The Great Alaska hamburger quest

🍔 Season Two, Episode One: The Airport Upset Nobody Saw Coming

(The Grandmother–Grandson Expedition Continues… now crossing state lines.)

PART I — The Setting

Leaving Alaska is always bittersweet.

Bright snow.

Blue sky.

Majestic mountains surrounding us.

One last Miller’s Market memory still lingering on our taste buds.

And then…

Minneapolis–St. Paul Airport.

Not exactly the place you go expecting burger greatness.

We were just two exhausted travelers trying to survive a long travel day —

Gannon in shorts, me in my 60-below boots, praying our gates weren’t a mile apart.

(They were.)

THE SURPRISE

Gannon spotted it first:

Shake Shack.

His eyes lit up like he’d just discovered buried treasure.

“Nana Gaga… I think we should do a review.”

Of course we should.

The kid has a calling.

THE FIRST BITE

He took one bite.

Just one.

Eyes widened.

Head nodded slowly.

Then came the verdict:

“Gaga… this beats all the others.”

I thought: “Maybe it was jet lag? But no…”

Yes — the airport burger.

The one we did NOT plan.

The one we did NOT see coming.

Alaska had fallen.

MSP Airport had risen.

The Burger Universe shifted.

THE VICTORY LAP

When we landed,

Gannon immediately

Googled:“Shake Shack Virginia Beach.”

When he found out we have one in Virginia Beach,

he nearly sprouted wings.

He now believes he has a divine burger mission —and honestly…

who am I to disagree?

But we arrived in Virginia at 1:00 in the morning.

Nothing was open.

Dang it.

PART II — The Surf Dogs Revelation

However, if MSP is the king now…

just wait until he tries my teenage burger joint:

Surf Dogs — Ice Cream • Hotdogs • Burgers

This place is a replica of what raised me.

Beach Boys.

Milkshakes.

Flip-flops.

Surf boards.

1960s Virginia Beach.

Oceanfront in Chesapeake.

Close your eyes and dream.

Gannon thinks he’s just eating lunch there.

He has NO IDEA he’s about to enter

Nana Gaga’s sacred territory.

Expect:

Surfin’ USA

Milkshakes

Burgers

Fries

Ocean breezes

Nana reclaiming her teenage throne

PART III — The Season Ahead

Surf Dogs will likely be:

The first official Virginia Beach challenger.

The spiritual home court.

The burger arena where Gaga is undefeated.

The place I’ve waited decades to take me…er I mean him.

Season Two might be bigger than Season One.

He’s ready.

I’ve been ready.

I’m the driver.

And Virginia might not be ready for us —

but we’re coming anyway.

Next Episode:“The Comeback Burger: When Gannon Enters Nana Gaga’s Teenage Kingdom.”

OOPS… We took a wrong turn in Anchorage… should we do hotdogs next?

This place was REALLY good. We fed it to the missionaries:

Reindeer Dogs.They wolfed it down.

BE WELL ~ BE SAFE ~ BE HAPPY

It’s Still a Jungle Out There.