I just returned from a food studies conference and some vacation in Alaska, which seems like as arbitrary a time as any to return to this venue after a number of years. Since this picture was taken at 3 am, you get to decide whether it's sunset or sunrise. Here are some things I learned while in the 49th state: 1. West coast oysters are very good. 2. Anchorage, while still a white-majority city, is one of the most diverse census tracts within its racial-ethnic groups: the public schools are among the most diverse in the US. Of course, with 227 different indigenous/native groups identified in Alaska, maybe you would not be surprised, but the diversity of the Anchorage census tracts comes from global populations and migration, too. Each of my Lyft drivers were from different countries. For such a small city, there's surprisingly diverse food options. (I did not intend to make this one about food, but oh well). 3. You should make noise and not run from a bear ,