After our inspiring and inspired week-long cruise of Alaska, which ended in Seward, we took a motor coach up to Anchorage to check out that city and spend the night at the world-renowned Hotel Captain Cook. We were expecting a lot, since Anchorage is the state’s largest city, with a population of 277,638 people or 42% of the state’s population, and an area nearly the size of the state of Delaware!

We’d been up early for our 8:15 a.m. disembarkation, and the bus ride lasted about two-and-one-half hours over hilly terrain, so we needed some fortification by the time we had checked in and gotten our bearings.

The hotel’s helpful clerk suggested we try a real neighborhood hangout for lunch–Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse–which bills itself as “An Original Alaskan Bar & Grill for beer lovers by beer lovers.” It’s named for the humpback or pink salmon, which travels up Alaskan rivers each summer.

According to the desk clerk, it’s also known for its Halibut Tacos.

Sounded good, so we strode a few short blocks, passing by sunflowers the size of your head in an atmospheric downtown vegetable patch and cabbages the size of basketballs in an ornamental garden. Guess that’s what 20 hours of summer sunlight per day can do!

We also saw massive yellow and green zucchini and baseball-sized white onions at the Anchorage Market & Festival: A Downtown Summerfest, one of Alaska’s largest open-air markets, open Saturdays and Sundays.

By one o’clock, the dark interior of Humpy’s was hoppin’, so we opted for a table on the sunny patio. Here’s me doing the tourist thing with the menu. A table of townies gathered behind us–note the Sarah Palin look-alike over my shoulder, complete with upswept hair and oversized fashion glasses.

Here’s Humpy’s signature dish–Halibut Tacos. I had one, which was delectable (lots of jalepeños!) and came with a side of chips and freshly made salsa. It was plenty enough for my appetite; Spencer held out for two and finished every last bite. A glass of Giesen Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand for me and two locally produced Midnight Sun Kodiak Brown Ales for Spencer completed our hearty, healthy, and satisfying lunch in Anchorage.