Alaska Uncovered Podcast

Making your own way in Seward and Anchorage with Salted Roots

• Episode 165

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 Welcome to the Alaska Uncovered Podcast with me, your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming, my occasional co-host and full-time husband, Jay, and I bring you accurate, helpful, and entertaining information about Alaska Travel and life in Alaska.



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Hi everyone. Before we jump into today's wonderful episode with kellyann and Matt, I wanted to just remind you, there's just slightly over a week if you're listening in real time. To register for the last couple spots of authentic Alaska, our small group tour. In June that Jay and I are leading, , on January 24th I recorded an episode that was all about the details.

So go back and listen to that if you wanna know more. But you can register with the link in the show notes or if you have questions, please email me, jen@ordinaryadventures.com this week so I can make sure I can answer them for you in time to get you in. Okay. Enjoy the show.

My guests today are Kellyann Caveratta and Matt Cope. Kellyann and Matt live in Seward, and they originally met in San Diego and then they traveled. All over the country to lots of different places having adventures.

And when they got to Seward, they were like, this is it. And they have built a life and a business there. And so we're gonna be talking about that today. Kellyann and Matt, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being here.

Thank you so much for having us. We're really excited to be here. 

So I know I gave this away a little bit at the beginning, um, but I would love to have you share more with everybody how you got to Alaska. 

It's really Kellyann's fault. Um. If we kinda look at the whole thing, um, I was, uh, in San Diego running a restaurant and we started to date and I was that kind of person that always talked about travel and never got around to it and just talked a big game.

And she said, well, what if, you know, we just move in together, save up some money and go. So she called my bluff and before I knew it, uh, we were on the road and we moved into my car. It was a 2004 RAV4. So it was pretty tight., But the funny thing is the minute that you move into a RAV4, uh, you don't really wanna live in a RAV4.

So you kind of, um, look at a map. Figure out where all your friends and family live and how close they are to a national park. And then you start, start your course. And we had enough money to survive, gosh, maybe six months or so. And we knew we needed money at some point, um, to kind of keep this show on the road.

'cause we didn't know how long we were gonna go. We didn't really have a plan of reentry. Um, and we did a quick Google search and Alaska popped up. And Alaska had always been on both of our radars. Um, but we just didn't know how to kind of plug in. And so that's how we kind of pointed the car north. And we worked a season in Denali and we live loved Denali.

It was great. , But we made the trip south to Seward and upon arrival in Seward, it was just, um, I don't know, finally reaching the end of the road. It's one of those things where, you're sort of scoping out places to reenter and to kind of live, and you're always kind of judging towns, right?

Whether intentional or not. And you're late to a lot of places. Like, um, you know, there's a lot of good things about Bendor. Again, but you're late and there's a lot of great things about Jackson Hole, but you're beyond late. Mm-hmm. And so on and so forth for like every town. And when we got to Seward, we were like, oh my gosh, this, this is the place.

Like, you know, this, this was everything that we loved. It didn't help that we got like really suckered in though. Um, I know I'm kind of going on a long little tangent here, but It's Okay. Um. Yikes. Uh, we went on,, the Harding Icefield hike and it was a perfect bluebird day, and there were like two bears, like little cubs rustling around in the fireweed.

And we, afterwards we sat down by the water and had wine, and a late season whale popped up and we were just like, this place isn't real. You know, little did we know about, you know, the rain, but, and, uh, you know, yeah.

But yeah, that's kind of how we got there. And that's the birth of salted roots too. Um, we, you know, stayed in a lot of places with all of our friends and, you know, travel's so special.

And so we always talked about what we would do if we ever had the opportunity to do something. Mm-hmm. And so that's kind of how the journey started. We had a lot of free time and we stole a lot of firewood. And so if we had nothing but time to talk, 

that's cool. And figure out what you were gonna do.

Yeah. And I would, gosh, yeah. Um, you know, we stayed in a variety of different places too. You know, there's like the warmth of your friend's house and like the dirty clothes as well, and just the familiarity. And then you'd stay in a hostel. For the community aspect, we called our summer home, our tent, and Yes, , hotels.

Hotels for wifi and showers. So on and so forth. And so we just kind of created this thing in our head until, until we finally kind of got the opportunity and we did this like for four years. We were on the road for four years and we traveled from San Diego to Alaska to Nicaragua and back, and we worked for six months and then traveled for the rest.

Love it. Anything you wanna add to that journey to Alaska story Kellyann? 

Um, no, not really. Mo Mostly, I think what Matt was saying is, you know, it's. Falling in love with Alaska, I think for a lot of people starts with a trip to Alaska. You know, it's not really intent, it's not really intentional. Um, yes in the moment.

But I think what Matt is saying, you know, we like this place, but, um, you know, we, we, we saw a lot of places in the west where we like this place, but, um. Here in South Central Alaska, it was, we like this place with no buts. Yes. And, and decided to, uh, make it our home. 

Mm-hmm. That's amazing. And listeners, just a note of caution here, if you do visit Alaska, there's a chance, you'll decide you need to move there.

So just keep that in the back of your mind. Uh, frequently and not frequently. Talked about risk of visiting. Absolutely. Or benefit, depending on how you think about it.

Love it. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about the business and, and life that you've built. Let's, let's start there In Seward, I know you've expanded beyond Seward, but tell tell everybody a little bit about Salted Roots and, um, what, yeah, maybe the story of how you started it, and then I'll ask some other questions.

Absolutely. So, um, kind of building off what Matt had mentioned, you know, when, when you spend a big portion of your life traveling, you, you start to, understand what you like and what you don't like. And really we were building around these campfires conversations about, you know, this experience-based travel and.

Here in Alaska, you know, salted roots was, was really birthed from, those four years on the road. Um, not unintentionally. Our bathrooms are very large at salted roots, and yes, the reason for me, the reason for that is when you're traveling on the road, you know, bathrooms were were the place Yes. That we really, huh.

Really enjoyed to take a shower after a week in our tent, but you know, Alaska can be focused a lot on what you're doing outside of your accommodation, but. We really wanted to create an oasis after a long day of hiking or kayaking, you know, not weather dependent. A, a place to really enjoy time with, with the people you're with.

Yes. And, 

um, that, that was a big part of salted roots and, you know, also this kind of next generation of, of travelers, right? A a lot of Alaska's infrastructure is kind of built on this, this, um, you know. Baby boomer mentality. And, and Matt and I really wanted to create something, you know, kind of beyond the, the bare print quilts and taxidermy walls and,, salted roots ones was a big, uh.

A big player in that too, as, as kind of this high tech, high touch population comes to to Alaska. We wanted to make sure they can, uh, play hard all day outside and then really relax, , during the evenings.



, A big part of, of any travel, and we saw this. It's a lot in Denali is when things start to go wrong and things go sideways. Yes. And you need a win. Yeah. You know, and so like boat tours get canceled sometimes due to weather. Yeah. And the bus in Denali is long and distances are long and you just need a place that completely disarms you and is a wind so that no matter what's going on with the weather or what's going on with your day, um, there's just a place that kind of,

really lets you just relax finally. 

Yes, I totally, I totally agree with that. I was thinking about, um, when you were talking about living on the road, that reminded me of the time, the years that Jay and I spent. Living in a dry cabin in Fairbanks, which was not mobile, but in other ways similar, you know, having a gym membership to shower and, you know, doing everything without running water.

And it, it's so true. I even now, I've lived with running water for 20 years now, and I still sometimes when I turn the tap on, I'm like, yeah.

It's, it's really, oh, man. Awesome. 

I, uh, we had a friend that, um, went to Fairbanks to a dry cabin at the same time that we were going to Seattle. Mm-hmm. And when we came back. I was like, I've been to the future. And he's like, I've been to the past. And so we just kind of compared notes about how accessible things were versus how they're not, you know?

Yeah. And you know, when you live in, in Seattle, you can't. You can't tell people that you lived without running water. I mean, that just doesn't, in Fairbanks it's super normal. You know, lots of people live in dry cabins and it's no big deal. But when you go to another place, people are like, what? That's crazy.

So, but it's totally doable. Anyway, I am a person who would absolutely appreciate your attention to those like authentic creature comforts that really matter more than the taxidermy stuff. Yeah. Cool. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about like logistics. And I feel like you've already partially answered this question, but I wanna just, um, get into it a little more.

What we're really talking about here is like a different type of lodging experience from. What's available, sort of in general in Alaska. So can you talk about, uh, and sticking with Seward for the moment, we'll get into Anchorage in a minute too. 'cause I, I know that's also important. Um, what, what type of traveler is going to be the person who's gonna really love where you are the most, like who, you know, when our listeners are listening to this, how do they know if like.

This is gonna be the thing for me.

Kelly, I'm gonna let you.

Yeah. Well, we, um, again, this, this next generation of travelers are probably perfect for your podcast. So kind of the, the independent traveler that wants to do a, a bit more research and kind of have that, that local experience, uh, here in Alaska, which we think is. You know, the, the most important, part of travel.

So at Salted Roots, you know, all the art on the walls from local artists. Our mugs are made from, local ceramics artists. We partner with local businesses here to offer anything from a wellness package with a private yoga class, and. A massage session with, uh, a local therapist to our adventure packages in the summer, which team up with Kayak Adventures.

Uh, a well renowned who have similar values as us at Salted Roots, uh, tourism company that offers, um, kayaking adventures as well as guided hikes, talking about climate change. So really at Salted Roots we're, we're. Targeting kind of the highly informed independent traveler, you know, 'cause we, we travel differently than our parents.

And, um, I think there, there's a huge market for growth for that here in the state of Alaska. Um, because people wanna get out of places like Seattle and, and reconnect with the outdoors. But again, come home to something that seems, a bit more familiar to them. Um, back in the lower 48. 

Love it. Do you wanna add anything to that, Matt?

, We always kind of, we, we chose low point, right? And low point's down a three mile ribbon of a road. And so, you know, you need a kind, you need a, uh, a, a car to get out there. Or some sort of transportation. Yep. And we always, I mean, but it's still on the road system, right?

So we always say that we're kind of remote without being remote. Uh, yeah, because, you know, across the bay there's a lot of accommodations that get you out there, and I think people want that, that picturesque sort of setting. I think everyone has this idea of what Alaska is and, um, Seward's always either like the last stop or the first stop to Alaska, it seems like, whether it's like mm-hmm.

You know. Hopping on the train, or it's beginning of the end of the trip. Right. And this is a place for people to, um, get that experience without being completely off the grid. 

Yeah. I. Definitely. Yeah. So it's like it's a place you can get to, but it's not, you know, on the beaten track. Exactly. Sounds like, is what you're saying.

Yeah. You can still make your dinner reservation for sure. 

Yep. Awesome. Okay, so. For, well, I'll come back to that. Okay. So, let's talk a little bit about some of the other things you've gotten into since you established a salted roots in Seward. Um, let's, uh, we'll come back to Seward in a moment. Let's talk about Anchorage.

So recently, somewhat recently, you opened Salted Roots base camp in Anchorage. What, what year was it that you opened? 

It was, um, we may of this past summer, so, okay. We, we, almost a year. 

Very new. Yeah. Almost a year. Yes. Cool. So tell everybody a little bit, so first of all, listeners, if you haven't already figured this out, lodging, accommodations, hotels, whatever in Anchorage.

Is challenging, especially downtown. It's re it's really, really, really expensive. Um, hard to find things. So one thing that I'm just gonna say before we get into talking about Salted Roots base camp is that this is a really unique place to stay that's in a really convenient location. So I just wanna mention that as a editorial comment, um, before we get into it.

So. Kellyann or Matt or both of you, um, tell us a little bit about how you decided to do this and what kind of brought you into Anchorage. Of 

course. So for listeners, you know, geographically speaking, you know, if you're gonna get to Seward, you're, you're gonna go through Anchorage. Um, and of course Anchorage really is the jumping off point for Chuga State Park.

I mean, you can get anywhere in South Central Alaska from Anchorage. Um, for us, you know, for our guests kind of catering to this new niche market., We were answering a lot of questions like, oh, well, where should I stay in Anchorage? And, and we wanted to, to present the same level of product, um, kind of at the, the center of South Central Exploration, which always brought our eyes, uh, to Anchorage and.

Picking a spot took, took years because, uh, what could be, especially for an Alaskan who, who lives outside of Anchorage, you know, uh, Kenai Peninsula, residents might find Anchorage as, as a bit more transactional than intentional, right? Like, you fly in late, you're staying there for a night, and then you're, you're going off elsewhere in the state.

Yep. But, uh, we, we picked our location, which is kind of right at, at. The north end of the coastal trail access as well as ships, creek's access, walking distance to some of the state's best, you know, eating and drinking establishments. And again, you know, Matt and I didn't grow up in Alaska, so we really enjoy those things.

Right? Yeah. And Anchorage is, is definitely the leader in the state for, for having that type of experience on vacation. Um, so. With that. Uh, and the same intention as Salted Root Seward kind of collaborating with local businesses. Uh, this, this building has a yoga studio on the main floor, and we brought in Bernon Bloom, who is a, a huge, has a huge local following.

So again, we're not really catering to out of state. Visitation solely. That's not the purpose of salted roots. We're, we're really in state forward and, uh, you know, growing the market that we know and live in. So, um, having burn and bloom and we also have a coffee shop. What's gonna be expanding to kind of a nighttime wine bar there before the summer.

Um, so making it a place that that's. Accessible in Anchorage. 'cause in Seward, you know, the destination is the destination. Yeah. So being out at Low Point, kind of on the waterfront, that was, uh, always the goal. But in Anchorage, you know, we, we believe there's character in its centrality, right? Like being able to walk anywhere, being less than 10 minutes from the airport.

Yeah. Uh, we really think that downtown is starting to. See a a lot of cool things popping up, and we're, 

yeah, 

very grateful and proud to be a part of that movement. Um, and yeah, so it's, it's a great place and definitely, you know, for those listeners, most flights coming into, uh, Anchorage,

coming at relatively inconvenient times. So yes. When you're trip, when you're trip planning, you know, it's not like you're gonna fly in and, and get to the Kenai Peninsula or get up to Tao Ke or Denali in the same day. Yeah. Especially after a long flight. So we wanted, uh, again, to provide that comfort of home as a place to plug in, get a good night's sleep, as a part of your Alaska itinerary.

Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's a really good point. I know people often tell me something like, oh, well I really don't wanna do a red eye. And I'm like, well, too bad. Unless you're, you know, going just to Seattle. It's, you know, you are, like you said, inconvenient times. So having a great place to land is really good.

One other thing I think is super interesting. Comparing these two places. You talked about the difference in the location, Kellyann being like along the water at lower point in Seward versus being in the middle of the city and everything that that has to offer. I can imagine it must have been so different to.

You know, to go from a property where you were clearing land and sort of designing how everything was going to look to in Anchorage, you know, you're not gonna be clearing land, you're gonna be finding something to renovate. I, I would love if either of you were up for sharing a little bit about that part and, and how, uh, different or the same it was to sort of build this other property in a totally different kind of environment.

I would just say that, um, you know, anytime you start at something, uh, you're going to be just really bad at it. And so, you know, when, when we started clearing the land, you know, it was this romantic idea that we were gonna get in there. And, you know, I started with an ax and then my neighbor came over and brought a chainsaw and I was like, okay, this is how you do it.

Yeah. And then my other neighbor had a, had an excavator and I was like, oh, this is how you do it. And so, you know, you just, it was daunting and fun 'cause it was a blank slate. Um, and then Anchorage on the other side of that, um, we hadn't done anything inside, uh, Anchorage Muni. And so out of low point there's very little rules, right?

Yeah. And. In Anchorage, we were looking for a building that hopefully fit what we could do, but, um, it's a, it's a three story building and so again,, as convenient as Anchorage is with all these resources, we weren't plugged into them. Yeah. And so we had to kind of start from scratch and figure out. How things actually work up there.

And so it took a while for I think both to find the bearings, but you know, in both instances we, we, we had to convince a bank, that this was a good idea. Um, even when we weren't entirely sure that this was a good idea. Yeah. Um, so there was, uh, the switch that sort of happens when you're talking sort of crazy talk and everyone looks like you, like you, like you're crazy.

And then there's this one day that comes along where. Um, people just kind of understand what you're talking about and they take you seriously. And that's when the panic sets in. It's why, why is anyone taking us seriously? At least, at least that's for my panic. Yeah. That like, oh gosh, we actually have to do, we actually have to do this now.

Yeah. That's real. 

And you know, de despite their differences, it their. There are a lot of similarities between the two properties. So just to paint a little bit of a picture, um, our salted roots, Seward property is, is. Lots of windows, right? Lots of natural light in, in all 12, 12 of our units there. Um, but more of a tongue and groove finish.

Definitely a cabin feel with, you know, pellet stoves. And in, in Anchorage there are a ton of windows and a ton of natural light, you know, overlooking the city and cook in. Uh, but it's definitely more of an urban feel. You know, concrete floors, uh, both, both Seward and Anchorage have full walk-in showers, tiled European style wet rooms.

All of our units have full kitchens and I think that's an important thing. 

Yes. 

Um, when you had mentioned, you know, a price point in, in Anchorage accommodation, I have a 5-year-old and you know, if you're spending all day, you know, it just depends on where you wanna put your money. 'cause if you wanna get outside and do some of these amazing exclusive tours in the state, you know, oftentimes maybe cooking breakfast at home.

Can, can save a lot on a family vacation. Yeah. So that was really important. Really important for us. Uh, yeah, for both locations, so, yep. Uh, so yeah, they're, they're definitely different. There's what urban counter, uh, counterpart to more of our, , rural Seward destination, but a lot of similarities at the same time.

Yeah, yeah. You know, I'm really glad you mentioned that about kids. Um, I think another factor, in addition to saving money by being able to make some meals or throw breakfast together. You know, in at the place you're staying is also just the amount of ti. Both Anchorage and Seward have pretty long wait times in restaurants and like that's something I always let my guests know, like when they're on tour or.

Clients that I have is, you know, you, you might wait a long time to get seated and you might wait a long time for your food. And please don't complain about that. That's just the way it is. Um, you know, people are trying to serve a lot of people great food in a short time, but I know especially with kids, especially young kids, you know.

Being in a restaurant for a long time can be really stressful and kind of hard to keep them entertained. So I think it's really nice to have that option of being like, we're just going to stay in and keep it simple, especially after a long day out, having adventures. So I think that is an important thing too.

Yeah. And, and on the note of families, I think I, I just wanted to mention one thing about salted roots. Like you, you kind of see this, um. Kind of rise in these more independent state, you know, like Airbnbs and vrbo because it ends up being more affordable than getting three hotel rooms for a family of six.

Yes. You know, to, to rent a house. But you know what those Airbnbs offer is kind of a. Communal space to share on a family vacation. Yeah. But what they don't offer is the consistency and amenities that a hotel would offer. So Yep. Salt salted roots is kind of trying to bridge the gap between the two. You know, our, our units are.

800 to a thousand square feet. You know, we have units that sleep up to six, but then because of that brand identity, it gives, gives people that consistency in the amenity aspect of a hotel. So, uh, really for, for us again, uh, as, as the baby boomers have children, they have children and Yes. Families are a big part of what we cater to as well.

Yes. Yes. Thank you for adding that. So before we, before we move to like kind of things to do and advice for Travelers, which I know you both have a wealth of, so I wanna make sure we save a little time for that. But before we do that,, listeners, I wanted to let you know that Kellyann and Matt have offered a 10% discount on the Anchorage.

Salted Roots Base Camp location. So you can take advantage of that with the code podcast. And just making it clear that is only for Anchorage. And it is an awesome offer. So thanks to both of you for extending that to everybody., That is really cool. I'd love to have you also talk a little bit about how far ahead and I know this may be different for Seward.

I know you mostly do direct bookings and people who've listened to this podcast for a while know that I'm a big fan of direct booking, and you can go back and listen to the first couple episodes of 2026 to learn more about why. But can you talk about, where people can book and then how far ahead do people need to book with you to be able to get.

Get a spot and I know that may be different from for Seward in Anchorage, so that would be great. How to book and when. 

Yeah, absolutely. So anytime, , my trip planning advice for anyone coming to Alaska is, you know, accommodation is kind of the first piece I think Yes. To, to plug in. 

Yep. 

Um. Just, just because of a availability, concerns and varying levels of quality.

But, uh, salt of root, Seward, you know, we, we really are booking out about a year in advance. Okay. Uh, especi especially for, for that summer season, right? Yep. May through end of September. So we always say, get the accommodation set up and then reach out to the person, especially if you're booking with an independent, locally owned accommodation, you know they're gonna be your best.

Outlet to, to finding out the best local tour providers, giving the highest quality tours in the area. Yep, yep. Best places to eat. And so, so with Seward, yeah, about, about a year in advance. I, I would recommend, especially if your dates are kind of fixed, um, yes. But for salted roots, Anchorage, again, we kind of opened when the summer had already started last summer.

Yeah. So, yeah. So you probably don't know yet. Yes, we, we don't know quite yet. It's, it's a bit of a, you know, we just got signage on the building, I don't know, a month ago and yeah. So we're still, still figuring it out, still getting our feet wet there. Yeah. Um, but I would say. Just like anywhere in Alaska, you, you're really seeing kind of that 60 to 90 day out, uh, for, for accommodation would be recommended.

Yep. Um, so you know, if you're coming in July, you're, you're booking that kind of before May would, would be, yeah. My words of advice. 

Yes. Yeah. I think that's really good advice. And, and I will also say that. Seward and Anchorage and probably Denali are the places where things book up the fastest, sort of, in my experience around Alaska.

So, um, especially downtown Anchorage, not necessarily the entire area. So, yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. Um, cool. And so you recommend people book on your website, right? 

Yeah, absolutely. So a salted roots alaska.com, you have access to both the Anchorage and Seward locations there. 

Cool. And I'll put that in the show too.

Yeah, and I would just add that, as much as our availability is up to date online. Um, every now and then we get cancellations. Mm-hmm. And we have like a little bit of a wait list going and additionally sometimes we have like a one night gap that we don't typically sort of promote. So yeah, I would just say give us a call and reach out.

Calling is like the way in Alaska. I feel that. Yeah. You know, if you ever. It's such a conversational sort of experience, Alaska that just, just give us a call too. 

Yeah. You know, that's really good advice overall, Matt, because um, I know I, you know, when I'm helping people plan their trips, I'm often like.

You know, it's great that you see this online, but it's worth a phone call to just be like, Hey, here's what I'm trying to do. Here's my time window. What are my options? I, I feel like we've touched on this point a few times in this conversation, how when you're working with local businesses, you know, people can help you find things, and this happens for me all the time too.

Where, you know, I get connected to a new person through another person, and I didn't know that they were offering this cool service or this awesome tour or, or whatever. So yeah, that's, that's really good advice overall.

It turns out that like everyone here wants you to have a good trip.

Yes. You know, there's no one that's, uh, betting against you. Yes. And so it's just, um. Everyone's this ambassador where they're like, you know, yeah. Like, you know, living up here is one of those things that gets you, and so you want to kind of turn people on to it.

Passing people off these little warm handoffs and conversations are a big part. 

Yep. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so let's move into some of the, a couple of the wrap up questions that I like to ask everyone.

And one of them is, what's your favorite restaurant in your town? So you've got. Kind of two. I mean, you live in Seward, but also Anchorage, but also you own a restaurant in Seward. So let's take a moment to talk about the Flamingo and then we can talk about other restaurant advice.

Um, Flamingo kind of came around. Um, and something that we weren't actually sort of seeking, it kind of just sort of happened. There was this very beloved restaurant and um, it was going up for sale due to a death in the family. Mm-hmm. And we were, um. I mean, we all, were sort of enamored with this place and you know, Seward in the winter is a very different experience and being open in the winter is really important for everyone in town.

And so that was the big motivation behind it. Um, the other motivation is that we love a good cocktail and yes, . Alaska in a lot of ways as a beer in a shot sort of state. And you know, I believe there's a drink for every occasion. So like, I, I, I don't hate that, you know, it's just kind of the reality though, that it is kind of a beer in shot sort of state.

And so we decided to do craft cocktails and do everything from scratch and focus on only Alaskan seafood. And, um, it's been. A heavy lift, but a fun one at the same time. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. 

That's really cool. Anything you wanna add about the flamingo, Kelly Anne? 

Yeah, I think it, it also came out of this, um, challenge to extend, you know, the pre-existing notions of seasonality in Seward, right?

Yeah. As salted roots started being open year round, you know, our guests there were asking where, where can we go out to eat? And, um, so we, we kind of took that control into our own hands by, by. Forming the flamingo and, and offering year round, um, food and beverage options for both locals and people visiting Seward in the non-traditional season.

But I really think the challenge for Matt. And what, you know, he mentioned in the beginning of this that he came from an extensive restaurant background was, you know, going out to prove that quality can be found at the edge of any map. Yeah. And, um, quick, quick story. So actually when, when we were taking over the building, the basement, uh.

Was a bit of, a bit of a mess to, to put it blankly, uh, boxes, boxes everywhere. And oh man, uh, we had the option of having a junk company come, which there aren't a lot of junk companies in Seward, but, uh, or doing it ourselves. And Matt took it upon himself to do it himself, and we were, um, fortunate. Enough to find about 800 bottles of tax stamped, uh, preserved whiskey.

What, what? Yeah. From the, mostly the sixties to early seventies. Wow. 

So, 

um, another, you know, it's a very sixties cowboy inside of the flamingo. You know, there's gold ceilings, there's no windows, you know, red leather seats, but. Also, we have one of the largest whiskey collection kind of definitely in Alaska.

Um, that's awesome. So it's it's a, it's a fun place of old booze. Definitely. Yeah. Old booze. So we call it the basement booze program. Yes. But definitely worth, worth coming to check out if you're in food. Yes. 

So that's so cool. What is that called? There's like a term in like a real estate transaction for like things that come with the property.

Can't remember what that is, but that one sounds like was a surprise. 

Yeah. And there's also three, um, deceased people in the building as well. Okay. And the, um, the bottles that Kellyann's talking about, these old decanters, they're all shaped after like different states and locations. Like they're really kind of these collector items from That is very cool.

Way back when. Very 

cool. Yeah. 

And so behind the bar in those, uh, decanters are the ashes of three people that came with the building, which was uh, wow. A very interesting thing to do. 

I bet, I bet, I bet we could do a whole podcast about just that or the odd things found in the basement of the Flamingo. So maybe we'll have to do that next year.

That would be fun. Yeah. Um, cool. Okay, so what about Anchorage? So I, so the Flamingo in Seward is awesome. Go when you're in Seward. And, um, what about Anchorage? So what are, what's your favorite restaurant that's like close to salted root space camp? 

Oh boy. Wow. Anchorage. Uh, as I mentioned earlier, you know, Anchorage really is the front runner for, um.

This, this quality in the state for food and beverage. Yeah. And so hands out to everyone doing something there in downtown Anchorage, but within walking distance of, of salted roots base camp places I frequent. Yeah. You know there's whiskey and ramen. Ginger, um, going up to the crow's, uh, crow's nest on top of Captain Cook for cocktail is beautiful overlooking the city.

F Street is is definitely a local watering hole. Great spot for fresh seafood. Yeah. And all of these are kind of right there to, to go and grab some. Some food and, and interact with the local community. So we're, we're really fortunate where we're located in downtown Anchorage to kinda be at the center of all of that.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. And don't, don't forget about the, uh, the hot dog stand too. That's a favorite 

hot dog stand.

That is definitely a local favorite. No class for sure. Yeah, especially Anchorage Food is expense. Well, everywhere in Alaska food is expensive. So where is a good hotdog stand when you need one, and the answer is downtown Anchorage. Alright, so to wrap up, Kellyann and Matt, I would love to hear your top tip for travelers who are planning their first trip to Alaska.

What do you think is the most important thing for people to know?

Wow. 

Um, it's a hard question 'cause there's a lot Yeah. And you've already given people a lot of great advice, but top tip Yeah. 

I would say, yeah. For me it's just um, a lot of the reason why we moved here is uh, to experience a lot of the things 'cause there's just not enough time. Time. Mm-hmm. And I think that having an itinerary that tries to accomplish everything.

Kind of sets people up for a different type of trip. You know, uh, the Alaska vacation isn't the most, it's not a beach vacation. It's a very much traveling long tours, long days. Um, I would just say that. Just start planning your second trip is after your first one. Yeah. Because you're gonna just find a reason to come back.

Yeah. You know? Um, but the most important part is just coming and I would just be realistic about your days and what you can accomplish and, uh, yeah. Just don't overextend and be, I would say also just be prepared to crash one day. Um, the days are long. Um, no one really gets used to the sunlight up here.

That's kind of like a little secret that no one is used to it. Yeah. And everyone up here crashes like every five days anyway. 

Yeah. 

And so just be, just be prepared to be out of sorts, to be a little bit upside down, um, but to also see some pretty incredible things. 

Yeah. Love that Kellyann, how about you?

Yeah, I think, um, one of the things up here that we can take for granted is, you know, you see the rack cards, you know, lined up at, at the local visitor center and you know, there are families and faces behind each of those rack cards, you know? Yep. Small business employees. Uh, the most Alaskans in our state, so Yep.

Uh, you know, c corporate America doesn't, doesn't really, um, reign here. Yeah. And so just understanding that, that the, the people and places you're putting your money towards are, are supporting livelihoods up here. And I think that's a really cool, cool part of, yeah. Visiting Alaska and, and because of that, you know, people are people so.

Connecting with your tour providers about the. Best places to eat or your accommodation providers about the best things to do. Yeah. Um, I think that would really be my tip is, is understanding that that small business is, is really, um, at the forefront of, of Alaska tourism. And, and I, I think that would be my, my biggest tip is to kind of plug into that 

yes.

Yes. Well, um, before we go, I meant to mention this in the introduction and I, I didn't, but listeners, um, this year, so in, in the end of 2025, Kellyann and Matt were, uh, won the Chuck West Award, which is an award given by the Alaska travel industry to, so people nominate other people in the industry for.

Showing really a unique and special innovation and community impact and kellyann and Matt won that award this year. So I just wanted to take the opportunity to congratulate you guys on that win in. This is not exactly in person, but more in person than in email. Congratulations. So congratulations and thank you for building these beautiful businesses and for joining me today.

Yeah. Thank 

you so much 

for 

having us. 

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Jennie Thwing Flaming

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Jay Flaming

Co-host