An End to the Summer

Today marks the last night that we will be playing on the Princess Cruise ships this summer. We are excited to leave for our Fall tour (This coming Sunday evening! It's almost here!), but playing on the Princess Cruise ships has been absolutely wonderful!

A few key things we will be missing:

1.) The FOOD - Paul especially has loved filling a plate (or two...or three...) every night (and yes, sometimes at lunch too) before a show. We just wish Melissa had let us go up and try the ice cream and milkshakes, but sadly, dairy like that just isn't good for the voice before a show. 

2.) The stage crews - Wow! If we could talk a few of the people we've come to know this summer into traveling with us, we would never have to set up, take down, do sound or our own lighting ever again! It would be heaven... One of the best things about playing on the ships was being able to show up, practice a little bit, and step right on stage. They had everything done for us.

3.) The BIG fancy stages -  After working lots and lots of summers at the Mount Roberts Tramway (which we adore for different reasons), a big stage to really move around on was extra special and made us feel like rock stars (even when only eight people showed up for the show - YES, that really happened).

One thing we will NOT miss:

1.) The evil looks we got from security when we were late getting off the ship because they scheduled our show right before departure leaving us no time to get paid or pack up - One guy DID look like Hugh Jackman though, so that was sort of a consolation prize...

We thought we would show you a little bit of a look at the Coral Princess Cruise ship as we get on to play our last show. Hope you enjoy it!

Our Guide to Juneau - Downtown

We're doing a short little series on our favorite places here in Juneau! So many times up at the tram, we are asked where the locals go, or where the prettiest spots are. 

Well, here are your questions answered! Our favorite places to go to, and the places we think you've just gotta see while you're here!

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Now that the summer is here, downtown is packed with tourists hoping to see the sights, and all the shops that were closed for the winter have opened their doors!



We thought we would share our top six places to hang out or go shopping downtown. Since this is where the cruise ships dock, it's likely the first piece of Juneau you'll see, and what a pretty place to start off too!

No trip to downtown would be complete without a visit at the Mount Roberts Tramway!

Yes, we are a bit biased since we play up at the top of the mountain regularly throughout the summer, but views up at the top of the mountain cannot be beat (especially if you're not a hiker!)
With the Timberline Bar and Grill and the Raven Eagle Gift shop, the tramway is a complete package!

Across the road from the Mount Roberts Tramway, is one of my personal favorite places to shop: Trove. 
Just like the name, this spot is a treasure trove of fun and unique things. 

From art to trinkets, this store has everything sparkly and pretty! Abigail and I love going in just to look around. 

On my last visit, I found these adorable miniatures, perfect for Melissa's doll house! Sadly, we didn't bring them home with us, but maybe next time!







Last Christmas, I spoiled myself by picking out a few of their beautiful Christmas ornaments for Quinn and I's first tree. Don't worry! They have their Christmas ornaments all year round (so you can get some even during the summer tourist season!).

Okay...now on to everyone's favorite thing: fudge!

I know, I know. I'm simply torturing you with this picture. 

But wait, there's more!

These tantalizing and yummy pictures (that I myself want to eat right off of the screen) are from our favorite sweet spot downtown: The Alaska Fudge Co. 

Besides fudge, they make their own chocolates as well! They also sell ice-cream and (my personal favorite) homemade caramel popcorn! 

(Yes, I may have given in to temptation and gotten a bag while I was there...)

And to answer your question: YES. They wrap up your fudge and sweets all nice and neat so you can bring them back home (if your will is made of iron, that is. Otherwise you'll eat it all in less time then it took to buy it. We always do.).

Next up is our favorite and the most adorable little Post Office ever! 

Named Kindred Post, this cute little post office is big on amazing; not only can you mail those postcards...

...you can buy artwork and housewares from creative people here in Juneau. They have a wonderful collection of cards for all occasions, and I have repeatedly told Quinn that I want to buy one of everything. 

Yep, I'd like one of everything please!

Next up on the tour of our favorite places downtown, Quinn's favorite spot to shop (and spend hours and hours).

If you like comics or graphic novels (or eccentric artwork) this is the place for you! The Alaska Robotics Gallery has everything from shirts and art supplies to your favorite comic books. I'm sure Quinn would spend a whole paycheck here if he could (I know my brother Henry has done it before).

For Folk Fest week, Quinn and I practiced after hours in here with our friend Marian Call. It was sometimes hard to pay attention when every wall was lined with interesting looking reads...

And finally, last (but certainly not least in our books) is our favorite place to grab lunch:

The Alaskan Crepe Escape is a small booth on the side of main street. Don't worry, you can't miss it. The yummy smells will draw you right in!

When I first told Quinn that I wanted to write a blog post on our favorite places downtown he instantly said "Do we get to eat crepes?! You know...for the blog post." 

Yes! Of COURSE we needed to get crepes! Sadly, Quinn is currently on a no-sugar diet (I'm so proud of him!) so he got a natural fruit smoothie, and I got the Sugar & Spice crepe.  

And let me tell you, it was yummy!

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We hope you enjoyed this insider look into downtown Juneau! We certainly had a lot of fun showing you the sights and our favorite places. 

On the Ruby Princess

Doesn't Abigail look excited?! She has reason to be!

Not only was she in a pretty dressing room (filled with pretty costumes to swoon over), she was on the Ruby Princess! 

Last night was our first show on the Princess Cruise Ships, where we will be playing all summer. We're so excited to be able to live in our favorite place (Juneau, our home!) and work on the Princess Cruise ships as they're docked here.

I have to say we were all a bit nervous for this first show. We've practiced and practiced since January (I can't guess how many hours we've put into practicing. Quinn would probably say it was millions!), so we were excited and a little bit scared to perform for the first time on a big stage.

I was certainly nervous, especially after the LAST shows we played on a cruise ship where I was so sick I spent the whole time in my room (thankfully this summer we won't ever be leaving port, so I won't have to deal with sea sickness). But I'm happy to report that the show went wonderfully! We had a great time! The turn out was a bit small, but we were happy not to have a packed house for our very first show.

Although the show went well, we were a bit disappointed we couldn't celebrate by jumping in one of the many pools on board...oh well, maybe next week?

Please let us know if you, or someone you know, is heading up to Juneau this summer! We would love to see and meet you (either on the ship, in downtown Juneau, or maybe up at the tram!). We're so looking forward to this summer and a new season of work!