Mom went to Alaska, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt!

May 24, 2006 1:13 PM

My mother is going to Alaska and wants to being back unique "Alaskan" souvenirs for the family.

She's going on a cruise up the coast with her senior citizens group, and will be spending a few days here and there at various cities (Juneau, Ketchikan, Hanies, plus others), doing the usual tourist-y things (a railroad trip, panning for gold, whale-watching, etc.). They will be visiting the usual tourist-y souvenir shops.

Mom wants to bring back souvenirs for her three kids and their spouses (so, 6 adults) and four grandkids (14, 12, 10 and 8 months) that aren't too expensive (maybe $25 or so each) and also aren't just the typical t-shirt or coffee mug. She wants us to give her ideas on what we want.

I've already told her that I just want her to go and have fun and not worry about buying things, but she will have none of that. This is a Very Big Deal for her, and she wants everyone to have a remembrance of the time Mom/Grandma went on a cruise to Alaska.

So any ideas for unique and relatively inexpensive souvenirs that really scream ALASKA? I'd even be ok with a t-shirt or coffee mug from a uniquely Alaskan-type place, as long as Mom doesn't have to go too far out of her way to get it.

Other info: She'll be with a tour group with an itinerary, so she won't be able to get around to anything off the beaten path. She isn't particularly frail, but hauling around a suitcase of frozen salmon would not work, nor would a Real Alaskan Husky Dog, which was my first choice.

posted by SuperSquirrel to travel & transportation (16 comments total)

Frozen salmon won't work, but pre-packaged smoked salmon will. Delicious. I ask for some every time someone I know goes to Alaska.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:15 PM on May 24, 2006

Because I'm a geology nut, I always ask people to bring back rocks that they think are cool-looking. They don't have to be outrageous or even very big (e.g. golf-ball sized), and I certainly don't ask for anything illegal (e.g. petrified wood or anything from a national park) or even anything rare -- a river-bottom piece of granite is just fine. But I like the fact that a) it's literally a hunk of somewhere else, b) the person chose it themselves and c) it's free.
posted by frogan at 1:25 PM on May 24, 2006

I bought various high-quality-ish but not outrageous Inuit totems (I think? Some sort of spirit-guide figurines) for my parents when I went to Homer. There's varying levels of "traditional" carvings and crafts everywhere, and the native Alaskans rolled their eyes at the kitsch, but it was unusual enough outside Alaska to be interesting and nice enough not to look cheap.
posted by occhiblu at 1:40 PM on May 24, 2006

In the gift shops you'll see items made from plastic-encased moose droppings. We found the swizzle sticks especially curious (but it was miniature totem poles that we chose as our souvenirs).
posted by Rash at 1:43 PM on May 24, 2006

These ulu knifes seemed popular in a tacky sort of way last time I was up there. Maybe not for an 8yo though. I think they’re only useful for cutting cheese, if you don't have some sort of family fish skinning operation.


posted by paxton at 1:44 PM on May 24, 2006

Muskox wool, qiviut, is very soft and warm. And specific to the region. In some ways perfect because items made from it are light and not bulky, nor is it perishable. In other ways it's not quite what you're looking for.
posted by speedo at 1:46 PM on May 24, 2006

An ulu knife.

Unique AND useful. My dad swears by the one I brought him from AK.
posted by clh at 1:49 PM on May 24, 2006

I got a fantastic wooden bowl/rounded knife thing as an Alaskan souviner. Apparently, it's very Alaskan and it's the most fantastic thing ever as far as usefulness. I wish I could remember what it was called.

(Imagine a cutting board with a bowl carved out of it and a blade that fits perfectly in the bowl with a handle in the center so you can just rock it back and forth to cut vegetables, etc, without them hopping out all over the place.)

My daughter got a minature stuffed huskie dog with a little "Alaska" bandana from the same people and it worked for her. She got a moose from another one of their trips and she said, "Did you go to Canada?"
posted by Gucky at 1:49 PM on May 24, 2006

Metafilter is smarter than me. Yeah. An Ulu knife with a matching cutting board.
posted by Gucky at 1:50 PM on May 24, 2006

There are a few good options here in Juneau:

1. The Alaska State Museum has a lovely exhibit of Rie Munoz right now, a very Alaskan artist that lives here in Juneau. The posters from the exhibit are lovely and cheap. They are also hosting an exhibit on whales and the book is small and well done.

2. The Friends of the Museum have a great store at the museum and another downtown. The art can be pricey but you better believe it is 100% genuine.

3. Most smoked salmon needs to be refridgerated but there are some that don't. Most of that is made out of state but Kake Tribal makes a kind of salmon jerky you might dig.

4. Two well-illustrated books for kids are Volcano Girl and Frog Boy. For an Alaskan historical book try Benny's Flag. For something really cool for adults, pick up Say it in Tlingit, a Tlingit phrase book.

5. If she has an opportunity to wander out on Sandy Beach, the place is loaded with chunks of pottery left over from the mining mess hall's plates, free for the taking.

6. Last Chance Mining Museum has old miner's tags, the ones they IDed your body with after you were squished to a pulp by a cave-in.

7. Bill Spears, a local artist, makes enamaled pins that are incredibly popular here. Almost everyone in Juneau owns one and many organizations have one made for a special event. He has an entire showroom of them. One of his best is a pair of XtraTuf boots, AKA Juneau sneakers, made into a zipper pull. VERY Southeast Alaska, small, and cheap.

For great advice and free internet, have your mom stop by the downtown library or the state library. They will also be a great source for freebies such as maps and cool handouts. Now matter what, she should bring a good raincoat.
posted by Foam Pants at 2:01 PM on May 24, 2006

In Juneau you can get a Moose Hat, which is a baseball cap with a moose nose over the brim and antlers. My grandparents got me one when I was 11 and I thought it was the bee's knees. I seem to recall it being around $17.
posted by j.edwards at 2:39 PM on May 24, 2006

This is a bit silly. She'll be in touristy areas and there will be plenty of Alaskan stuff to buy. If she has a wishlist of specific items, which you aren't even really attached to, she'll end up spending her whole vacation looking for this stuff and be disappointed if she can't find it.

(OTOH, maybe she's a shopper and she loves a challenge, but I know I was in this situation once and it actually made the vacation less enjoyable.)
posted by smackfu at 4:09 PM on May 24, 2006

Just fyi, ulu knives are available in every tchoke shop in Alaska. They probably sell them on the cruise ship.
Another just fyi on ulu knives. Do NOT take them home in your carry-on luggage. TSA doesn't like it.
posted by clh at 4:18 PM on May 24, 2006

Oosiks are interesting. You can find the them in tourist shops as cribbage boards, landscape/diorama carvings, Ulu handles, and more.

And I learn something new every day - you can get them from lots of animals!
posted by jpeacock at 7:00 PM on May 24, 2006

Qiviut is very cool and ulus are very touristy. Carved ivory is also a big tourist item. These are thing you will find in tourist shops in Southeast Alaska even though they have nothing to do with the cultural history of this part of the state. It's a bit like purchasing a figurine of the Alamo while vacationing in Kansas. You might want to stick with Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian art since she will be in SE exclusively.
posted by Foam Pants at 8:02 PM on May 24, 2006

Thanks for all the excellent answers! My mom is not a very creative shopper and is intimidated by anything "arty", so giving her a specific goal will make her life easier, and get her off my back.

I am especially fond of the miner's id tags, as I think she will be visiting that museum, plus it will squick the ol' gal out a bit. :-)
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:05 PM on May 24, 2006