It was quite surprising to see a Honda Civic all the way from Florida. Talk about extremes, that's a drive from the southeastern most state to the northwestern most state. The only other two out of state vehicles I've seen are from Washington and Oregon.
I drove down to the Government Hill area and explored the two schools I went to: Government Hill Elementary and Orion Elementary. I spent 1st and 2nd grade at Government Hill while I spent 3rd at Orion. For some reason, Government Hill had to be closed down for the year when I was in 3rd grade; therefore, the students were transferred to Orion on the military base, Elemdorf Air Force Base.
When I arrived at Government Hill, I felt like a kid again. I could remember some of the great times my friends and I had on the playground. I rode the swing and slided and travelled across the monkey bars. Gosh, I still feel like a child, and I guess inside I'll always be a child.
There's now an AT&T building next to Government Hill Elementary School whereas before it was just all land. I can't recall much else.
And Orion? Well, I found the school okay, but I couldn't recall anything else about it. I just drew a blank.
Most of the day was spent hiking around the area. The apartments my dad and I lived in are now gone, and nothing left but a patch of dirt. The original aparments we lived in, Richardson Vista Apts, are still up. The rent for a one bedroom with all bills paid is $480/month. This doesn't include phone, cable, or furniture.
The railroad tracks by the apartments are still operational. This is where I cut my head when I was little. I even saw a train go by and I waived to the conductor, but he just looked at me like, "What the heck is that guy doing waiving at me?"The old neighborhood grocery store is gone. That's the only store I could remember in the little shopping center. Now, there's a liquor store, thrift store, dollar store, and a oriental shop, as well as a few others. I really missed that grocery store...if that sounds corny...I had looked forward to going in and buying something.
When I was a kid, I used to visit this store and purchase comic books, cracker jacks, animal crackers, and sweet tarts. I remember how I'd be disappointed everytime I got the same toy in the cracker jacks. And the comics were used to trade with friends. And the sweet tarts were only a penny a pack; so when I found a penny on the ground, I thought, "Man, I could buy some sweet tarts with this." That store sure does bring back many memories, but unfortunately, it's only a memory.
I spent a little over 2 hours visiting my old "hometown." I say hometown because it's across the bridge (over the railroads) from the rest of Anchorage; it has a small town feel even though it's part of a larger city.
The rest of the day was spent travelling around midtown Anchorage. I even stopped at the Salvation Army off Dimond Street and bought some cool clothes.
