“Sitka… Alaska.” Sadly, Not Quite the 'Proposal'-Level Magic I Hoped For

As someone who’s seen The Proposal more times than I can count, I couldn’t wait to visit Sitka. Ryan Reynolds' character calls this place home, and Sandra Bullock’s dramatic “Sitka… Alaska” line basically lives rent-free in my head. Sure, I know the movie wasn’t actually filmed there (they shot it in Massachusetts I believe), but that didn’t matter, I had high hopes that Sitka would still feel like the charming, coastal gem I’d imagined.

But after visiting some truly magical spots in Alaska, Sitka just… fell flat. Unless you’re booking a full-blown excursion (and even those were slim pickings when we visited), there really isn’t much to do. We wandered around hoping to find hidden gems, and while the downtown area did have quite a few shops, most of them felt geared toward tourists, with prices to match. It was a decent place to window shop, but not necessarily to buy unless you're ready to splurge.

We eventually found a small restaurant (the Bayview Pub) with a nice view overlooking the town, which seemed like it could be a redeeming moment. But the menu was super limited, the food options were underwhelming, and the prices felt way too high for what we got. It honestly felt like the kind of spot that’s more about the view than the value.

After lunch, we didn’t end up spending much time in Sitka because, honestly, we were disappointed. After a second quick look around town, we headed back toward the port terminal and stopped into Wheelhouse Pub for a beer to kill some time. Even that was just… meh. The atmosphere was forgettable, the beer selection wasn’t great, and it just didn’t add anything memorable to the experience.

I wish I had more to say about Sitka, but that’s kind of the point. I left without much to remember. While I’m still glad I got to check it off my list (movie reference and all), it’s not a place I’d go back to. Sometimes, it's best to let the Hollywood version live on in your imagination.