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Lucky Duck Fortune Teller

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

 

    There are many interesting things spread across the property of Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, ranging from mounted animals, paintings, and Alaskan artifacts. One of the oddest may be the duck fortune teller located just to the right of the main doors from the lobby. In a glass and wood case, a large duck will, for just a quarter, flap its wings, quack and talk, and spool out a printed fortune. Though the machine is undeniably odd, it fits right in with the decor and complements the sometimes eclectic, but tasteful, decorations throughout the rest of the hotel. If you have a chance, give it a try and see what your future has in store for you!

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Behind the Scenes- Giftshop Manager

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

   

Judy, the Pike’s gift shop manager, has lived in Fairbanks the past 21 years and spent the 16 years before that in Ketchikan. After moving up from Tacoma to Alaska, she realized right away that she was a truly a “greenhorn.” She didn’t know anything about Alaska, yet her on her first time out halibut fishing she caught a 150 pound halibut with a hot-dog as bait. In the 37 years since she has learned to catch, fillet, and cook all manner of fish in addition to mastering many other Alaskan skills, making her a true sourdough. When stocking the gift shop, Judy has many different things that she has to keep in mind. She tries to buy goods that were made in the USA, but beyond that has no real set plan for what she wants to buy. She tries to follow trends, patterns of customer interest, and her instinct. Despite the 9 or 10 years of experience, odd things occasionally happen and she sells out of stock too soon, such as the time Moose Members staying at Pike’s bought all of the moose hats in one day. If you have a chance, stop by and say hello- I’m sure Judy will have some advice or a good story for you.

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Behind the Scenes- Dining and Catering Manager

Monday, September 12, 2011

 

    Ursula, the Dining and Catering Manager, has been in the food service industry in one way or another for almost her entire life, starting with her first job as a car hop on roller skates. She moved to Alaska in 1981 from Chicago and has worked for Pike’s for the past seven years. A typical day for Ursula at Pike’s starts around 4:15 am when she wakes up so that she can get to the hotel at 5 am. She checks with the staff and makes sure that they have everything needed to make breakfast. Over the course of the breakfast time, Ursula has to continue checking on the kitchen and staff, but also likes to chat with the guests and make sure that they are having a good time. She makes the soup of the day, using recipes from a variety of places including the Food Channel. Over the course of the day, she constantly checks on the kitchen staff and supplies. She figures out new menu items based on what is trending (She says that meatloaf and Shepard's pie are popular now.) and also works on decorations. Inspirations for her displays come from magazines, decorating shows, the seasons, and from her head. In her spare time, she enjoys oil painting and paints all sorts of subjects from people to landscapes. This picture is of Ursula, who showed me around the hotel and pointed out the many fabulous paintings that Jay has collected and put on display.

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Executive Housekeeper

Thursday, September 01, 2011

 

Michelle, the hotel's Executive Housekeeper, began work as part of the construction crew in 2000. Once the hotel was built, she was going to start work at the front desk, but instead started in laundry. From there she began inspecting rooms then moved up to the post of assistant housekeeping manager. It was only a short jump from there to the position of Executive Housekeeper. A standard day starts with her coming in at 7am and making a board of rooms that need to be cleaned. She needs to organize housecleaners and room inspectors, keep an eye on how many guests are checking in and checking out that day, as well as many other tasks such as ordering amenities and keeping track of lost items. Michelle is the brains and motivation behind the green initiatives that have been taking place at Pike’s. She realized that many common industrial cleaners were considered too hazardous to be sent in the mail and had to be shipped up specially. She didn’t like that chemicals that couldn’t be mailed were being used, so she began to transition to Buckeye certified cleaners and household detergents such as Downy and Tide. In addition to the chemicals, many of the standard room amenities such as the toilet and tissue paper are Greenseal certified. Michelle loves her work because she enjoys interacting with both the guests and employees, some of which she has worked with for 10 years now.

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