Anchorage Sheraton's Jade Staircase

While in Anchorage we stayed at the Anchorage Sheraton. Although the locals have probably never heard of it, the Sheraton's "Million Dollar" jade staircase is relatively popular with tourists. This green jade can be found at numerous sites, although it's not always practical to mine. In Nome, for instance, we passed a large jade boulder that was cut and polished on one side, and the tour guide explained there was "lots of the stuff" in the surrounding area, but shipping it south was too expensive. You don't have to go to Nome to get Alaskan jade - it can be found in any number of gift shops.

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