Northern Exposure: The Next Generation

Fantastic script writing, endearing characters, a beautiful small town setting … all of these factors got me hooked on the hit TV series, “Northern Exposure,” when it originally came out in the 1990s. I adored the simple yet profound story lines of this show.

At the Beaverton City Library several months ago I came across the season one DVD of “Northern Exposure.” I thought it would be a great show to revisit with my kids. That night we snuggled up in bed, and together over a couple of months, we went through that first season, and then the five sequential seasons that followed. My kids were hooked and fell in love with Cicely, Alaska (aka Roslyn, Washington) and its cast of characters, Joel, Maggie, Chris, Holling, Ruth Ann, Ed, Marilyn and the rest. Since the show was filled with such depth and meaning, we would often have discussions about what occurred within each episode and the lessons to be taken away.

After we watched the entire series, there was one Monday my kids didn’t have school, so on that Sunday morning I surprised them and told them we were going to Roslyn (about a 4.5 hour drive), for the night, and visit where Northern Exposure took place. They were so excited! Without any real plans of what we’d do or where we’d stay, we began our sojourn.

From the moment we arrived on Roslyn’s Pennsylvania Avenue, we felt like we’d stepped back in time and into the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska. All the sights felt so familiar and I admit, my daughter, son and I were totally fan struck. We first went into Dr. Joel Fleishman’s office (which is now Cicely’s Gift Shop). We spoke to the shop owner, a local man who had been in Roslyn during all the glory years of series filming and had many stories about what it was like to interact with all the actors. He talked about Janine Turner(Maggie), Rob Morrow (Joel), Cynthia Geary (Shellie) and Darren Burrows (Ed). He talked about all the behind-the-scenes personalities  and the anecdotal conversations he had with them over the years. What a great bonus for us!

We then went to The Brick, where we had lunch. My kids were very excited—it was as if Holling and Shellie were going to come around the corner and serve us. The bar side is 21 and over and there is a family dining area on the other side of the building.

After lunch we sauntered over to the KBHR studio, which is part of a larger commercial space. Looking through the windows, the set still looks the same as it did when “Chris in the Morning” took over the airwaves of Cicely. It’s a bit dusty, though, and has a sad sort of feeling of being left behind.

We walked around the rest of the town (it’s small), and saw Ruth Ann’s store and lots of other notable “Northern Exposure” features, like the town totem pole. Roslyn, a once-flourishing coal mining town, has a unique charm and it’s easy to see why producers chose this location to film the series. There are many old houses, most built in the early 1900s, ma and pa shops, a small movie theater, and the town has a population of under 1,000.

A local told us to make sure we drove up to see one of Roslyn’s more historical attributes, a cemetery comprised of 26 separate but adjacent 5,000 cemetery plots spread out over 15 acres. Since the mining boom brought immigrants from all over the world — including Poland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Serbia and Croatia — from 1886 to 1929, Roslyn once held a true melting pot of people and cultures. The cemetery is organized by lodges of fraternal, ethnic and civic organizations for burial of their deceased family members. We drove up and around the many portions of the cemetery, marveling at the tranquil beauty of iron gates and elaborate gravestones. This landmark was definitely worth the time to visit.

After a full day of exploring the town and seeing the sights, we ended up finding a local bed and breakfast, Huckleberry House, where we could stay the night. Run by a husband and wife, Don and Sybil, Huckleberry House is right on the edge of town and delivered a relaxing, peaceful stay. Rooms have their own bathrooms, which is always a plus. We watched “Northern Exposure” reruns on old VHS tapes in the library. The beds were comfortable and my kids thought having breakfast made for us the next morning was pretty cool.

The town of Roslyn garnered a real slice of fame through “Northern Exposure” and as such, has had thousands of people over the past 20 years make the trek to Roslyn, just as we did, to gather in a small slice of Cicely heaven. For lots of reasons, this show truly resonates and stands the test of time as being lovable, familiar and somehow able to rise above the caliber of most television. I was glad I was able to bring my kids to this somewhat frozen-in-time place, and give them a little close-up “northern exposure” to all the cool, interesting highlights that over 20 years later, they too came to know and love.

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Category: family