For five years, the residents of Cicely, Alaska entertained us with life on the frontier. The Northern Exposure series ran from 90-95, and it was filled with great characters and a sense of belonging.
The whole story surrounded a budding young New York doctor, Joel Fleishman, who managed to secure a position in the Alaskan wilderness. While he may have been working towards a townhouse in Manhattan, he ended up in a cabin in the woods. The series revolves around his reluctant acceptance of life in the wilderness.
The series begat actors like John Corbett, who was the voice of KBHR (K-Bear), the local radio station. His voice is widely known in advertising. He currently is doing the voice over for Walgreens and has been the voice of many car companies. He did a stint on Sex and the City as one of Carrie’s boyfriends. John Corbett played Chris Stevens, an earthy, well-read esoteric character.
Rob Morrow played Fleishman, and he did a great job. He was a character that grew on you as he changed. Morrow did a great job of getting you to love the character and him. He has gone on to an off and on career and was the lead character in Game Show.
Janine Turner played the amazing Maggie McConnell, a pilot. She spent most of the series addressing Fleishman with disdain.
The entire cast was wonderful and loveable. The plots read like a soap opera series, and the show was designed to watch back to back.
We loved the show when it came out and A&E has been the only station that has run the series as a rerun.
When Barnes & Nobel offered their membership cards, I debated on whether or not to get one. The deciding factor was that I could get the entire Northern Exposure series for a great price, plus, if I ordered online, I could get another 15 percent off. I ended up with almost 40 percent off the entire series and we sat right now and began to watch it as soon as it came in.
It took us almost a year and a half to watch the entire series again. We watched it in order and it was like spending time with old friends.
In fact, we decided that we were going to go and have a beer at The Brick.
The series was shot in Roslyn, Washington, and it was a stop along the way on our Ring of Fire Tour 2009. The town is very far out of the way, and it is still the same as the set left it. When we first got there, you could imagine all the characters coming to life and walking along the streets.
There are a few shops that are memorabilia and gift shops. Fleishman’s doctor’s office is a gift shop of some sorts. The museum carries movie props and the history of the town. You can stop by the homes of the characters and have a beer at the bar.
The pizza joint is jumping and KBHR is right on the street. It is as if you could look into the window and wave to Chris Stevens.
It was a great little side trip and one I will always remember.
If you are a fan and in Washington, stop by The Brick and have a beer. It may look different than the show, but it is The Brick.
I took these shots downtown and around.
If you are a fan, enjoy these photos. If you are a fan looking for a cool vacation stop, go and visit Roslyn, Washington.
Those true fans will be humming the theme song as they walk through the town, and who does not get a tear in their eye when they hear Iris Dement sing Our Town.
Julie and Blu