Saturday, March 25, 2017
San Francisco, Anchorage & Fairbanks March 2017 [Day 3]
After spending a splendid night at Four Points by Sheraton Seattle Airport South, we woke up and decided to have breakfast in the hotel. It was quite a great choice as the breakfast buffet (USD 15 less taxes) was splendid. The breakfast area was not crowded, perhaps beecause most people do not stay to have breakfast in the hotel? Or maybe just lower occupancy at that time.
We checked out at 12 PM and took the hotel shuttle to the airport. Alaska Airlines only allows baggage to be dropped off 4 hours before the flight (BOOO! Yay to Virgin America!) so we dropped off our bags at the paid storage facility (USD 28 less taxes) and went on our merry way into downtown Seattle via the Link Light Rail.
We hopped off at Westlake Station and strolled over to Pike Place Market amidst the light drizzle. The Pike Place Market is really quite a nice place, expecially if you like seafood. My mum bought a Dungeness Crab Cocktail for USD 11 from Pike Place Fish Market, that shop where they will throw your fish in to be weighed and packed. And a snapping Monkfish invites you in for a closer look. :)
Of course, I would have to visit the Starbucks in Seattle. That's like a sacrilege if I didn't. I didn't actually realise where it was until I heard a guy say "That's Starbucks" and holy moly the queue was redonculously long. No way I'd be queueing up that long. Maybe if I were alone or I had friends who wanted to, but not with my mum around, no way. So I decided to go to the Starbucks at 1st & Pike. Turns out that it is the 1 Starbucks Reserve Store and so it's cool... still a 1st Starbucks! Bought a Limited Edition Starbucks Card. I wonder if it was limited Edition to the 1st and Pike Store though, as I didn't see it in any other Starbucks I passed by after that (and there are many Starbucks in downtown Seattle near Pike Place.
After sitting, chilling in Starbucks while the rain drizzled down, we started back to the airport. We picked up our luggage, checked in and got TSA Prechk status again!! Yippee! Flight's at 2045, but we went to the gate early so we could chill out there. After an uneventful flight, we landed in Anchorage and got a taxi to our hotel, the Sheraton Anchorage.
The building has definitely seen some years though the decor appears updated. The lift, however, is clunky and I will definitely not recommend staying near the lift. There was no complimentary bottled water in the room either (for SPG) and the front desk stated that was because they no longer offer complimentary water. However they sell the bottled water for USD 4 per bottle. It's a tiny little thing but when you arrive late at night, you'd really like to have some water. :(
Since I paid USD87.28 for the room, I wasn't that bothered. However, this is a SPG Category 4 hotel. I am not familiar with the ranges throughout the categories, but I just had a much better stay at a Category 3 hotel so I think this hotel is poor value as a Category 4, or if you have to pay the currently listed price of approximately USD 170 (I checked for reference). Then again, I don't think there are that many choices in Anchorage anyway.
0 Adorations
We checked out at 12 PM and took the hotel shuttle to the airport. Alaska Airlines only allows baggage to be dropped off 4 hours before the flight (BOOO! Yay to Virgin America!) so we dropped off our bags at the paid storage facility (USD 28 less taxes) and went on our merry way into downtown Seattle via the Link Light Rail.
We hopped off at Westlake Station and strolled over to Pike Place Market amidst the light drizzle. The Pike Place Market is really quite a nice place, expecially if you like seafood. My mum bought a Dungeness Crab Cocktail for USD 11 from Pike Place Fish Market, that shop where they will throw your fish in to be weighed and packed. And a snapping Monkfish invites you in for a closer look. :)
Of course, I would have to visit the Starbucks in Seattle. That's like a sacrilege if I didn't. I didn't actually realise where it was until I heard a guy say "That's Starbucks" and holy moly the queue was redonculously long. No way I'd be queueing up that long. Maybe if I were alone or I had friends who wanted to, but not with my mum around, no way. So I decided to go to the Starbucks at 1st & Pike. Turns out that it is the 1 Starbucks Reserve Store and so it's cool... still a 1st Starbucks! Bought a Limited Edition Starbucks Card. I wonder if it was limited Edition to the 1st and Pike Store though, as I didn't see it in any other Starbucks I passed by after that (and there are many Starbucks in downtown Seattle near Pike Place.
After sitting, chilling in Starbucks while the rain drizzled down, we started back to the airport. We picked up our luggage, checked in and got TSA Prechk status again!! Yippee! Flight's at 2045, but we went to the gate early so we could chill out there. After an uneventful flight, we landed in Anchorage and got a taxi to our hotel, the Sheraton Anchorage.
The building has definitely seen some years though the decor appears updated. The lift, however, is clunky and I will definitely not recommend staying near the lift. There was no complimentary bottled water in the room either (for SPG) and the front desk stated that was because they no longer offer complimentary water. However they sell the bottled water for USD 4 per bottle. It's a tiny little thing but when you arrive late at night, you'd really like to have some water. :(
Since I paid USD87.28 for the room, I wasn't that bothered. However, this is a SPG Category 4 hotel. I am not familiar with the ranges throughout the categories, but I just had a much better stay at a Category 3 hotel so I think this hotel is poor value as a Category 4, or if you have to pay the currently listed price of approximately USD 170 (I checked for reference). Then again, I don't think there are that many choices in Anchorage anyway.
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