VirtualGlobetrotting: Alaska: Anchorage

VirtualGlobetrotting Live View

Elmendorf Air Force Base
nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic.
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Map Distortion example (Fixed by Google)
TexasAndroid (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: TexasAndroid.
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Because of the way Google lays out a globe on a flat surface, horizontal distances get stretched in places. This get more pronounced the closer you get to the poles.
In the given example, in Anchorage Alaska, the intersections in the visible city zone are actually all normal right angles.

Mulcahy Stadium
albinoflea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: albinoflea.
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Home of the Alaska League's Anchorage Bucs

Anchorage Football Stadium
neotrix (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: neotrix.
The Anchorage Football Stadium is a 3,500-seat stadium in Anchorage, Alaska used for American football, track and field, and soccer. Anchorage Football Stadium is located next to Mulcahy Stadium and Sullivan Arena. It was one the first sports facilities to have a FieldTurf surface installed in 1999.

Google car goes through McDonald's drive-thru
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.

Heritage Park, Elmendorf AFB
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
Other than the aircraft inthe thumbnails there is a P-38 just across the parking lot and street to the north.

Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor
Rene73 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Rene73.
New Google Earth Imagery - 18.05.2011

Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC)
andrewmorrell (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: andrewmorrell.
The remarkably busy cargo area of the last outpost airport.

Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea.
One of less than 50 multi-venue performing arts centers in the United States, the Alaska Center’s four state-of-the-art performance spaces, spacious lobbies, and support areas comprise 176,000 square feet. More than 240,000 children and adults visit the Alaska Center every year to experience the very best of the world’s music, dance and theatre.
While the Alaska Center is owned by the Municipality of Anchorage, the facility is managed by Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (ACPA). ACPA is a non-profit organization that has managed the Alaska Center since its grand opening in 1988.

Sun and Scale Model of Solar System
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
The solar system walk was designed by a high school student astronomy buff, and was the Centennial Project of the Anchorage Rotar Club.
The model's scale was "chosen so that a leisurely walking pace mimics the speed of light." The Earth is at 5th Ave. and K St., an 8 minute walk (how long the light of the Sun takes to reach Earth). Pluto is in Kincaid Park, SW of Anchorage, a 5 1/2 hour walk by way of the other planets.

Alignment mark

Film tag identifies camera used to shoot aerial photos
(I inverted the thumbnail so it could be more easily read.)
Here's a label or tag from the film used to photograph the Google Maps / Google Earth / Keyhole images. The RMK Top 15 is a camera used in aerial photography.
There has been debate in the past as to whether these photos are all satellite or not. This camera is not used in satellite photography, only aerial photography.
Here's a good article about LA using this camera to map their entire county used in NavigateLA.

Scotty Gomez Neighborhood Rink
milwhcky (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: milwhcky.
In 2008, professional hockey player Scotty Gomez made a substantial donation to rebuild an outdoor ice rink in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. As a young child, he learned how to skate on this rink located in Tikishla Park.
Gomez currently plays with the Montreal Canadiens after seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils and two seasons with the New York Rangers.

'Harpel House 2' by John Lautner
pmoore66 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: pmoore66.

Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
Hinkkanen (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Hinkkanen.
This Cargomaster (N199AB, ex-61999) is owned by Cargomaster Corp (Ted Stevens International Airport, AK) and it flies only occasionally. That airplane has never been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for civilian operation. Thus, it must fly as a government aircraft, mostly for the State of Alaska, where the last known flights were in the summer of 2004. More about this particular aircraft here:
http://www.ruudleeuw.com/c-133_by_sibitzky.htm

Conoco-Phillips Building (tallest building in Alaska)
AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea.
At 90.2 m (296 ft), this is the tallest building in Anchorage and in Alaska.

Anchorage Museum of History and Art (AMHA)
AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea.
A world-class museum located in the heart of Alaska’s largest city, the Anchorage Museum of History & Art began as a public-private partnership to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the purchase of Alaska from Russia. The Museum opened its doors in 1968 with an exhibition of 60 borrowed Alaska paintings, and a collection of 2,500 historic and ethnographic objects loaned from the local historical society.
A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts made possible the first visiting national exhibition, "The Far North," from the National Gallery of Art in 1973. That same year, the Museum became the first museum in Alaska accredited by the American Association of Museums, and voters approved a bond issue to pay for a 15,000 square-foot building addition.
In the next decade, with the flood of revenues from oil development, the state funded community-wide building projects. "Project 80’s" led to a major 140,000 square-foot expansion of the Museum in 1986. Funds were raised to complete the Alaska Gallery, a showcase of the Museum’s permanent historic and ethnographic collection. This Gallery remains a popular Alaska resident and tourist destination, helping school children and adults alike explore Alaska’s unique history and rich cultures.
As the facility grew, so did the Museum’s collections. The permanent collection now numbers 17,500 objects plus an education collection of roughly 2,000 artifacts; the Department contains more than 350,000 historical photographs. Operating beyond the walls of its building, the Museum is now responsible for the Municipality’s 276 works of public art, valued at more than $5.8 million.
Each year, more than 20 travelling exhibits from around the globe visit the Museum. Recent visiting exhibitions include those featuring works made entirely of recycled materials; an exhibit inside and outside the building by light artists, and Wrapped In Pride a touring celebration of Ghanaian kente cloth and African American identity. Travelling exhibitions are complemented by innovative public programming--community-wide cultural events, Free Family Days featuring local artists and hands-on art activities, and docent-led tours for approximately 15,000 school children every year.
In 1992, the Museum became the home of the first regional office of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History Arctic Studies Center. The Arctic Studies Center supports the Museum’s mission through research, education, collections and exhibitions. Today the Museum–one of the 10 most visited attractions in Alaska—looks forward to another expansion of both its facility and mission, to become the region’s premier repository and workshop for the study, appreciation, and enjoyment of the culture and science of the North.

Korey Klingenmeyer's (Palin Brawl) house
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.
Korey Klingenmeyer's owns this house where the alleged "Palin Brawl" took place.

C-17 Crash - Elmendorf AFB
KRL (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: KRL.
Site of the first C-17 crash, with four fatalities. Just north of the AFB along the train tracks. Attached photos show very little is recognizable post crash. Nothing noted in the satellite image taken the next year.

Alaska Botanical Garden
The garden's land consists mainly of spruce and birch forest, of which only about 10% is developed. Wildlife (moose and sometimes bears) are frequently seen within the garden itself. The garden currently includes:
* Over 1,100 species of perennials in the Upper and Lower Perennial Gardens (of which some 150 are native to Alaska)
* An herb garden
* A rock garden with over 350 types of alpine plants
* A wildflower walk
* The 1.1-mile (1.8-km) Lowenfels Family Nature Trail

KRL (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: KRL.
Ready ramp at Elmendorf AFB.

Floatplanes in Anchorage
staytrue821 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: staytrue821.
Loads of poontoon Aircraft in Anchorage

WWII 1943 PBY 5A Catalina Canso
On display at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.
While operating with the 10th Rescue Squadron in 1947 at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the Catalina landed at Dago Lake on the Alaska Peninsula. It was an emergency landing caused by engine failure. As government surplus, it was purchased several years later by the R. S. Richards family, stripped of parts and left at Dago Lake until 1984. A gigantic recovery project conducted by the National Guard and air museum finally brought the huge amphibian to the museum in 1984.
Pictures of PBYs
The most famous flying boat of WW II, the PBY Catalina was built in large numbers, and some are still in use today. While it was slow by contemporary standards, the PBY more than made up for its lack of speed with its reliability and great range, as well as the fact that as a flying boat it could land on the water for rescue missions. Its long range made it an excellent reconnaissance aircraft over the world's oceans. It could be used as a bomber when other aircraft were unavailable, and Catalinas attacked targets at sea with bombs, depth charges, and even torpedoes. [daveswarbirds.com]

Airborne UH-1 helicopter at Merrill Field

Fort Richardson National Cemetery
Fort Richardson National Cemetery is located on the Fort Richardson Military Reservation in Anchorage, Alaska. During World War II, 39 acres of Fort Richardson were set aside for use as a temporary burial site where deceased soldiers—regardless of nationality—could be laid to rest. Under the international program for the return of war dead, most of the soldiers interred at Fort Richardson were returned to their families. There were, however, some soldiers who remained buried at Fort Richardson either because the next of kin could not be found or their families requested that they remain interred in Alaska.
Perhaps the most famous resident of Fort Richardson National Cemetery was Kermit Roosevelt, son of the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt. Kermit, who had held previous commissions in the Army, was assigned to Fort Richardson with a specific billet but worked hard to create a niche for himself. He often accompanied pilots on their missions over the Aleutian Islands and played an active role in recruiting the native Alaskan tribes to join a territorial militia. Roosevelt died at Fort Richardson June 3, 1943. His wife, Belle Roosevelt, advised then Chief of Staff General Dwight D. Eisenhower, that she wished for Kermit to be buried at the site. His father, she conveyed, had always said: “Where a tree falls, there let it lay.

Merrill Field (MRI)
Merrill Field was established in 1930 one mile east of downtown Anchorage on 436 acres. This was the first real airport in Anchorage. The airport bears the name of Russel Hyde Merrill. Russel Merrill was an early Alaskan aviation pioneer who disappeared in September 1929 on a flight to Bethel. The first aviation beacon in the Territory of Alaska was located at Merrill Field and was dedicated on September 25, 1932 to the honor of Russ Merrill.
Merrill Field is a "General Aviation Airport," restricted to aircraft that weigh 12,500 pounds or less.

Seward Highway
The Seward Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 127 miles (204 km) from Seward to Anchorage. It was completed in 1951 and runs through the scenic Kenai Peninsula and Turnagain Arm, for which it was designated an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Seward Highway is numbered Alaska Route 9 for the first 37 miles (58 km) from Seward to the Sterling Highway, and Alaska Route 1 for the remaining distance to Anchorage. At the junction with the Sterling Highway, Alaska Route 1 turns west towards Sterling and Homer.

Lake Hood Seaplane Base (PALH)
Hundreds of seaplanes.

Weapons Depot
Elmendorf Air Force Base

Anchorage Marriott Downtown

LDS Temple - Anchorage
notyab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: notyab.
Buildings/Religious

Sullivan Arena
romulusnr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: romulusnr.

Alaska Pacific University
aicra (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: aicra.

Alaska Museum of Natural History

Sea Plane
nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic.

Dredging Barge

Delaney Park Strip
The Delaney Park Strip is an 11-block park in the municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. It was originally Anchorage's airfield.
Known to the Anchorage community as the Park Strip, Delaney Park is the oldest park in the city. It was established as part of the original Anchorage township plat in 1917, and named for James Delaney, one of the first mayors of Anchorage.
The park was originally used simply as a firebreak, but in 1922 it became “The Golf Course”. The community used the space both for a golf course and an airstrip. In 1929, however, Merrill Field opened, so the Delaney Park airstrip was no longer necessary.
In 1954, the Parks & Recreation Department began to develop recreation facilities for a variety of activities and events, including ice skating, softball, horseshoes and later, tennis. In 1958, the Park Strip hosted the Alaska Statehood Celebration.
Presently, the park is used for a variety of community events, sports and festivals year-round.

Robert B. Atwood Building

'Crystal Lattice' by by Robert Pfitzenmeier
pmoore66 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: pmoore66.
At the Anchorage Museum of History and Art

Come On. Let's Go...!!!
Hinkkanen (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Hinkkanen.
Large writing at the Lake Hood Seaplane Airport

Fairchild C-119 Boxcar
Picture
Pictures
The C-119, developed from the WW II Fairchild C-82, was designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute. The first C-119 made its initial flight in November 1947 and by the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1,100 C-119s had been built. The USAF used the airplane extensively during the Korean War and many were supplied to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and to the Air Forces of Canada, Belgium, Italy, and India. In South Vietnam, the airplane once again entered combat, this time in a ground support role as AC-119 "gunships" mounting side-firing weapons capable of firing up to 6,000 rounds per minute per gun.

National Park Service Alaska Regional Office
microscopicxp (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: microscopicxp.

Fairchild C-123 Provider
In 1943, the Chase Aircraft Company was created to design and build a heavy assault cargo glider for the US Army. Several early prototypes eventually led to the production of the XG-20 glider in 1949. The new US Air Force expressed an interest in a powered version of the aircraft, so the company installed two 2,200-hp Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp engines and named it the XC-123 Aviatruc. It was first flown on 14 October 1949.
In 1953, a production order for 300 C-123B Providers was received by the Kaiser-Frazer Company, which had since acquired a majority holding in the Chase Company. When Kaiser-Frazer had production difficulties, Fairchild stepped in and took over the C-123 program. The first production aircraft reached the Air Force in late 1954, and immediately became popular with tactical transport aircrews for its ruggedness and reliability. A small number were delivered to Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, the Philippines, Taiwan and South Vietnam.
In the early 1960s, a couple of Fairchild J-44 turbojet engines were fitted in pods under the wing, giving the aircraft a big boost in performance and resulting in the C-123J. Later, the C-123K variant appeared, which featured two 2,800-lb thrust J85 turbojets in similar pods.
Most US Air Force C-123s served in the Vietnam War, where they served as troop and cargo haulers. Some were utilized as defoliant (Agent Orange) sprayers (UC-123Ks) in Operation Ranch Hand, and at least two were modified as armament-carrying AC-123K / NC-123Ks, which operated at night against enemy truck convoys. The C-123 soldiered on into the 1980s, serving with several Air National Guard units, some being fitted with wheel/ski landing gear for use in Arctic conditions.
Today, surplus C-123s are popular with small freight companies throughout the Americas, and a few are even found on the warbird circuit. Several are repeatedly used in television advertising and movies when the need arises for the representation of a large, generic military cargo aircraft.

Hilton Anchorage (East Tower)

Unusual Circle - Fort Richardson
Can't tell what this used to be. There are a lot of foundations that look WWII in age.
Any ideas?

Fuzzy Dice
deverettreed (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: deverettreed.
On Elmendorf Airforce Base in Alaska. Probably unit logo.

Boeing E-3 Sentry
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American military airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft based on the Boeing 707 that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, to the United States, United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, and NATO air defense forces. It is distinguished by the disc-shaped radome above the fuselage. Production ended in 1992 after 68 had been built.

Weapons Depot - Elmendorf AFB

Balto the Wonder Dog Statue
LancelotLink (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: LancelotLink.

Snow plow train
Dania (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Dania.

'The Alaska Railroad' Tank locomotive
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Airplane In Flight - Poontoon Plane
Trooper111 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Trooper111.

Alaska Zoo
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Wyland Whale Mural - 'Alaska's Marine Life'

Boeing 767-232(BDSF) - ABX Air
adrbr (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: adrbr.

Rain on the Google car lens

'Images Intervention' by Dennis Oppenheim
pmoore66 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: pmoore66.
on the UAA campus

Antonov AN-124 "Ruslan"
Rene73 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Rene73.
New Google Earth Imagery - 18.05.2011

Seaplane Takeoff Lake Hood
SpiderX22 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: SpiderX22.

Lyle Aune's House
jdubble07 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: jdubble07.
Lyle Aune is president of AAA Fence.

Alaska Native Heritage Center
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is an educational and cultural institution for all Alaskans, located in Anchorage, Alaska. The center opened in 1999, and has become Alaska's premier interactive cultural destination. The Alaska Native Heritage Center shares the rich heritage of Alaska's 11 major cultural groups. Visitors experience Alaska Native culture first-hand through engaging storytelling, authentic Native song and dance, artist demonstrations, Native Games demonstrations and more. Unique opportunities to interact and participate create an enlightening educational experience for young and old alike.
The Heritage Center, located ten miles from downtown Anchorage, is situated on 26 wooded acres. Inside – the Hall of Cultures, Theatre and Gathering place are home to many of our activities and demonstrations. Outside – guests stroll through six authentic life-sized Native dwellings surrounding beautiful Lake Tiulana and are introduced to the traditional life ways of the Indigenous people of Alaska. The current media & strategic initiatives director is percussionist and producer Steven Alvarez.

Giant fishing rods

The Alaska Railroad #556
WacoKidd110 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: WacoKidd110.
Baldwin Locomotive Works built steam locomotive, 2-8-0 configuration

WWII 1943 PBY 5A Catalina Canso

Anchorage Correctional Complex
Matheus_ (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Matheus_.
Inmates housed at Anchorage Correctional Complex are able to do a variety of self help programs. Depending on the building the inmate is in they may have access to alcoholics anonymous, anger management courses, and educational programs.

'Quartet' by William King

'Bone Music' by Leo Vait

Sea buoy painted as a chick

Cyrano's Off Center Playhouse
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.

Airplane over Alaskan waters
andrewmorrell (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: andrewmorrell.
Cessnas are like cars in Alaska.

'Aurora' by Keith Appel
1980 - at the Old Federal building

Llama
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.

Alaska Museum of Natural History
Matheus_ (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Matheus_.

Dismantled plane at A Sentry Mini Storage
Dania (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Dania.

Playground Rocket Ship
Fab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Fab.

'The Last Blue Whale' by Joseph Priniciotti

'Transition' by James Schoppert

'Balanced Arch' by William Yusaburo Kmura
1981

'Habitat' by Antony Gormley
2010

'Tetradigm ' by Ted Jonsso
on the U of A campus
1976

Seaplane
milwhcky (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: milwhcky.
One of several small planes that can be seen along the side of this road.

Guards at A Sentry Mini Storage
Dania (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Dania.

Anchorage City Trolley Tours
Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989.

Kincaid Park
Kincaid Park is a 1,516.78-acre (6.1382 km2) municipal park in Anchorage, Alaska, located at 9401 W. Raspberry Road. The park is bounded on the South by Turnagain Arm, on the West by Knik Arm. Noted for Nordic skiing trails, in snowless months the park is frequented by runners, bikers, hikers, archers, dog-trainers, motocross users, disc golfers, and rollerskiers. Other winter activities include snowshoeing, sledding and biathlon (many trees were cut Spring of 2006 for the biathlon range). The park was created in 1968 and in 1978 expanded to include the location of a Nike missile site.

Mark Richey's House
jdubble07 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: jdubble07.
Mark Richey is an Anchorage, AK based OB-GYN. His home is the most expensive on the market for sale in Alaska.

Fairchild C-123J Provider
The C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force. It went on to serve most notably with various armed forces in South East Asia.
The C-123J which were fitted with retractable skis for operations in Greenland and Alaska on compacted snow runways.

McDonnell F-4C Phantom II

Gwennie's Old Alaska Restaurant
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.
Gwennie's is an Anchorage restaurant that has reached institution status. If you haven't eaten at Gwennie's, you haven't fully experienced Anchorage. Inside you will find a hodge podge of native art, historical memorabilia, and post-taxidermist local wildlife.

Sled dog mural
milwhcky (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: milwhcky.

Polar
gamma (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: gamma.

Rail car elevated and used as a bar

Airplane Wreck Site
skyeye (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: skyeye.
An airplane wreck was discovered on Knik Glacier, possibly revealed by the melting ice. I can't see anything in remote images.

1967 Cessna A185E
Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989.

Grumman HU-16C Albatross
Mike1989 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike1989.
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat that was utilized by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, primarily as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft. Originally designated as the SA-16 for the USAF and the JR2F-1 and UF-1 for the USN and USCG, it was redesignated as the HU-16 in 1962.

Boeing 747 (UPS)
Rene73 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Rene73.

'Habitat' by Antony Gormley
at the Anchorage Museum garden

Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Alaska

Alaska Native Arts
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.

Aircraft static display at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
Fab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Fab.