGOING
• Point, Shoot and Enter Our Contest
• EXTREME TRAVEL TRIVIA
• Hot Jamaica; To Russia With Love
• House on Keels
• MESSAGE CENTER
• A Basset Hound Responds
• Virginia: Positively Primitive: Heeding Nature's Calls in a Rustic Mountain Cabin
• Maryland: Thoreau Never Had It So Good: In a 'Luxury' Cabin, the Living Is Easy
• Forest Gumption: Cabins in State and National Parks
• Finding Privately Owned Cabins
• The Dirtiest Travel Site, and Other E-Curiosities
• DETAILS Studs Terkel's Chicago  

• Museums revel in expansion boom
• World tourism down 2.6%
• Europe braces for air traffic chaos
• Amtrak says it's close to shutting down
• United pilots try to help the airline's finances
• Lufthansa starts business-only flights
• Only you can prevent loss of tourism dollars in Colorado
• The tipping point: Gratuitous advice for travelers
• 10 great places to swim at a hotel
• Arizona: Down that long lonesome road
• United seeks federal help
• United, US Airways court controversy
• Euro's strength makes visits costlier
• Amtrak says it's close to shutting down
• United pilots try to help the airline's finances
• See the stars around Mohegan Sun
• Paradise's housing market goes up
• Hotel reopens after 2 yrs & $25 million
• The Fourth of July in Alaska
• Southwest charges large fliers double
• LH launches business class-only service
• Low-fare airlines woo frequent fliers

• Trains rolling: Amtrak says it will keep its trains running this week while it continues to seek emergency aid from the federal government. Bush administration officials and members of Congress have pledged to avert a national shutdown of the struggling passenger rail service, which had been scheduled to begin today . Amtrak trains carry about 60,000 riders a day, more than half in the Northeast corridor.
• Fee increases: American Airlines will increase its charge for some paper tickets from $10 to $20 immediately instead of on July 2, as originally announced.
• More spaces: Atlanta Hartsfield has reopened parking spaces closest to the main terminal. The 1,769 parking spaces were restricted for security reasons after Sept. 11. The reopened spaces are located on levels 1 and 2 of the north and south parking decks. The rest of the 3,034 spaces restricted after the attacks will reopen in August.
• Higher rates: Long Beach Airport is raising parking rates July 1. The most expensive daily fees will jump from $6 to $12 and the least expensive from $3 to $6. The increase will fund a 4,000-space garage.
• Quick bites: United Airlines is restoring breakfasts on flights of an hour or more. By July 8, it will serve a cold breakfast snack on flights lasting an hour to 90 minutes. On 90-minute to two-hour flights, it will serve a Danish, snack mix and fruit. Passengers on longer flights will receive a hot breakfast sandwich and fruit.
• Paper pass: Southwest Airlines is replacing its colorful plastic boarding cards with paper but won't dump open seating. Instead of boarding in groups of 30, the passes will assign passengers to groups A, B or C. Southwest says the policy will reduce lines. Passes are available at ticket counters, gates or from skycaps.
• New flights: American Airlines will begin non-stop flights on Aug. 1 between Boston and both Raleigh/Durham, N.C., and Fort Lauderdale.
• Paper tickets' price rises: American Airlines will increase its charge for paper tickets from $10 to $20 beginning July 2. The airline will stop issuing paper tickets for domestic itineraries by March and plans to stop issuing paper tickets for all other itineraries by December 2003. America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest and US Airways charge $10 for paper tickets. United has no charge.

BEST FARES

• Disney Introduces A Co-Branded Visa Card
• Virgin Blue Codeshares With United
• The FAA Approves Chicago O'Hare's New Terminals
• In-Flight Movies Cut For Air Travelers
• Airport Offices For Travelers
• Northwest Offers Summer Travel Tips For Minneapolis/St. Paul
• KLM Extends Its Codeshare Pacts With Continental
• Frontier Plans To Add DirecTV
• SWISS International Airlines: Civilized Aviation
• David Currier's Travel Tips For Types A To Z
• The Best Slots Rate Of Return In Las Vegas
• Traveling In Ways That Support The Planet

• Review of the new JetBlue frequent flyer program
• Forbes: Jet Blue
• JetBlue sets frequent flier plan, but will it fly?
• The U.S. Transportation Department last week set a deadline of April 9, 2003 for all foreign airlines to install reinforced  cockpit doors on planes that fly to the United States. The doors must be able to protect flight crews from small arms fire, fragmentation devices such as hand grenades, and any other device that could be used to get into--or shoot into--the flight deck. U.S. airlines already face the same deadline for replacing their flight deck doors. More immediately, foreign airlines will be given 60 days to install temporary locks on cockpit doors. (From SkyGuide)
• The newest foreign carrier to operate to the U.S. is Belgium's VG Airlines, which recently started flying once a day on both the Brussels-New York JFK and Brussels-Boston routes, and will add service to Los Angeles on June 30. Business class fares start at $2,200 roundtrip from the northeast, $3,200 from LAX. While the company claims it is not a successor to defunct Sabena, it has taken on a number of Sabena employees as well as former Sabena Airbus A330-200s, equipped with 42 business class and 187 coach seats. Seat pitch is 62 inches in the front cabin, 32 inches in back. (From SkyGuide)
• Protest of US visa crackdown. May scare away foreign tourists
• Converted to Cult of Rick Steves
• Road trips in California
• Attention Editors: Deep Link Away
• Airlines facing the challenge of accommodating oversized passengers. What some are doing:
• Delta. The airline says big people won't have a problem if they can find an empty seat next to them. If the plane is full, they are asked to buy another seat or are allowed to book on a less crowded flight without penalty, says spokesman John Kennedy.
• Northwest. Gate agents broach the subject of a passenger's size by asking if they might need a seatbelt extension. Some passengers wedge themselves into the seat fine without one. But if it appears they can't, they are asked to buy another seat.
• United. If a passenger needs two seats, then they have to pay for two seats — but they will get double frequent flier miles, says spokesman Chris Braithwaite. (From USAToday)

• Travolta Flying Jet to Promote Travel
• China threatens air travel workers with prison time to stop airline ticket discounting

• Amtrak Warns It May Shut Down Trains
• United Pilots Group OKs Pay Plan
• Airlines Slammed on Large Passengers
• Northwest to Charge $10 for Paper Tickets

• Revelers mark summer at Stonehenge
• Many explosive-detection machines not fully used
• Amtrak may start shutting down trains next week
• Report names 'sweatiest' U.S. city
• Urban wineries make inroads
• US, Hong Kong 'open skies' talks recess, no deal
• Southwest enforcing plus-size policy
• Clashes as Spanish strike begins
• Administration wants reduced role for Amtrak
• Compromise expected on cockpit guns
• NTSB: Amtrak train received a signal to stop
• Strike creates Euro flight chaos
• It's a code yellow summer
• Airport security head pleads guilty to lying
• Discovering Clara Barton's quest
• Amtrak chief wants quick action by Congress
• NW pulls out of Priceline

• Only 12 of 138bomb-detectionmachines being used to capacity
• Large-passenger policy under fire
• Take the Harry Potter tour of Britain
• House panelendorses arming pilots
• Larger passengers must pay more
• Strikes threaten summit in Spain
• Delta selling first-class upgrades
• Airport overhaul to continue
• Paper tickets to cost passengers more
• Is shortage of controllers looming?
• Summer Books: Seeing the world
• India tourists unfazed by war fears
• Travel to Israel, receive an award

• AIRPORT CHECK-IN: HOW LONG WILL YOU WAIT?
• INTERNET DOESN'T END BIAS

GOOD TO KNOW!
Airport Tips For Family Travel  (From Best Fares.com )
Here are some family travel tips to guide you through airport check-in.

• Keep in mind the new security measures when packing. Knives, sharp items, cutting tools and toy weapons are not allowed in your carry-on bags. For a list of prohibited items, access tsa.gov .
• Keep your carry-on baggage to a minimum. Airlines have been enforcing tighter restrictions on the amount of baggage you may carry on the plane. Generally, one bag that fits under the seat or in the overhead bin and a purse or briefcase is allowed.
• Make sure medications are properly labeled or you have a doctor's prescription for verification purposes. It's best to consult with your airline regarding individual medical needs.
• Arrive at the airport a minimum of 75 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights and two hours prior for international travel. Allow extra time for children, elderly travelers or other special needs.
• Passengers 18 and older must carry a government-issued ID at all times. Be prepared to show identification when checking in and upon boarding.
• Laptops must be removed from their cases and placed on the belt to be x-rayed. Remove from your pockets all metal items, including coins, keys, cell phones and pagers and place them in your carry-on bag or in plastic rays provided at the airport. Be prepared to be hand-wanded or asked to remove your shoes.
• All child-related equipment must go through the x-ray machine if size allows, otherwise the items will be inspected by hand. Children must be removed from strollers and car seats, even during manual inspections.
• Take care to avoid leaving any personal items at the checkpoint. Remember, any time you leave the secure area you must be rescreened.
• Keep your bags with you at all times. Unattended bags can be picked up by airport police.
• Check signs and follow instructions carefully to avoid inconveniencing thousands of passengers. Even inadvertent security violations can shut down a concourse for hours.
• Only ticketed passengers are allowed through security, so arrange a meeting place prior to your flight home. Keep arrival terminal curbside areas clear (waiting is either not permitted or restricted) by arranging another meeting place.

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