Juneau

Our ship stopped in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan. (It stopped in Victoria too, but that almost doesn't count. I'll explain when we get there.) I think the favorite for my sisters was Ketchikan, because there was more shopping. My favorite was Juneau.

I know it's the capital, but it had a nice, small town feel. Actually, I can tell you what won my heart. We were working our way up the main street and stopped to look in a toy store, and were chatting with the owner. Not only was she very helpful with going over the merchandise and where to find different things, but after we had been chatting for a few minutes she asked if we could watch the store for a few minutes while she went to get a cup of coffee.

Okay, on one level it was some pressure, but still, it felt kind of of cool. Also, fortunately, we didn't have to do anything. She was quick and no one came in during that time.

We also found helpful assistance at the information booth. The guide told us everything we wanted to know, including pointing us to the library for internet access, which was right there and it was free, and it was the nicest of the different libraries that we visited.

In general, I think Juneau did better for public art. There was gorgeous stained glass in the library, murals on buildings, and statues in the park, including one of Patsy, a dog who elected herself as Juneau's ship ambassador. We are suckers for animals.

All of the cruise ship stops tend to have well-maintained houses visible, but somehow with the setting, and the public art, to my  mind Juneau was the prettiest of the three. Plus Juneau was the one with Mendenhall Glacier and they also had a tramway you can ride up Mount Roberts, and they are the location of the famous Red Dog Saloon.

So, Juneau is the way to go.

http://www.juneau.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneau,_Alaska