March 2, 2019: It was our first official day in Anchorage today! We started the day by eating breakfast and getting ready for our day in downtown Anchorage to watch the ceremonial start of the Iditarod 47 dog sled race! The race began at 10 AM and the main street was flooded with people. We were able to "shop" for a good spot for about 30 minutes before the race began. Most of our group went to the Iditarod shed where we received a free poster, free cookies, and free hot chocolate or cookies. Many people were handing out free souvenirs or pamphlets on the sidewalks. Our group split up to find good spots to watch and capture the beginning of the over 1,000 mile dog sled race! Throughout the rest of the day, all of explored various areas of downtown Anchorage. We visited shops, crafts fairs, local vendors, and restaurants. Some of us also met up to go view the snow sculptures that had been created for the Iditarod festival. After the snow sculpture viewing, we visited more local shops and waited for the Reindeer Race to begin. The Reindeer Race is a fundraiser where people dress up in costumes and run a race with reindeer alongside them. It was very entertaining to watch! All of our finished the night by meeting at Moose's Tooth, a very popular pizzeria and pub, to eat dinner and talk about our day. We were exhausted and went back to our house to rest for the night. It was a great and eventful first day that we all got to enjoy together!