Last night John, Brian, and I went to dinner at the home of one of the attorneys at the Federal Public Defender's office. Avril (the attorney), her husband Sen, and their son Rouchie (spelling?) were incredibly welcoming. We all had a great time-- great food, great company. It was particularly fun because Avril works on habeas cases, Sen is a judge, and their son is a paralegal... so we had the full spectrum of perspective on the Anchorage legal community. The legal community here is very small and collegial, so the tales were fun.
The conversation migrated to Alaska "need-to-know" information: how to stay safe around moose and bears, staying warm, Alaska fashion, and Costco.
Costco is a significant part of life in Alaska. Food can be very costly in Alaska. Probably the easiest comparison is that on sale food in Alaska is about equivalent to full price food in Arizona. (It seems to me to be about $1 more per item.) So, almost everyone shops at Costco... it's generally cheaper (or as cheap) to buy a giant package at Costco as it is to buy the small package at Fred Meyer. The major stores here, aside from Costco, are Fred Meyer (Fry's), Carr's (Safeway), and Wal-Mart. But, Costco is the place. Avril said the locals call their time before shopping there as BC--before Costco.
um, you've buried a lead: Alaska fashion. care to fill us in?
ReplyDeletei assume that not every Alaskan family spends $150,000 on a new wardrobe, right?