anchorage Archives - Julia O'Malley

For The Guardian: In Alaska, homeless on the frozen streets (with Ash Adams photos)

Julia O'Malley — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 20:34:34 +0000

Two weeks ago, photographer Ash Adams and I spent a few days at Bean’s Cafe and Brother Francis for a story for The Guardian about homelessness in Alaska.

Here’s how the story starts:

As soon as she glimpsed at the body on the icy street, Marie Nickolai knew it was Jackie Amaktoolik. He’d been drinking outside. People said he had collapsed.

She wept as friends coaxed her from the scene. “That’s my brother,” she said.

When homeless people die in Alaska, it is often like this: outside, facilitated by a lethal combination of alcohol and cold.

Nickolai’s stepbrother, known on the streets as Isaac, died on 13 December. The temperature was 6F (-14C).

Nickolai, 42, and her stepbrother grew up among eight siblings in the remote Yupik village of New Stuyahok along the Nushagak river in western Alaska. She said it was a childhood of picking berries, hunting moose, fishing and attending the Russian Orthodox church.

However, for years in their adulthood, Nickolai and Amaktoolik lived on the streets of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Both lived with chronic alcoholism.

Alaska has some of the highest per capita rates of homelessness and alcoholism in America. From October to April, when temperatures can fall below freezing in this city of 300,000, bodies turn up outside with grim predictability; they are found in cars, hunched for warmth near transformer boxes, or in makeshift camps in the city’s many wooded parks.

Read the rest here.

Here are some of Ash’s gorgeous and heartbreaking unpublished images from our reporting:

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – December 14, 2016: Carl, 28, holds a sign on a corner in Anchorage on the morning December 14, 2016, when the temperature remained in single digits. Carl has been homeless for most of his life. According to him, his 20th anniversary of being homeless is coming up next month, shortly after his birthday. He says physically, the hardest part about being homeless in Anchorage is the frostbite; he typically suffers 5 bouts of frostbite each winter, and is presently suffering his second bout this season./ASH ADAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA- December 12, 2016: Shara Summers, 32, sits on her bed in the women’s dormitory in Brother Francis Shelter in Anchorage. Summers says she has been homeless for most of her life./ ASH ADAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – December 13, 2016: JD Hoskins, 58, makes his bed for the night at Bean’s Cafe, a soup kitchen that serves also as a men’s overflow homeless shelter in Anchorage. JD has been volunteering at the cafe to make sure that he has a bed for the night, and hopes to work towards self-sufficiency. /ASH ADAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – December 12, 2016: Michael Charles, 39, and Gabriella Tinker, 23, stand together outside of Brother Francis Shelter. Tinker has been homeless since she was a teenager. Charles came up to Alaska from California recently to work in commercial fishing, and stayed after the season ended. Charles says he is now looking for work. The couple say they were married a few months ago but have never had a photograph made of them together./ASH ADAMS

Marie Nickolai sobs while her husband, Steven Moses tells Nickolai’s other brother that their half-brother died earlier that day. ” I just couldn’t call him,” she says./ASH ADAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – December 12, 2016: People wait in the nightly line to get into Brother Francis Shelter, the largest homeless shelter in Anchorage, which accepts over 200 people every night. Beds are limited, however, and on some nights dozens of people are turned away. Some will be able to get into one of the overflow shelters, while many others will have to find shelter on the street./ASH ADAMS

Steve Moses and Marie Nickolai sit on a mattress in Bean’s Cafe, a soup kitchen which also serves as one of the men’s overflow shelters in Anchorage when the shelter across the parking lot, Brother Francis Shelter, is full. Marie’s half-brother, Jackie Amaktoolik, who was also homeless, died earlier that day in the parking lot. Due to the special circumstances, Bean’s Cafe allowed Marie to stay the night on a mattress separated from the men’s. Before lights out, however, Steven and Marie are kicked out of the shelter for drinking./ASH ADAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA- December 13, 2016: “Rabt” in Bean’s Cafe in Anchorage, says his name came from “up there.” Rabt has been homeless for many years. When he isn’t staying in the cafe, he says he lives in a camp down the street./ASH ADAMS

“Rabt” has been collecting jewelry from trash since he was 7 yeras old, he says. He wears many different pieces around his neck and carries a variety of jewels with him in his pockets and wallet./ASHA DAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – December 13, 2016: A man walks towards Bean’s Cafe and Brother Francis Shelter in Anchorage, Alaska. The city has experienced temperatures in single digits for the past week./ASH ADAMS

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – December 13, 2016: Art Helms, 56, stands outside of Bean’s Cafe, the soup kitchen across from Brother Francis Shelter in Anchorage, Alaska. Helms has been homeless for about a year and four months, and says this is the first time in his life he’s been homeless. Helms, who says he used to work in the oil field and other laborer jobs, says he is trying to get disability status after an injury that happened years ago has made it difficult to work. For now, he volunteers at Bean’s Cafe to make sure that he has a bed every night./ASH ADAMS

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There’s more to my relationship with this place than politics (For The Guardian)

Julia O'Malley — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 18:09:15 +0000

I didn’t vote like most people here on Tuesday and I was surprised by the result of the election, though maybe I shouldn’t have been. As a gay person and a journalist, this election makes me worry for my job and my kids, but it also makes me better understand my neighbors. There’s more to my relationship to this place than politics. I think a lot of Alaskans feel that way. I wrote about this yesterday for The Guardian.

Here’s how it begins:

My dad and I have been rehabbing my old porch this fall. We’ve done most of the work ourselves but for certain things we’ve hired help, and so I’ve been spending some afternoons with an electrician and a painter. They are kind, hard-working guys. I’m always happy to see them in their trucks, backing into the driveway.

The electrician went to school with one of my younger brothers and lived for a short time at my mom’s house when he was a teenager. Now he’s a dad and a former marine, something that makes me proud of him. He’s thoughtful, mature and competent.

He was also leaning towards Trump last time we talked.

Our sons started kindergarten on the same day this fall. We exchanged pictures of them in first-day clothes. We were both emotional. Me, because of passing time. Him, because he worried for his kid’s safety. It might not be rational, he told me as I watched him twist wires, but that’s how he feels. As the conversation went on, he lifted his pant leg to show me a small handgun strapped to his ankle.

Many people own firearms here in Alaska, and many people carry them all the time, often concealed. It’s part of the culture, and practical in rural places. Even so, I thought about my electrician friend later, about feeling like it might come down to that, that you might need to protect yourself and your family because nobody else would.

The next time he came by, we talked about the election. He’s self-employed. Alaska’s health insurance situation under Obamacare might be the worst in the country. That alone was a reason to want a change. Plus, he’d read somewhere about Clinton being in poor health. I told him I was voting for her. I wasn’t passionate about it, but I’m a journalist, gay, married, with children, I said. I didn’t want to end up in the clink.

We both laughed. He flipped on the lights and they worked. It was about time for him to head out, he said.

Next came the painter…

Read the rest here.

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For Edible Alaska: Meet Double-Shovel Cider

Julia O'Malley — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 00:00:44 +0000

I’m so excited to be part of the new Alaska food magazine, Edible Alaska. The first issue is gorgeous. Look! You can find it at La Bodega in Anchorage.

(I had a great time meeting the guys who have started the state’s first cidery, Double Shovel. Their cider is available now!)

Here’s the top of the story:

Anchorage diners will see a new local brew on the drink menu this summer, and it won’t be beer. Hard cider from Double Shovel Cider Company will be on tap at city restaurants just about the time Anchorage’s crabapple trees bloom.

“We want this to be like a local microbrew, but something different,” said one of the owners, Galen Jones.

Double Shovel will also offer growlers at its warehouse taproom off Potter Drive.

The company—named for a caribou antler configuration prized by hunters—was started by three 30-something engineers: Jerry Lau, his brother Jack Lau, and Jones. All three grew up in South Anchorage and are childhood friends. Galen and Jerry don’t eat wheat (and therefore don’t drink beer). They were serious hobby cider makers before they started to work on their business plan three years ago.

Their market research showed them two important things: cider-drinking is a growing trend, as is the gluten-free movement, Jack Lau said. It also doesn’t hurt that Anchorage has a healthy brewery scene. The city loves local.

“What does every restaurant want right now? They want at least one cider tap,” Jones said. “And they want local. We’re both.”

Pick up a copy, or read more here.

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For the ADN: What it means to take a shower when you’re homeless

Julia O'Malley — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 16:43:18 +0000

(This is the first time I’ve written something for the Dispatch News since the name and ownership changed. It feels good to write about Anchorage for Anchorage readers. I’ve missed it….)

Early Tuesday morning, 11 men and a woman stood on the concrete steps outside Anchorage’s Downtown Soup Kitchen. The night before, they’d slept in tents, in cars, abandoned buildings and on shelter mats. But that morning they were lucky. They were about to get a shower.

There are only a few places in Anchorage a person living on the street can take a shower for free. Brother Francis is one. The Rescue Mission is another. The Soup Kitchen shower house opens to a group of 12 twice a day. Each person is entitled to 20 minutes of hot water in a private bathroom, shampoo, shaving cream, lotion and sunscreen. The morning group may also have their clothes washed by volunteers. People sign up in advance and look forward to it.

“Take a shower, change my T-shirt. You know, you feel clean, you feel better about yourself,” said Nick Makaily, a 57-year-old in a ball cap, a regular. He’s been sleeping in a homeless camp since January, he said.

Anchorage’s homeless population is highly visible in some respects — most recently in news stories about crime and loitering in Town Square Park — but people standing outside the shower house this week described feeling invisible. Looking dirty, especially, marks you as different, they said. People look right through you.

Read the rest here.

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Before and After: Anchorage’s oldest coffee shop gets a makeover (sponsored)

Julia O'Malley — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 17:05:32 +0000

By Kaisa Cummings

Anchorage loves coffee. And for longtime residents, that love began with a warm mug from Cafe Del Mundo, the coffee shop that introduced the city to espresso 40 years ago.

Founder Perry Merkel, who started roasting coffee in a shed in Spenard, was part of the first wave of specialty coffee culture that brought Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee. When Merkel retired and sold the shop to Kaladi Brothers in 2010, the new owners wanted to update both its coffee and its interior, without losing its welcoming feel and commitment to good coffee thoughtfully sourced from around the world. Many regular customers at del Mundo’s midtown location have been coming for decades.

“We wanted to build an environment around the coffee,” said Jared Mockli, the shop’s general manager, “while maintaining a comfortable, upscale atmosphere.”

Here’s what it looks like now:

Photo: Brian Adams

Mockli talked me through the redesign—over coffee, of course—on a recent Wednesday morning. Most of the bar seating and bistro tables were occupied and the server behind the counter was busy tending a round of pour-over coffees.

Black Cup roasts small batches of coffee ethically sourced from around the world. Photo: Brian Adams.

You can still get an expertly-prepared espresso at Black Cup, but the shop now offers several types of drip-style coffee, best served black. Many of the drinks at Black Cup are made using the classic pour-over method, which dates back to the early 20th century and is still widely considered the most efficient way to make a quality cup.

From my seat, I could also see and hear the latest, dazzling addition to the coffee bar, the Steampunk machine, which is considered to be the future of craft coffee brewing technology.

The Steampunk coffee maker. Photo: Brian Adams

Efficiency and beauty were key to a successful remodel, Mockli told me. Being able to see and engage with the person making coffee and the coffee making process is also central to the Black Cup floorplan. The coffee bar is extensive and open with white marble countertops. A record player sits behind the bar, providing the soundtrack, and occasionally a barista will deftly lift the needle and change the record.

Photo: Brian Adams

In the back seating area, geometric black and white floor tiles anchor the modern palette, while mahogany wood tables and secluded booths add visual warmth and elegance. Brushed metal barstools and chandeliers offer simple accents.

Photo: Brian Adams

The design concept is attributed to Black Cup owner Brad Bigelow, who has an extensive background and masters degree in architecture and design. He envisioned what fellow designer Michele Parkhurst later described as, “a new-old space that is unlike what you see in Alaska.” And she’s right: Black Cup is much more European bistro than Anchorage cafe. “The cafe design was primarily influenced by early 20th century glamour,” Parkhurst said, “with big window curtain panels, chandeliers, Persian-influenced tile floors, and communal tables.”

A cozy corner. Photo: Brian Adams

Those involved in the redesign worked hard to gracefully incorporate references to the original shop. The long central table has been refinished but remains the same. The wall-size map is an homage to an older version that hung on the same wall. The espresso machine, too, is a holdover, but will soon be replaced with another innovative coffee gadget: the Modbar, which will be the first of its kind in Alaska.

The world map is an homage to a del Mundo original. Photo: Brian Adams

“We’re providing a craft-coffee experience,” Mockli explains, “We’re focusing on the origin of coffee: how the coffee is grown, harvested, and processed, and how all those factors go into creating a different type of quality and an added experience for our customers.”

As I finish my coffee, I look around at the cafe-goers around me. People of all ages sip their beverages, type on laptops, chat with friends. There’s an ease that Black Cup achieves through its dedication to simplicity, to the idea that great coffee can bring people together, and that ease can be seen in its customers.

If Cafe del Mundo first inspired people in Anchorage to look for superior quality in their coffee, then Black Cup is propelling this notion even further by creating an entire atmosphere around their delicious brews.

While cream and sugar are still acceptable additions, I suggest you take your next cup black.

Photo: Brian Adams

(This post is sponsored by Black Cup. Go here for more information on sponsored posts or other sponsorship opportunities.)

Visit Black Cup.

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City notebook: A postcard from Spenard

Julia O'Malley — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 00:32:42 +0000

This semester in my journalism class at UAA, my students are doing some focused work on the Spenard neighborhood. A few weeks ago they went for a walk in the neighborhood and used Instagram to try to a capture a sense of place. Here’s a look:

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For Saveur: Anchorage’s favorite bowls of soup

Julia O'Malley — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 20:21:41 +0000

Behold: my first contribution (in print!) to Saveur, the first food magazine I ever subscribed to. Subject: pho in Anchorage, with a shout-out to PhoNatik‘s Tony Chheum, one of the most passionate food people I’ve met. It’s just a little thing in the special issue that hits newsstands today, but I’m excited and happy give a nod to my town’s favorite bowl of noodle soup. I’ve got more where this came from! Stay tuned.

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Guest City Notebook: Free Anchorage NYE moments not to miss

Julia O'Malley — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 19:50:51 +0000

By Gretchen Fauske

The biggest party of the year is in downtown Anchorage on New Years Eve. Approximately 7,000 – 10,000 people gather around Town Square on December 31st to ring in the New Year and enjoy the festivities (kicking off at 5:00 PM). Opportunities for all ages entertainment include live music from I Love Robots and Big Fat Buddha, beats by DJ GRE, light shows, two beer gardens hosted by Humpy’s Bar and the Avenue Bar featuring celebratory libations for the 21 and over crowd, classic carnival games and hot cocoa for the kiddos, food trucks, and FIREWORKS! It’s a fantastically fun (and FREE!) way to spend your New Year’s Eve.

These are my can’t miss moments:

More than 1,200 pounds of fireworks detonating directly overhead! Fireworks are launched in front of the Whale Wall on E Street, which means that if you’re partying in Town Square or any of the surrounding buildings you’ll have a front row seat for a spectacular show (I’ve been told it’s going to be bigger, brighter, and better than ever before!). The fireworks start at 8:00 PM.
A menagerie… with a MINI HORSE!

Credit: Jessica Spengler via Flickr

Lambs, pigs, and ducks – oh my! The goats and a calf are pretty darn cute too. Swing by 5th Ave between E & F Street until 7pm for a dose of sweet baby animal love.

3. Spotting a fictional English spy

Credit: 007Now

Rumor has it that a James Bond look-a-like of the Daniel Craig variety will be pre-partying at Town Square before he heads over to the License to Thrill party at the Sheraton (think he’ll make a Spectre of himself?). Faux celebrity spotting is always fun and seriously, can you tell the difference? Might as well snag a selfie with 007 (if you can find him, that is!)

4. FIRE!

Credit: Anchorage Downtown Partnership

Not just fireworks: fire dancing, fire throwing, and fire juggling. Nothing lights up the night like a bit of flame being thrown about! Bask in the glow while you marvel at the artistry – with a dash of daredevilry – on display.

I hope you enjoy the party! Cheers to a happy New Year, and see you all in 2016!

For more information about the New Year’s Eve Celebration, visit www.AnchorageDowntown.Org. And if you’re still looking for the perfect way to spend New Year’s Eve, Alaska Dispatch pulled together a roundup of events happening around town. Cheers!

Gretchen Fauske blogs at GretchenLovesAnchorage and volunteers for the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. She spent her childhood NYEs competing with her brother to see who could stand barefoot in the snow the longest while holding a sparkler.

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Readers’ choice: Most popular posts of 2015

Julia O'Malley — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 20:11:36 +0000

By far, I have to say the most fun writing I’ve had this year has been on this blog. This site has been visited about 175,000 times this year by 85,000 individual viewers. Thank you all for reading. Here are some of the posts you liked best:

1. How to buy an IKEA couch and have it delivered to Alaska. Yup: with perseverance, you too can have all the Swedish-designed, Allen-wrench assembled furniture you want and even with shipping, it’s comparable to what you can buy in AK. AND, AN UPDATE: I went to IKEA in Seattle over Thanksgiving and was pleased to discover they have a sweet shipping desk where somebody will help you get your stuff to a freight forwarder. It’s $100 bucks, but much smoother than the rogue approach I’ve taken before. I used Linden as my shipper. They were GREAT.

2. For Talking Points Memo: What the Lower 48 doesn’t get about Denali The best line, from my sister-in-law’s friend Ajax, who I reached on his fishing boat in the Gulf of Alaska: “It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “Let’s do whatever’s cheap.”

3. Before & After: The Living Room. (That down there is what it looked like before.)

4. Before & After: The Kitchen (It was pretty heinous.)

5. Before & After: The Master Bedroom I should have kept the light fixture.

6. This is a guest post by the talented event planner Erin Velander of Blomma Designs: Xtratufs, pistols, mountain peaks: Four truly-Alaskan weddings (This is her wedding photo)

7. Before & After: A pink bathroom gets a makeover, keeps its mid-century soul Look at that pink wall-mounted toilet.

8. For the Anchorage Press: Getting sideways. This was a blog-post-turned-essay about the time I got two visiting journalism professors and my baby stuck at the top of Arctic Valley in a rain/ice storm. Because? I still don’t understand my thought process. Luckily my dad came to the rescue.

9. For The Guardian: Alaskans put politics aside for Obama visit. Remember that one time when the president came to Alaska?

10.Friday/Pieday: Cranberry Curd Tart. I know, Uncle Tommy is right, there is something weird about reading “curd” next to “tart.”

A GIANT thanks to all of my contributors and guest copy editors. Happy New Year, my friends. Here’s to more fun!

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Guest City Notebook: Kaisa’s last-minute, shop-small, Anchorage gift guide

Julia O'Malley — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 23:51:17 +0000

by Kaisa Cummings

It’s a fact: some of the best gifts are bought at the last minute. If looking at the calendar is giving you heart palpitations, if the litany of names on your shopping list is spontaneously multiplying, and if the thought of going to the mall one more time gives you an instant migraine, fear not! Some seriously amazing Anchorage small businesses are here to help. From stocking stuffers to hostess gifts, there are plenty of quality gifting options to be found in our fair city. While there are many special places to shop in Anchorage, here are some of my favorite options in Midtown and Downtown Anchorage.

Bloomsbury Blooms

706 W. 4th Ave.

Widely regarded as the cutest flower shop in Anchorage (full disclosure: sometimes I work there), Bloomsbury Blooms, also carries carefully curated local and vintage goods.

The first pic in this post is of a basket of my favorite things: The Flower Recipe Book by Althea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo of Studio Choo ($24.99), Mint Floral Journal by Rifle Paper Co. ($15), beeswax candle pair by Holy Archangel Candles ($8.50), vintage red velvet ribbon on wooden spool ($5), handmade crock by MEZ Alaskan Pottery ($30), handmade gazelle greeting card ($3.50)

Octopus Ink Clothing

410 G. Street

Specializing in eco-friendly clothing with original designs by local artist Shara Dorris, Octopus Ink is also a functional gallery for other talented Alaskan makers. Favorite things: AttiCo herbal and floral small batch bath salts ($5.25), Juanitas Handmade pouches ($28+), Willow Designs cuddly creatures ($34), Alaska Glacial Mud Co. Glacial Facial ($34), Anne Estes embroidered compact mirrors ($27)

Her Tern Boutique

811 W. 8th Ave.

Her Tern Boutique is a real gem in the local fashion world. Here you will find some of Anchorage’s most drool-worthy garments and accessories from hip designers. If you have a stylish honey that needs spoiling or a swanky holiday party to attend, Her Tern will hook you up with all the pretty things—(just make sure your last paycheck has cleared first). For a more modest budget, browse their selection of elegant accessories.

Some goodies that won’t break the bank: Hansel from Basel knitted slippers ($28), S’well insulated bottles (starting at $25), Hansel from Basel Kids patterned socks ($22), Fresh Tangerine geometric studs [made in Seattle, WA] ($26), Liebeskind Berlin leather wallet ($28), Baggu large leather clutch ($48)

Cabin Fever

650 W. 4th Ave.

Cabin Fever is a good spot to find kitschy Alaskana for relatives in the lower 48, but don’t be so quick to write this off as another gift shop. You can also find cozy Fair Trade knits, handmade pottery, and a lovely selection of kids books!

Favorites include: Alice Treagal’s One of a Kind recycled wool mittens ($69.95), Life is Beautiful extra chunky knit hats ($24), Mama, Do you Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse ($7.99), My Wilderness: An Alaska Adventure by Claudia McGehee ($16.99), handmade coasters with glass ($12)

La Bodega

530 E. Benson Blvd.

At La Bodega you can find the whole gambit of Alaska-made spirits, beer, and wine for all the connoisseurs and mixologists in the family. Whether it’s gin from Port Chilkoot Distillery in Haines or a bottle of Mosaic Saison from Anchorage Brewing, your contribution to the holiday bar will not go unnoticed.

Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge

530 E. Benson Blvd.

Chocolate is a quick and delicious stocking stuffer. Modern Dwellers chocolate bars, made on site with strange and magical ingredients, is a particularly special treat. Combinations include smoked salmon dark chocolate, white chocolate citrus, and milk chocolate with vanilla bean and smoked bacon salt. Assorted exotic chocolate truffles can also be mixed and matched individually for festive gift boxes!

Favorites: Spicy Dark and Spicy Mayan mini drinking chocolate ($7.95), chocolate squares ($8.25), medium size drinking chocolate ($16.75)

It’s the thought that counts, right? This year, combine thoughtful gift giving with thoughtful practices. Shop small, support local makers, and let the good karma roll on in.

Kaisa is a Midwest transplant, writer and budding florist. She bakes, hikes, and knits in Anchorage, Alaska.

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