Broadway Between 5th and 6th
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway these days lives on the summer tourist traffic, especially the crowds that surge down Broadway several times a day from the cruise ships. Everyone wants to shop — and not just for postcards. It seems that almost every building along Broadway that isn't a restaurant sells gold nuggets, Indian crafts, furs, vintage postcards, and smoked salmon.
It still looks a lot like the turn of the century, since most of the buildings have been restored and jarring modern elements kept off the main streets. There are still wooden sidewalks, but the street was paved a few years ago. But the crowds of affluent day-trippers are a far cry from the ardent gold seekers, gamblers, pickpockets, dance hall girls, and other colorful characters of Skagway's short heyday a hundred years ago. It can be said that Skagway is both Alaska's most, and least, genuine historical experience.