Dunedin, Florida, United States

The winner of the poll this week is Dunedin, Florida! In case you were wondering how to pronounce this name it is "done eden" or like some country folks I know it is "done eatin'". You can go to Dictionary.com and click on the speaker icon to hear how it is pronounced.

Dunedin is on the Gulf Coast of Florida just west of Tampa and north of Clearwater. It is currently after 10 pm in Dunedin and it's 73 degrees with 59% humidity. Many people complain about the humidity in Florida. In August 2008, humidity got up to 97% almost every day according to the Wunderground.com daily almanac. Fortunately, there's always a beach nearby to take a dip in and cool off. Clearwater Beach is about 8 miles away and home to Sunsets at Pier 60. It has a street festival feeling. The last time I went there was a performer who juggled fire and his grand finale was fire breathing. He was a good performer and had a little comedy routine to go with his show. There are also plenty of boats along the Gulf Coast. Some of them will promise you dolphin sightings, some will take you out fishing and others will help you pretend to be a pirate for a couple hours. Pinellas Trail runs along the western edge of Dunedin. The trail is 34 miles long. Jogging, inline skating and bicycling are all allowed on the trail.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were about 36,000 residents in 2006. This makes it the same size as Cape Girardeau, Missouri, home of Southeast Missouri State University.

There is a Best Western and Holiday Inn Express in Dunedin proper. There are many more lodging choices in the neighboring towns of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa. The towns around Tampa Bay all flow together and can be difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.

My pick of the week for lodging is Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort in Clearwater Beach. It's right on the beach and within walking distance to restaurants, souvenir shops and the boats. My vote for restaurants is Crabby Bill's. I have eaten there and the food was wonderful.

I learned a lesson this week. It will work out best for me if I close the city selection poll on Friday evening and publish the post Sunday evening. This will give me the weekend to do research, write it and proofread it.

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

It is 25 degrees outside at the moment and spitting snow. So it's no wonder the first city that came to mind for the letter A was Anchorage. I've never been to Anchorage but I would love to go some day. Many people tend to think Anchorage is the capital of Alaska. That's a common misconception. The state capital honor goes to Juneau. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated 2007 population of Anchorage was 279,671. That makes it about twice the size of Springfield, Missouri, and slightly smaller than Bakersfield, California. Today is February 28 and it is currently 23 degrees in Anchorage. Six months ago (August 28), the high was 62 degrees.

When I think of Alaska, I think of wildlife, wilderness, snow and the Iditarod. Don't know what the Iditarod is? It is a famous trail sled dog race. There are two routes but they both go from Anchorage to Nome (or is it Nome to Anchorage?) Both routes cover over 1100 miles. The 2009 race starts on March 7. You can click here to find out more about the Iditarod. There have been several movies created that center around a dog sled race. One of my favorites is Snow Dogs which stars Cuba Gooding Jr. It is rated PG and is suitable for children.

Here is the official website for Anchorage.